Chinese myth story

The Rise of Chinese Philosophy — From Confucius to Modern Thought

中国哲学的兴起

Trace Chinese philosophy from classical sayings to modern thought through mastery-level formal Chinese, argument, quotation, and summary.

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1

中国哲学的兴起,并非一朝一夕之功。

Zhōngguó zhéxué de xīngqǐ, bìngfēi yì zhāo yì xī zhī gōng.

The rise of Chinese philosophy was by no means achieved overnight.

2

它源于礼乐秩序,也回应现实危机。

Tā yuán yú lǐyuè zhìxù, yě huíyìng xiànshí wēijī.

It arose from ritual order and also responded to real crises.

3

孔子所谓“仁者爱人”,言简而意深。

Kǒngzǐ suǒwèi “rénzhě ài rén,” yán jiǎn ér yì shēn.

Confucius’ phrase “the humane person loves others” is brief yet profound.

4

若离开具体时代,便难以理解其锋芒。

Ruò líkāi jùtǐ shídài, biàn nányǐ lǐjiě qí fēngmáng.

If removed from its era, its sharpness is hard to understand.

5

春秋之际,旧制度日渐松动。

Chūnqiū zhī jì, jiù zhìdù rìjiàn sōngdòng.

During the Spring and Autumn period, old systems gradually loosened.

6

士人由此被迫重新追问秩序之本。

Shìrén yóucǐ bèi pò chóngxīn zhuīwèn zhìxù zhī běn.

Scholars were therefore forced to re-ask about the basis of order.

7

儒家强调责任,道家则重视自然。

Rújiā qiángdiào zérèn, Dàojiā zé zhòngshì zìrán.

Confucianism emphasizes responsibility, while Daoism values nature.

8

二者看似相反,实则相辅相成。

Èr zhě kàn sì xiāngfǎn, shízé xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng.

The two seem opposed, but in fact complement each other.

9

所谓“无为”,并非无所作为。

Suǒwèi “wúwéi,” bìngfēi wú suǒ zuòwéi.

So-called nonaction does not mean doing nothing.

10

它要求权力减少不必要干预。

Tā yāoqiú quánlì jiǎnshǎo bù bìyào gānyù.

It requires power to reduce unnecessary interference.

11

墨家主张兼爱,意在突破血缘边界。

Mòjiā zhǔzhāng jiān’ài, yì zài tūpò xuèyuán biānjiè.

Mohism advocates universal love, aiming to break kinship boundaries.

12

法家重制度,认为赏罚不可含糊。

Fǎjiā zhòng zhìdù, rènwéi shǎngfá bù kě hánhu.

Legalism values institutions and holds that reward and punishment must not be vague.

13

诸子百家的争鸣,使思想层出不穷。

Zhūzǐ bǎijiā de zhēngmíng, shǐ sīxiǎng céng chū bù qióng.

The debates among schools caused ideas to emerge endlessly.

14

鉴于各家立场不同,比较尤为必要。

Jiànyú gè jiā lìchǎng bù tóng, bǐjiào yóuwéi bìyào.

Given the different positions of each school, comparison is especially necessary.

15

据此可见,传统并非静止遗产。

Jùcǐ kějiàn, chuántǒng bìngfēi jìngzhǐ yíchǎn.

From this it can be seen that tradition is not a static legacy.

16

它在不断解释中获得新生命。

Tā zài búduàn jiěshì zhōng huòdé xīn shēngmìng.

It gains new life through continual interpretation.

17

近代以后,西方概念被引入中国语境。

Jìndài yǐhòu, Xīfāng gàiniàn bèi yǐnrù Zhōngguó yǔjìng.

After the modern period, Western concepts were introduced into Chinese contexts.

18

传统命题因而被重新审视。

Chuántǒng mìngtí yīn’ér bèi chóngxīn shěnshì.

Traditional propositions were therefore reexamined.

19

诚然,现代化带来新的问题。

Chéngrán, xiàndàihuà dài lái xīn de wèntí.

Admittedly, modernization brings new problems.

20

但它也促使哲学摆脱封闭。

Dàn tā yě cùshǐ zhéxué bǎituō fēngbì.

But it also causes philosophy to cast off closure.

21

若只守旧,思想便会半途而废。

Ruò zhǐ shǒujiù, sīxiǎng biàn huì bàn tú ér fèi.

If one merely clings to the old, thought will give up halfway.

22

若全盘否定,又会失去根基。

Ruò quánpán fǒudìng, yòu huì shīqù gēnjī.

If one rejects everything wholesale, the foundation is lost.

23

概括而言,中国哲学博大精深。

Gàikuò ér yán, Zhōngguó zhéxué bó dà jīng shēn.

In summary, Chinese philosophy is broad and profound.

24

其价值在于持续提出人的安身立命之问。

Qí jiàzhí zài yú chíxù tíchū rén de ān shēn lì mìng zhī wèn.

Its value lies in continually raising questions about how humans ground their lives.

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Vocabulary

Story words

26 cards

哲学

zhé xué

philosophy

儒家

rú jiā

Confucianism

秩序

zhì xù

social order

传统

chuán tǒng

traditional

道德

dào dé

morality

理论

lǐ lùn

theory

实践

shí jiàn

practice (as opposed to theory)

概念

gài niàn

concept, idea

观点

guān diǎn

point of view

原则

yuán zé

principle

价值

jià zhí

value

意义

yì yì

meaning, significance

文化

wén huà

Culture

历史

lì shǐ

History

文明

wén míng

civilization

逻辑

luó ji

logic

论证

lùn zhèng

Demonstration

概括

gài kuò

to summarize

总结

zǒng jié

summary

分析

fēn xī

analysis

证明

zhèng míng

Prove

客观

kè guān

objective (opposite of subjective)

主观

zhǔ guān

subjective

规律

guī lv4

regular pattern, rule, law

博大精深

bó dà jīng shēn

Broad and profound

不言而喻

bù yán ér yù

Self-evident

Mini quiz

Check your understanding

Question 1

What does 辩证 mean in advanced discussion?

Question 2

What is the pinyin for 儒家?

Question 3

Why does the passage compare Confucianism and Daoism?

Question 4

What is the modern value of Chinese philosophy in the passage?

Question 5

Choose the best formal summary sentence.

Question 6

What does “据此可见” do?

Question 7

Why is “言简而意深” 文言-style?

Question 8

What does 博大精深 mean?

Question 9

What does 半途而废 warn against?

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Story vocabulary list

哲学 · zhé xué

philosophy

儒家 · rú jiā

Confucianism

秩序 · zhì xù

social order

传统 · chuán tǒng

traditional

道德 · dào dé

morality

理论 · lǐ lùn

theory

实践 · shí jiàn

practice (as opposed to theory)

概念 · gài niàn

concept, idea

观点 · guān diǎn

point of view

原则 · yuán zé

principle

价值 · jià zhí

value

意义 · yì yì

meaning, significance

Simple questions

  1. What does 辩证 mean in advanced discussion?

    Options: dialectical / expensive / passive / temporary

  2. What is the pinyin for 儒家?

    Options: Rújiā / Rǔjiā / Rùjiā / Rūjiā

  3. Why does the passage compare Confucianism and Daoism?

    Options: To show different yet complementary responses to order / To prove one school had no value / To list historical names only / To avoid philosophical argument

Sentence ordering exercise

Put these parts in the correct order.

并非一朝一夕之功中国哲学的兴起

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