Reference no: EM133205976 , Length: 1000 Words

Part I. Interpretation Questions

Interpret the meanings of the following passages and articulate their far-reaching implications in succinct fashion.

1. The Master said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?" (The Analects, 1.1)

2. Mencius said, "The woods on Ox Mountain were once beautiful! On account of its being on the edge of a large country, it had been attacked with axes and hatchets, and then how could it remain beautiful? The refreshing breezes of day and night, and the moisture provided by rain and fog, did not fail to give rise to sprouts of vegetation. But cows and sheep have been repeatedly pastured there, and for that reason it has remained desolate. People observe its denuded state and assume that it never had any good resources. But how could this state be the true nature of this mountain?"- Mencius, 6A:8

3. "Human nature is evil; its goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears. One is born with feelings of envy and hate, and by indulging in these, one is led into banditry and theft, so that the sense of loyalty and good faith with which he was born disappears. One is born with the desires of the ears and eyes and with a fondness for beautiful sights and sounds, and, by indulging these, one is led to licentiousness and chaos, so that the sense of ritual, rightness, refinement, and principle with which one was born is lost." (From the Xunzi)

4. Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. At every touch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee - zip! zoop! He slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music. "Ah, this is marvelous!" said Lord Wen-hui. "Imagine skill reaching such heights!" Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, "What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now - now I go at it by spirit and don't look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and follow things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint.

A good cook changes his knife once a year-because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month-because he hacks. I've had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I've cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife has really no thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there's plenty of room - more than enough for the blade to play about it. That's why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.

However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I'm doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until - flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and put it away."

"Excellent!" said Lord Wen-hui. "I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care for life!" (From "The Secret of Caring for Life," the Zhuangzi)

5. Interpret the meanings of the Stele of the First Emperor of the Qin. How does this stele justify the making of the first empire in China? What values do you think are emphasized in this text?

Part II. Analytical Essays:

1. Describe competing claims to the Way during the Warring States Period, and explain why Legalism, rather than other schools of thought, emerged triumphant! (You should read "the Biography of Li Si" and Chapter 3 in the Cambridge Illustrated History of China.)

2. The reform councilor Wang Anshi (1021-1086) proposed his visions of reform in the famous (or notorious) "Ten-Thousand-Word Memorial." What are the main arguments laid out in the memorial? How does it differ from his arch-rival Conservative historian Sima Guang's visions of politics?

3. Explain what the concept "learned immediacy" mean in Michael Fuller's article, "The Bamboo in the Breast."

4. How did Zhu Xi (1130-1200) re-interpret the Confucian tradition? What did he think were lacking in Han and Tang Confucianism, and what did he think were urgently needed? What were Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucian programs? How might his Neo-Confucianism have contributed to the long-term stability of the Chinese imperial system afterwards?

5. Read Chapters 20 and 21 in Sources of Chinese Tradition and the two chapters (posted on the AVENUE) from Neo-Confucianism in History by Peter K. Bol. Explain in your own words the fundamental teachings of Neo-Confucianism! How would you account for the Neo-Confucian views of good government and the good life? Why do you think Neo-Confucianism rose to become triumphant in the subsequent eras of
Chinese history?

6. Read Benjamin Elman's article, "Political, Social, and Cultural Reproduction via Civil Service Examinations in Late Imperial China." (Available on the Avenue). How did the Civil Service Examinations contribute toward the unity of the Chinese civilization?

7. Huang Zongxi's views of Good Government: How does Huang Zongxi criticize despotism? What is his alternative? What are his political and social agenda? Read Waiting for the Dawn.