2025.08.18 - Why Do We Still Need to Revisit Confucius and Mencius Today

2025.08.18 – Why We Still Need to Re‑Explore Confucius and Mencius Today

Reading Picks:

Kindness begins with a benevolent thought, virtue springs from a good heart. — Over‑Interpretation of “Little Monsters of Langlang Mountain”: a contemporary allegory that secretly hides revolutionary codes

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Eight Great Mountain Artists: “Fish Are Meant to Fly in the Sky”

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GsN0AfVE1hkxAxlDaM8S1g

You don’t need any special effort to slip into the world of the Eight Great Mountain Artists. Even if you know nothing about art history, you can still sense the message they want to convey. You may not be able to articulate why, but the feeling in your body is unmistakable. As Kandinsky said, “When a work of art is given life, it becomes an entity with its own spiritual aura, guiding material realism as a presence. Therefore, no artwork can be treated lightly; it is not a hollow object irrelevant to spiritual life, but a subject with proactive creative power. Such living, powerful art actively creates a spiritual atmosphere.” The Eight Great have that very magic.

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The “Invisible Pushers” Behind Diabetes and Hypertension: Hidden in Your Daily Habits

https://apphnqquudm7147.xet.citv.cn/v3/course/alive/l_688c81d6e4b0694ca0f3b699

Health is a habit, and it depends on the routines we accumulate over time.

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Application of the Eight Confluence Acupoints (Part 1)

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1SVPWDEXfXwb90ZXS84T2w

Acupoints are where weather and earth‑energy meet, blend, and intersect. The Eight Confluence points are crucial in Chinese medicine for regulating the body’s qi and blood, and their use carries great practical significance. An acupoint is essentially a “breath portal,” like a door or window in a room. Open the window and the room is ventilated; open the door and you can move freely. By using these points as channels and storage, we adjust qi and blood, channeling the energy of heaven and earth into the body.

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20 Pieces of Advice for Turbulent Times

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fUg8BwGeTgU1APPdLEPHKA

5. Master a Skill, and It Beats a Fortune. In an era of great change, institutional protection weakens while individual survival skills become paramount. Regardless of age, learn a true craft—whether it’s repair work, programming, or comforting others. This is the foundation for a stable life.

6. Return to Family, Re‑organize the Home. The world outside may be stormy, but the family is the final harbor. Real “feng shui” isn’t about arranging objects; it’s about harmonious relationships. Talk more with your parents, spend time reading with your children—when the home is harmonious, everything else flourishes.

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Yi‑Si Jiashui Study‑Trip Share (Part 1) | The Lively, Clear Teaching

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/aFMWzwNw2EIrvL3B-B9NDw

One end of the central axis is Heaven and Earth; the other end is our ancestors and teachers. We, humans, live on this axis that links the cosmos with the past and present. Heaven and Earth are one, past and present are one, all things are one—we together form a community of shared destiny. In this intimate world, we nurture each other endlessly. Professor Xue says that “unity of man and nature” isn’t mystical at all; it simply means connecting with the virtue of Heaven and Earth, tapping into the ever‑renewing energy. When a person stands on this axis—“virtue aligns with Heaven, the Way crowns past and present”—and feels upright and strong, they are on the right path.

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[Wang Defeng] Why Do We Still Need to Re‑Explore Confucius and Mencius Today?

https://www.bilibili.com/cheese/play/ss463404973

If a nation or society widely notices a drift away from humanity, its illness is severe. What distinguishes a gentleman from a petty person? Are we willing to succumb? A people, as human beings, need thought and self‑awareness. The first thinker to articulate a deep, comprehensive reflection on human nature was Confucius. Without him, the world would be an endless night. Confucianism is the doctrinal lineage of China; without its ideas, the study of the Way cannot be said to belong to Chinese cultural life. The root of China’s cultural vitality lies in Confucian thought. Science gives us knowledge, but not truth. So, when you have spare time, read the Four Books.

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on 拾一集 (Weekly Reflections). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.