#Mengzi

[postcard-from-the-past]

Pagoda in Mengzi City, Yunnan province, China

French vintage postcard

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

2013 Zhong Erju: Notes on Sayings of Confucius in the Mencius

China history and literature got a good going-over in the 18th and19th century by Chinese philologists who sought to determine the dating and authenticity of many ancient classics. Although apparently unrelated, textual criticism scholars on the western European peninsula had a simultaneous revival of this old field and were examining their own ancient texts including the Bible. Once one is going…

[scribl1ta]

[apricops]

While thinking about the question I remembered an excellent quote by Robert Eno from his translation of the Mengzi (using the Latinized name Mencius):

Although there are gaps in our chronology of Mencius’s biography, there is no figure in Classical China about whom we know more and whom we know so intimately. Although we have a sense of the characters of many people in China’s Classical era, and in some cases tales about them include colorful detail, many of those accounts were formulated decades or centuries after their lifetimes, and many or most cases have the troublesome defect of being obviously fictional, often building dramatic episodes around a few core features associated with the historical person. But the Mencius is not only rich in detail, both the pattern of event and – more important – the consistent texture of Mencius’s speech and behavior make it very difficult to doubt that, on the whole, we see here a portrait drawn from life by those who knew him well. Mencius’s personality is a dominant factor in the Mencius, and the book shows us a brilliant, volatile, charismatic, irritating, self-righteous man, whose intellectual insights can be so keen that his influence is still felt in China today, and whose self-justifying rationalizations can be so intellectually facile as to undermine the integrity of his central philosophy. The contradictions in his person and lapses in his conduct signal that his textual persona was not an invention of others. We seem to be meeting a real man (real enough that some readers may occasionally feel they would rather have met someone else!).

how would you define ‘a poster?’ (i.e. one who posts) it’s something we’re all familiar with and all of can feel it, but how would you put it into words?

I mean the broad archetype, in the sense of “Diogenes was arguably the first poster” or “the founding fathers of America were all posters.”

[meichenxi]

which 'shoulds' can you get rid of?

I want to read non-fiction, but whenever I try, I can't remember shit. this is a Problem. I have since been diagnosed with both autism and adhd, and I realised that: this part of my brain is not going to magically get better.

this is Also a Problem.

to give you an extent of the Problem: during covid, I read the history of japan and a week later had forgotten every single era except the meiji one. To this day, I have absolutely no idea what happened in japan beyond that bill wurtz video. It’s got islands. It’s volcanoes. It had a shogunate. Uhhhh

it only occurred to me about two weeks ago to try audible. and it has completely changed my life.

I should be able to read non-fiction. I should read physically, because I read so quickly and it's such a waste of time to listen to audiobooks. I should read more. I should read. I should -

okay. but I'm now listening to 2+ hours of lectures on the history of china every day. I'm learning about mengzi, xunzi, weizi, han feizi, numerous philosophers I'd heard of and never interrogated more, because I couldn't read the damn books. I'm feeling curious about other things that I haven't felt curious about in ages - how did confucianism spread to other asian countries? how did buddhism change after it entered china? and even parts of later history I have never really been grabbed by: what actually happened in the sino-japanese war?

for the first time in years, I feel hope: that maybe, just maybe, this is the way to learn that works for me. (I'm also actually doing chores about the house, because I get bored of sitting still.)

what could you do, if you got rid of your 'should's?

[talk-danmei-to-me]

The troops anytime Mo Xi is caught kissing/fucking Gu Mang: Damn, I hope Princess Mengzi’s okay. You got it step dad!

Mo Xi: Gu Mang is a dilf.

[mademoiselle-red]

I’ve been thinking about the meaning, etymology, and potential thematic implications of Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng’s names:

李相夷 Li Xiangyi: his given name means conflict and mutual animosity. It comes from a passage in Mengzi: 父子相夷，则恶矣, which roughly means, it’s bad when father and son turn against each other. It’s a fitting name for the life (and legacy) he led as Xiangyi: brother turning against brother, friend against friend, a life of conflict and violence.

李莲花 Li Lianhua: his given name means lotus flower, a very feminine name, a flower born from water. A pure flower in Buddhism, symbolizing a life untroubled by worries and anxiety, described in 爱莲说 (On Loving Lotuses), a Song Dynasty treatise on lotuses, as 出淤泥而不染, 濯清涟而不妖, which roughly means, born from mud but unstained by dirt, washed by clear water but not coy. This is the life he aspires to as Lianhua: to be a part of this corrupt and violent world, but untainted by worldly desires and unbothered by worldly concerns. He doesn’t quite succeed, but that’s what makes him human. He is reborn from water and ultimately returns to water (jumping into the river, disappearing into the sea) after his life as Lianhua is over.

笛飞声 Di Feisheng: the three characters in his family and given name literally mean “flute fly sound”, the sound of a flute flying freely through the air. His given name means the sound of flying. He is a free spirit that others are constantly trying to capture and cage. He has spent all his life on the run from one imprisonment to another. It’s only fitting that he gets his first taste of “home” in a moving “lotus tower”, with a man who never stays in one place, a man running from his own past. He spends the rest of his life searching in all directions, from one windy cliff to another, for traces of that man he —fleetingly —called home.

And I just realized that Li Xiangyi’s signature move 明月沉西海 (the bright moon sinks into the western sea) fits with the water theme of Lianhua (lotus flower) and Di Feisheng’s signature move 悲风催八荒 (the melancholy wind hurries in all directions) also fits his name: he takes flight in the wind, but it’s a lonely, melancholy wind. And incidentally, if you combine the 月 (moon) from Xiangyi’s signature move and the 风 (wind) from Ah Fei’s signature move, you can get the word 风月, which means sex 👀

[mtkanna]

there's a line in the archon quest where childe mentions that he's been in an uncharacteristically bad mood. after that, he goes on to tell us about his past in the abyss--how skirk took him in as an apprentice because he awakened "it," how he'd been searching for her ever since he left... but it made me think of something else.

i don't think childe fell into the abyss, per se. i think that he fell into enkanomiya.

there are only two regional specialties to be found in enkanomiya; sea ganoderma, which are said to be linked to the dead (of which enkanomiya has many), and sango pearls, like the description of song of stillness. the kingdom in song of stillness is a maritime one, like enkanomiya would have been, and was part of the abyss--just like enkanomiya now is.

when you first open the gates, enkanomiya is in whitenight mode: as bright as the dawn, even though there is no natural light. if this is "the last story worth telling," then surely it refers to this ajax, and makes the story of the ajax one made up of every man that once bore his name.

around enkanomiya, you can find old, abandoned weapons, like swords and polearms, which bear a striking resemblance to childe's elemental constructs. there's another abyssal link in the presence of heralds.

skirk said that childe was "ever in the eye of the storm," or to put it another way: conflict would always come to him. and perhaps so too would he always be drawn to places the sun couldn't reach, and the whale of the past, something he was never meant to return to, yet defined him nonetheless...

and then! callbacks to enkanomiya can be seen everywhere. gateways within sumeru, venti mirroring the depictions of orpheus, the statues in the chasm, then the library itself mirrored in the book of revealing... i think enkanomiya has to have some deeper connections to what else is happening to teyvat, and i think childe is the perfect avenue for them.

(also, tsuyuko's line about the pull of enkanomiya mirrors a saying of mengzi's about the human spirit: “humans tend towards the good just as water runs down the hill,” which probably doesn't mean anything but i wanted to bring up anyway.)

[fateandloveentwined]

Anle and Nirvana in Fire: what's so mesmerising about NIF's worldview

Edit, a bit of context: @llonkrebboj did this really eloquent "eulogy" on the gripping nature of NIF, so I guess here's my take on it.

I was watching some episodes from The Legend of Anle, and again the striking similarities between NIF and Legend of Anle surface. Especially with Ren Anle pulling an identity porn game of chess and plotting against the political arena to overturn the unjust ruling of the throne from a decade ago.

And then there's 江山为聘, and, well, Royal Nirvana, The Legend of Haolan, many other kingdom/royalty cdramas and web novels, all about the protag and the heir incumbent working hand in hand to rid the kingdom of injustice and corruption and debauchery of the elite, start anew an epoch of prosperity. It's as if (as if not) every story is hardwired to eulogise a tale of valiance and honour.

So the quality of drama production aside, how does NIF stand apart from all this in my heart, after all this time? Genuinely sometimes I wonder, but the protag Mei Changsu has taken shape and left a unique impression in my mind ever since I've learned of the series, became one of my favourite fictional characters -- while you might as well say that every other cdrama protag is almost exactly like him. What makes him different?

There is no one who is completely free in this world to begin with. So long as one has feelings, has desires, he could never be absolved of all responsibility.

The Legend of Anle reads like NIF. They have the similar motives, they've gone through the same hardships, and in a similar manner have found a way through the pugilistic jianghu back into the undercurrents of the court. Yet the former shapes itself to be a tale of seeking justice, while the latter reads like something of a far greater scale. The bulk of NIF is incoherent handwavy political intrigue, and yet in a very idealised, glamorised interpretation of Mei Changsu, the crux of the story uncovers itself to be not one of retribution and waging a war against bygone injustices, but of an idealistic visionary future for the peace and prosperity of the kingdom that one so loved. And I have never seen something like that.

I've got to go back! I've got to go back to where I truly belong!

Most protags in cdramas are noble. They are people of integrity and righteousness, and they struggle, they sacrifice their lives to fulfil the moral code they live by. 以身殉道、以死证道 as they say in the book of Mencius (Mengzi): to make apparent the righteousness through bodily flesh and blood, to do what is right in life and death. [1]

Yet humans are fickle, and bodily flesh and blood cannot serve that long a fuel for the flame betwixt the wretched of the earth before fading into glowing embers. There are times of humanity, and there are times in which we yield, just a little, to our own lives and passions and aspirations. We live for ourselves, which is not at all wrong. Most protags are like that. Yet there's this NIF protag who sheds his light for 13 long years and keeps the new flame alight as the past dies into cinders and ashes. It's idealistic, it's surreal, but that's what humans gravitate to: it's not the relatability of it all, it's the beauty of the insurmountable that we aspire to, the deified transcendent that gives us hope, brings one joy, takes us with them one step closer to the utopian ideal that we all once dreamt of as kids.

And this is what my heart longs for and treasures: though I die nine thousand times, I do not regret it. [2]

---

[1] 以身殉道，以死证道。(yǐ shēn xùn dào, yǐ sǐ zhèng dào) Former is taken from Mencius and often used to mean one sacrificing for the fulfilment of righteousness. Latter should be more commonly said as 以身证道, I just replaced the "body/life" in the second character with "death" so not to use the same character in the parallel phrase. This is from Tao Te Ching but is nowadays often adapted for use in xianxia settings where the person sacrifices themselves or goes through some great traumatic events to achieve ascension.

[2] 亦余心之所善兮，雖九死其猶未悔。(yì yú xīn zhī suǒ shàn xī, suī jiǔ sǐ qí yóu wèi huǐ) From Qu Yuan's poem Li Sao.

[hellotom14]

„Wenn einer ein Amt hat und handelt nicht, wie es das Amt verlangt, soll er zurücktreten.“ Mengzi

Einen schönen Freitag wünsche ich, euch.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Hi! I'm with Au hadcanon again. Dying in Chen Yuzhi's arms, Wang Meng told him that he wanted to be brothers with him in the next life. And his wish is fulfilled. Our days. Wang Meng wakes up in the hospital and learns some news. Firstly, he is alive and now the 21st century. Secondly, he's a cop in the drug squad/Wang Meng laughed at such irony for a long time/. Thirdly, his mother is alive and a very cheerful old lady who can easily chase him with a broom if she does not like something in her son's behavior. Wang Meng is discharged from the hospital and at home his mother says that his cousin and younger sister will arrive soon, their house is not ready yet and therefore they will stay with them for a while. Wang Meng grumbles, but agrees. He is happy that his mother is alive. On the day when the guests are due to arrive, Wang Meng goes to the train station to meet the guests. And imagine his shock when his cousin turned out to be Chen Yuzhi. The former drug dealer remembered his dying wish and thinks that fate spoils him too much. Yuzhi does not remember anything about his past life, but this does not prevent him from winning friendship with Wang Meng again. Keing immediately won the older man's heart, he adored her. Wang Meng returns to the service and finds out that he was paired with Jian Yuelou to investigate the latest case. Wang Meng reminds himself not to kill him, even though Jian Yuelou infuriates the hell out of him. And naturally, Yuzhi and Yuelou get acquainted and immediately a spark flashes between them. Wang Meng is not happy with this, but seeing that the sarcastic and dangerous, even rabid Jian Yuelou becomes an affectionate cat with his brother, decides not to interfere in their relationship. But he will definitely warn Demon Jingchen that if he offends his little brother, then Wang Meng knows many ways to kill a person and hide a corpse.

Oh, I do love this. Wang Meng and Jiang Yuelou forced to be partners...fucking hilarious

As he laid dying, Wang Meng couldn’t help but wish that he and Chen Yuzhi were brothers in the next life

It was a good wish, a happy wish, and while he knew it could never come true…it never hurt to wish

So imagine his surprise when he opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of different machines

As he laid there, he blinked a few times, absolutely stunned as to how the fuck he was alive, when he heard soft sniffling from his bedside, making him look over to see his mother holding his hand and crying softly

“M-Mother?”

At his voice, his mother turned and when she saw that he was awake, she let out a gasp

“Mengzi!”

She then gave his hand a squeeze as she shook her head

“You…don’t scare your poor mother like that!  I thought you had died!”

‘I thought so too’

He then looked around the hospital room

“Where am I?  What year is it?”

His mother tsked softly

“Oh dear, you must’ve hit your head harder than the doctors thought.  You’re in the hospital.  It’s the yar 2023”

Wang Meng blinked; 2023?  Was he in…the future?!

‘What the hell?’

He then looked over at his mother, whom he still couldn’t believe was alive (she looked so much healthier and younger too), and gave her hand a squeeze

“Mother…how did I end up here?”

His mother looked at him before she hummed

“You were doing a narcotics raid when a crate of opium fell on you and knocked you unconscious.  You been in the hospital for a while”

Wang Meng frowned

“Narcotics raid?”

His mother frowned

“Don’t you remember?  You’re a police officer with the Narcotics Division”

Wang Meng’s eyes widened before he began to laugh, long and loud

Him?  A cop?  And one in the Narcotics Division no less?  Oh…oh the universe had a very funny sense of humor (i.e. fucked up)

As he laughed, his mother looked at him as though he was crazy before she smiled and shook her head

“I’ll get the doctor.  Hopefully you can be discharged soon”

She then released his hand and stood up, heading out of the room as he continued to laugh at the fucking irony that was now his life

A few days later, after he was released from the hospital, his mother told him that his cousins were coming to stay with them for a while, since their house wasn’t quite finished being renovated, and that he needed to pick them up from the train station

Wang Meng looked at her in surprise; he had cousins in this life?  Really?  Huh

But he agreed and headed to the train station, waiting on the platform for the passengers to depart, and as he scanned the passengers, his eyes widened in shock

Departing the train was fucking Chen Yuzhi and his little sister Keying

‘You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me’

He then walked over to them and cleared his throat

“Chen Yuzhi?”

Chen Yuzhi and Keying looked over at him before Keying giggled and let go of Chen Yuzhi’s hand, running over to him and throwing her arms around him in a hug

“Hi!”

Wang Meng looked down at her in surprise before he chuckled fondly and patted her head

“Hello Keying”

He then looked at Chen Yuzhi, who hummed

“So aunt sent you to pick us up?”

Wang Meng nodded, causing Chen Yuzhi to smile

“Always the filial son”

Wang Meng huffed

“Oh hush”

He then motioned with his head

“Come on, mother’s got food on the stove and she’s waiting for you”

Chen Yuzhi nodded as Wang Meng took Keying’s hand and they began walking, Wang Meng glancing over at Chen Yuzhi every now and then

He honestly couldn’t believe that Chen Yuzhi was his cousin in this life

The universe sure had a funny sense of humor

Well…he had wished for them to be like brothers in the next life so…he would take it

“Are you still a doctor?”

Chen Yuzhi looked over at him and smiled

“Of course.  How could you forget what your own cousin does for work?”

Wang Meng huffed

“Well excuse me, I don’t see you very often, so I don’t know if you’ve changed jobs or whatever”

Chen Yuzhi laughed before he hummed

“What else can I do?  Being a doctor is my calling”

Wang Meng hummed as Chen Yuzhi looked at him

“I heard you just got out of the hospital.  Are you okay?”

Wang Meng nodded

“I’m fine”

He was pretty sure Chen Yuzhi had no idea of their past life and that he literally died in his arms but that was okay…he didn’t want him to know that anyways

Chen Yuzhi then huffed

“You should be more careful”

Wang Meng chuckled; there was the Chen Yuzhi he knew

“I will, I will.  Now come on, the foods gonna get cold”

The next day, Wang Meng heads back to work, many of the officers coming to greet him

“Meng-ge!  You’re back”

Wang Meng hummed

“What’d I miss?”

One of the officers hummed

“Um…not much.  Chief Jiang is just finishing up the paperwork for the case”

Wang Meng paused

“Chief Jiang?  Jiang Yuelou?”

The officers nodded

“Yeah.  Your partner”

Wang Meng froze before he shut his eyes and took a deep breath

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Now the universe was just being a dick

How could it stick him with Jiang Yue-fucking-lou of all people?!  Like, how dare it!

Just then, Jiang Yuelou came downstairs from his office and when he saw Wang Meng, he walked over to him and hummed

“You’re back?”

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes at him before he huffed

“Obviously”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Good.  Now come on, we’ve got another case”

He then walked past him, all of the officers looking at him with wide eyes

“But Chief Jiang, he literally just got here!  Shouldn’t he be on desk duty or something?!”

Jiang Yuelou paused before he looked back at them

“If he wants to go on desk duty, he’s more than welcome to…in a different unit”

He then turned and continued walking out of the department, Wang Meng and the police officers staring after him before Wang Meng huffed

“Still an ass, even in this life”

He then looked at the police officers and smiled

“If you’ll excuse me”

He then pushed past them and rushed after Jiang Yuelou, soon catching up to his “partner”

They continued to walk side by side in silence before Jiang Yuelou looked over at him

“How are you feeling?”

Wang Meng looked back at him in surprise before he nodded

“Fine”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Good”

Just then, a cry rang out, making them look up in surprise before they looked at each other and nodded

They then took off running and soon came upon Chen Yuzhi fighting against three men who were trying to take Keying away from him, causing Wang Meng’s eyes to widen

“Chen Yuzhi!”

At his name, Chen Yuzhi looked over and due to Wang Meng’s “distraction”, one of the men grabbed Keying and took off running, the other two following behind, causing Chen Yuzhi to turn and stare after them with wide eyes

“Keying!”

He then made to rush after them when Jiang Yuelou suddenly took off like a shot after them, causing Chen Yuzhi to stare in shock as Wang Meng ran over to him

“Yuzhi.  Are you okay?”

Chen Yuzhi looked at him and nodded

“I’m fine”

Wang Meng nodded before he motioned to the clinic

“You can explain what happened inside”

Chen Yuzhi looked over at his clinic before he looked back at Wang Meng

“But Keying—”

Wang Meng shook his head

“Don’t worry.  My partner’s got her.  He’ll bring her pack safely”

Chen Yuzhi raised an eyebrow

“That man is your partner?”

Wang Meng nodded

“Mm.  Now come on, let’s go inside and wait for them to come back”

Chen Yuzhi nodded before they headed inside, Chen Yuzhi sitting down on the edge of his desk as Wang Meng crossed his arms

“Who were those people?”

Chen Yuzhi shook his head

“I don’t know…they just came in and started eyeing Keying before one of them grabbed her.  I tried to stop them but—”

Wang Meng shook his head

“Don’t worry.  Like I said, Jiang Yuelou will get her back”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuelou continued to chase after the kidnappers and Keying, soon tackling one of the men to the ground before quickly taking out the other one, leaving just the man holding Keying

As the man looked at his unconscious companions, Jiang Yuelou huffed and pulled out his badge, flashing it

“Police.  Release the girl and I might just spare you”

The man looked at him with wide eyes before he pulled out a pocket-knife and flicked it open, pressing it to Keying’s neck

“And if I don’t?”

Jiang Yuelou sighed and placed his badge back before he cracked his neck

“Then I’m not going to be so nice”

He then rushed forward, so fast that the kidnapper didn’t even have time to blink, and grabbed the man’s wrist, yanking it away from Keying’s neck before he punched the man in the nose

He then released the man’s wrist and watched as he fell to the ground, unconscious, before he looked down at Keying, who looked traumatized

“Are you alright?”

Keying looked up at him and whimpered, causing him to sigh softly before he knelt down before her and smiled softly

“Hey, you’re okay.  You’re okay.  You’re safe now”

Keying looked at him before she surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she let out a sob

Jiang Yuelou blinked before he gently wrapped his arms around her and pet her hair

“Oh, sweetheart.  You’re okay.  You’re okay, honey”

He continued to gently pet her hair before he pulled away and looked at her, gently wiping away her tears

“Come on.  Let’s get you back to the others”

Keying nodded and took his hand as he pushed himself to his feet, both of them heading back to Chen Yuzhi’s clinic

Back in Chen Yuzhi’s clinic, Chen Yuzhi paced aimlessly, Wang Meng watching him with a small frown, just as Jiang Yuelou and Keying appeared and stepped into the clinic

“Gege!”

At her voice, Chen Yuzhi’s head shot up and when he saw her, he gasped

“Keying!”

He then rushed over to her and knelt before her, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his shoulder

“Oh Keying”

He then looked up at Jiang Yuelou and smiled tearily

“Thank you”

Jiang Yuelou blinked, stunned by his smile, before he cleared his throat

“You’re welcome”

Chen Yuzhi smiled again before he gave Keying another squeeze and pulled away, looking at her

“Now, what do you say, Keying?”

Keying nodded and looked up at Jiang Yuelou, smiling

“Thank you!”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled softly

“You’re welcome”

He then looked at Wang Meng and motioned with his head

“Come on, we still gotta case”

Wang Meng nodded and walked over to him, both men heading out of the clinic

Chen Yuzhi and Keying watched them leave before Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened

“Ah!  I didn’t get his name!”

As they walked away from the clinic, Jiang Yuelou looked over at Wang Meng

“You know him?”

Wang Meng hummed

“He’s my cousin”

Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly

“I see”

Wang Meng glanced over at him and narrowed his eyes

“I see the gears turning in your head, Jiang Yuelou.  Don’t even think about it”

Jiang Yuelou looked at him in shock before he huffed

“I’m not doing anything and I’m not thinking about anything”

Wang Meng clicked his tongue

“Liar.  I saw the way you looked at my cousin.  Hell no”

Jiang Yuelou huffed

“I told you, I’m not going to do anything, you fucking weirdo.  Now let’s go”

Later that evening, after they finished work for the day, as Jiang Yuelou was heading home, he was surprised to see Chen Yuzhi walking towards him, his kit in his hand

“Oh.  Hello”

Jiang Yuelou smiled

“Wang Meng’s cousin, right?”

Chen Yuzhi smiled and dipped his head

“Yes”

He then held out his hand

“I never properly introduced myself.  Dr. Chen Yuzhi”

Jiang Yuelou smiled and shook his hand

“Chief Jiang Yuelou”

Chen Yuzhi smiled and pulled his hand away as he cleared his throat

“I never uh, thanked you.  For saving Keying”

Jiang Yuelou shrugged

“No problem.  Happy to help”

He then looked at him

“Have you eaten yet?”

Chen Yuzhi blinked before he shook his head

“Oh, no.  But um, I actually have to get home.  Keying and Wang Meng are waiting for me”

Jiang Yuelou hummed

“Well then, let me escort you home.  It’s late”

Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened before he smiled and dipped his head

“Thank you”

Jiang Yuelou then waited for him to lead the way before they began to head towards Wang Meng’s house, a comfortable silence between them

When they reached Wang Meng’s house, Chen Yuzhi stepped forward before he paused and looked over at Jiang Yuelou

“Thank you”

Jiang Yuelou smiled and nodded

“You’re welcome.  Have a good night”

He then turned and began to walk away when Chen Yuzhi took a step towards him

“Jiang Yuelou”

Jiang Yuelou paused and turned, raising an eyebrow

“Hmm?”

Chen Yuzhi blushed slightly, rather grateful that it was dark enough that Jiang Yuelou couldn’t see it

“Um…instead of dinner…maybe we could do lunch tomorrow?”

Jiang Yuelou stared at him for a moment before he smirked

“Are you asking me out on a date, Dr. Chen?”

Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened before he blushed deeper

“You’re the one who asked me first!”

Jiang Yuelou laughed and he nodded

“You got me there.  Sure, I can do lunch tomorrow.  Shall I go and get you from your clinic or will you come to me?”

Chen Yuzhi blinked before he shrugged

“Whatever works for you”

Jiang Yuelou smiled

“Then I’ll pick you up.  See you tomorrow, Dr. Chen”

He then turned and walked away, Chen Yuzhi watching him leave before he bit his lip and blushed slightly, a small smile on his face as he turned and walked over to the front door, heading inside

The next day, as Wang Meng and Jiang Yuelou were working on their paperwork, Wang Meng noticed that Jiang Yuelou was whistling, which he found odd

“You’re in a good mood today”

Jiang Yuelou glanced at him and smirked

“I am”

Wang Meng huffed

“Care to share with the class what’s got you in such a good mood?”

Jiang Yuelou smiled

“I have a date”

Wang Meng’s eyes widened

“You what?!  What poor soul would give you the time of day?”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes

“You can’t just tell me?”

Jiang Yuelou shook his head

“Nope”

Wang Meng clicked his tongue

“Ass”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled and Wang Meng couldn’t help but smile; maybe having Jiang Yuelou as a partner wasn’t so bad

A little while later, around noon, Jiang Yuelou stood to his feet

“Alright, I’m gonna head out”

Wang Meng raised an eyebrow

“We gotta case?”

Jiang Yuelou shook his head

“Lunch date”

He then headed out of the office, Wang Meng watching him leave before he pushed himself to his feet and followed after him, both men heading downstairs and over to the door before he paused, his eyes widening in shock to see Jiang Yuelou walking over to Chen Yuzhi, who was waiting outside

“I thought I told you I was going to pick you”

Chen Yuzhi huffed

“I was in the area for a house call.  I just figured it would be easier if I just waited for you here”

Jiang Yuelou hummed, just as Wang Meng stormed over to them

“This is your lunch date?!”

Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi looked at him with wide eyes before Jiang Yuelou huffed

“Nosy”

Wang Meng huffed

“So what if I am?”

He then looked at Chen Yuzhi

“Really?  Him?”

Chen Yuzhi rolled his eyes

“It’s just lunch, Wang Meng”

Wang Meng hummed

“That’s what they all say”

He knew damn well that they would end up together, if his memory from the past before he died served him right

He then walked over to Jiang Yuelou and leaned down so that his mouth was by his ear

“If you break my cousin’s heart, I’ll break every bone in your body and then bury it where no one can ever find it”

Jiang Yuelou looked at him before he laughed

“Quite the threat”

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes

“It’s a serious one”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Alright, alright, I won’t do anything.  Like he said, it’s just lunch”

Wang Meng hummed and crossed his arms before he waved them away

“Go on”

Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi nodded before they turned and walked away from the police station, Wang Meng watching as they began to animatedly talk with each other, Chen Yuzhi throwing his head back at one point as he let out a laugh, Jiang Yuelou grinning brightly at the sight

As he watched them, Wang Meng hummed softly; he really did mean what he said to Jiang Yuelou

If he hurt Chen Yuzhi in any way, then Wang Meng would hurt him in a way where no doctor, not even one as skilled as his cousin, could put him back together again

[postcard-from-the-past]

Pagoda on the Lake of Mengzi, Yunnan province of China

French vintage postcard

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

There is an old Chinese saying: Food means everything to the people. 民以食爲天 mín yǐ shí wèi tiān I recently read a passage in the Mencius/孟子 about taxation (Mencius Book III Part A, section 3) that hints that benevolent rulers in a arrange to store grain so that they can cut the tax burden after a bad harvest and prevent famine in ancient China. Large-scale grain storage had been long a common…

[hoursofreading]

First, Mengzian extension is more psychologically plausible as a model of moral development. People do, naturally, have concern and compassion for others around them. Explicit exhortations aren’t needed to produce this natural concern and compassion, and these natural reactions are likely to be the main seed from which mature moral cognition grows. Our moral reactions to vivid, nearby cases become the bases for more general principles and policies. If you need to reason or analogise your way into concern even for close family members, you’re already in deep moral trouble.

Second, Mengzian extension is less ambitious – in a good way. The Golden Rule imagines a leap from self-interest to generalised good treatment of others. This might be excellent and helpful advice, perhaps especially for people who are already concerned about others and thinking about how to implement that concern. But Mengzian extension has the advantage of starting the cognitive project much nearer the target, requiring less of a leap. Self-to-other is a huge moral and ontological divide. Family-to-neighbour, neighbour-to-fellow citizen – that’s much less of a divide.

Third, you can turn Mengzian extension back on yourself, if you are one of those people who has trouble standing up for your own interests – if you’re the type of person who is excessively hard on yourself or who tends to defer a bit too much to others. You would want to stand up for your loved ones and help them flourish. Apply Mengzian extension, and offer the same kindness to yourself. If you’d want your father to be able to take a vacation, realise that you probably deserve a vacation too. If you wouldn’t want your sister to be insulted by her spouse in public, realise that you too shouldn’t have to suffer that indignity

[notasfilosoficas]

“Es preciso que los hombres conozcan el mal para poder evitarlo y entregarse a la práctica del bien”

Mencio

Fue un filósofo chino, nacido en el año 372 a.C. y considerado el mas eminente seguidor del confucionismo.

Creció en el seno de una familia noble y se dedicó a viajar por toda China propagando su doctrina y sus ideas políticas hasta que obtuvo un cargo ministerial en el estado de Qi.

Tras su muerte, sus discípulos publicaron sus discursos en su obra, en donde defiende que el hombre es bueno por naturaleza y debe poder desarrollar una conducta razonable y recta. 

Según Mencio, en el corazón del hombre hay cuatro sentimientos naturales que son la compasión, la vergüenza, el respeto y modestia y el sentimiento de lo que está bien y mal.

Mencio clasificó dos virtudes, la bondad y la rectitud. Con la educación, se puede preservar la bondad innata al nacer, y decía que “un gran hombre es el que no pierde el corazón de niño”.

Mencio destacaba la importancia de los ciudadanos comunes dentro del Estado, y aunque el Confucionismo sentía alta estima por los gobernantes, Mencio pensaba que era aceptable que los súbditos depongan a los malos gobernantes, pues un gobernante que no gobierna con justicia no es ya un verdadero gobernante. Con lo anterior, Mencio influyó notablemente en el pensamiento político, en donde el pueblo ocupa el primer lugar, y por detrás de él se encuentran la administración y el soberano. 

Dentro de su linea de pensamiento, Mencio propone un utópico sistema de comunismo agrario primitivo, cuya influencia llegará al siglo XX especialmente entre los marxistas que lo interpretarán como un comunismo primitivo.

Su obra nos ha llegado en un conjunto conocido como Ssú Shu o Cuatro Libros, y este se compone de una colección de dichos, que a diferencia de las frases de Confucio que eran breves, el Mengzi (uno de esos cuatro libros), consiste en diálogos largos, que incluyen argumentos y prosa extensa.

Fuente Wikipedia y mcnbiografias.com

[fwoopersongs]

不好惹 - Don’t Mess With Him

Someone asked me to think on my sins, but I reflected many times daily [1] and found that the fault lies not with me. Someone said that I’m a big monster [2], but I’m just an annoyance who likes to hem for two seconds before speech [3]. A friend has come from places distant [4], we must torment their spirit and labor their limbs, yeah ~ starve their body, impoverish their person, cause disorder in their actions [5] and whip them, maybe ten times. Then finally, banish them to some other court [6].

Passerby A: Boss, what are these hard-boiled eggs selling for? Lü Shu: Boiled eggs eh, one-fifty each, three dollars for two, ten dollars for six with a dollar change. Passerby A: Then please give me three. Lü Shu: This is a small business which doesn’t take credit ~

Excuse me, I shall leave now. Listening to you monologue has wasted ten precious minutes of mine.

Of people with shared mutual dislike, there are many. This decision to keep a distance is not bad at all. If you ask me how far is enough, I would say, ideally, a separation by life and death.

This lifetime of mine, I’ve never asked anything of anyone, besides the psychological SHADOW of everyone seated here. I am naturally best at filling people with impotent infuriation.

Oh, and cutting ties.

.............................................................................................

OMG I saw the OP for this donghua 大王饶命 in December and was utterly obsessed. It’s SO GORGEOUS. Very very imaginative! I still watch it at least twice a week. Forgot I’d translated it for a friend bc I put it in our chat and never went back xD. We were supposed to be going out in two hours (to have tofu and then teaaaaaaaa), but I shared the vid and she said she watched it on loop for a while one year ago, but doesn’t know what the lyrics say. 

So like obviously, I was a liiiiittle late to the outing. LOL.

Sharing it here now!

I don’t want to ruin the gorgeousness of the video with fonts so, here it is in English just so you know what it’s about (I think there must be quite a number out there!) ~ IT’S SO IRREVERENT AND FUNNY.

There’s a lot of it that must be references to the novel or donghua, and this amazing MV made its donghua a place on my to-watch. 

Don't take any of the quotes too seriously 🤣 this POV is trolling all the way.

[1] 日三省吾身 From Analects, Chapter: Learning (学而) - https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=1105&remap=gb#s10019801

[2] 大魔王 Big fiend / demon king. This is what you call a big troublemaker and plague on your soul xD

[3] 不过爱沉吟两秒的气人精 Pretty sure this is a reference to the character of the speaker who may also be the main character? The irritation caused by a deliberate indecisiveness perhaps? xD

[4] 有朋自远方来 Also Analects, Chapter: Learning (学而) - https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=1102&remap=gb#s10019792

The absurdity of having a friend over to visit and instead of being a good host, you uh ↓ do that (’Heaven’) and shoo him away with a whip like a toad disturbing your fun.

[5] 必先苦他的心志 劳他的筋骨 yeah 再饿他的体肤 空乏其身 行拂乱其所为 From Mengzi's essay, 生于忧患，死于安乐 - https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=1789&remap=gb

[6] 然后鞭数十吧 最后再驱之别的院 From Shen Fu's essay, Interesting Things in Childhood (童趣), about what he did to a toad which interrupted him watching insects fighting

https://m.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_e6ea5cd95b75.aspx

....................................................................................

有人让我反省自己 可我 日三省吾身 发现错不在我 有人说我大魔王可我 不过爱沉吟两秒的气人精 有朋自远方来 必先苦他的心志 劳他的筋骨 yeah 再饿他的体肤 空乏其身 行拂乱其所为 然后鞭数十吧 最后再驱之别的院

路人甲：老板 这个煮鸡蛋怎么卖 吕树：煮鸡蛋一块五一个 三块钱两个 十块钱六个 找你一块钱 路人甲：那麻烦您给我拿三个 吕树：小本经营概不赊欠

在下先失陪 听君一席话 浪费了我宝贵的十分钟

彼此讨厌欠扁的人很多 保持距离这个决定还不错 如果你问我多远才足够 那么我会回答 最好是阴阳相隔

我这一辈子谁也没求过 除了在座各位的心理SHADOW 我本最擅长的就是 气人不偿命

哦 还有斩断人际关系