Noble Attributes of Chinese Civilization
Thank to Quan Le, Peter Man, Wei Ling Chua, Dongping Han and Mobo Gao for some Sino-inspiration!
Noble Attributes of Chinese Civilization – A Radio Sinoland Cultural Cheat Sheet. Download two-page PDF to earn your Chinese Studies Degree! By: Jeff J. Brown.
Jeff J. Brown, Founder
The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. – Leo Tolstoy
And you can also commit injustice by doing nothing. – Marcus Aurelius
Download pdf: Noble-Attributes-of-Chinese-Civilization
Noble Attributes of Chinese Civilization
With Mandarin and Pinyin for language learners…
Confucius ( 孔子 = Kǒngzǐ, born 551BC). Means
Kong Family Scion .
He gave us Confucism.
仁义礼智信 (rén yì lǐ zhì xìn) =
Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, Trustworthiness.
Generation Z version: Family, Friends, Fraternity, Unity.
Laozi (老子 = Lǎozǐ, born 604BC). Means
Old Child .
He gave us Daoism.
温良恭俭让 (wēn liáng gōng jiǎn ràng) =
Gentleness, Kindness, Respect, Frugality, Humility.
Generation Z version: Cool, Calm, Collected, Chillaxed.
Mencius ( 孟子= Mèngzǐ, born 371BC). Means
Meng Family Scion .
He expounded on Confucism.
忠孝廉耻勇 (zhōng xiào liánchǐ yǒng) =
Loyalty, Filial Piety, Integrity, Shame, Courage.
Generation Z version: Honor, Hope, Humble, Helpful.
Buddha (佛陀 = Fótuó, born 480BC). Means
The Awakened One .
He gave us Buddhism.
佛陀的三盖: 贪欲、嗔恨、无明 (Fótuó de sān gài: tān yù, chēn hèn, wú míng) =
Buddha’s Three Hinderances: Desire, Anger and Ignorance.
Generation Z version: Rest, Relaxation, Respite, Repose.
Zhuangzi ( 庄子 = Zhuāngzǐ, born 369BC). Means
Zhuang Family Scion .
He expounded on Daoism.
无限的本质，空无的存在，寂静的静止，心灵的交流 (wúxiàn de běnzhí, kōng wú dì cúnzài, jìjìng
de jìngzhǐ, xīnlíng de jiāoliú) =
Infinite Essence, Empty Existence, Silent Stillness, Sharing Minds.
Generation Z version: Zen, baby, Zen.
Mao Zedong (毛泽东 = Máo Zédōng, born 1893). Mao is a common family name. Zedong means
Eastern Luster/Beneficence .
He expounded on Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism + the above Five Great Philosophies, giving us Chinese Communism-Socialism.
合作、集体、协作、团结: 为人民服务! (hézuò, jítǐ, xiézuò, tuánjié: WÉI RÉNMÍN FÚWÙ!) =
Cooperation, Collective, Collaboration, Cohesion:
SERVE THE PEOPLE!
Generation Z version: There is no “I” in “Team”.
All six of these great philosopher-teachers espouse two fundamental concepts:
The Golden Rule and Vital Precept/Jade Laws.
1- The Golden Rule = 金科 (Jīnkē), which is:
己所不欲，勿施于人 (jǐsuǒ bùyù, wùshī yúrén) =
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
Very important observation: the Chinese version is in the negative, making it Epistemologically very different than the Western version. Not the same thing. The prior is passive, elliptical and uber-Daoist, the latter is active, linear and invasive.
2- The Vital Precept/Jade Laws = 玉律 (Yùlǜ).
Entire books are written about the Vital Precept/Jade Laws, so I will go Gen Z on you, to sum it up in one sentence:
DO THE RIGHT THING!
In fact, these two concepts are almost always mentioned together:
金科玉律 (Jīnkē Yùlǜ)