Chinese Culture

I Ching, also known as Zhouyi or the “Book of Changes,” is undisputedly the true root of Chinese culture. Created more than 5,000 years ago, … Read more

The unity of man and nature is the highest cultural concept in ancient China. The relationship between man and nature is the motif of traditional … Read more

Knowledge and practice, i.e., knowing and transforming the world, are the two primary activities of human beings. The two are mutually complementary and inseparable. In … Read more

The Doctrine of the Mean is the fundamental method and principle for achieving “good governance” in ancient China. According to The Doctrine of the Mean, … Read more

The philosophy of “governing through non-action” is from the Tao Te Ching. According to the book, “Tao” is inactive but has laws that govern the … Read more

The beauty trap (美人計) Few men can be immune to the sometimes lethal attraction of beautiful women. Sociologists tend to attribute this phenomenon to human … Read more

Replace the beams with rotten timbers (偷梁換柱) If you replace the beams and pillars of a house with rotten timber, it’s bound to collapse someday. … Read more

Remove the firewood from under the pot (釜底抽薪) There are many ways to stop the water in a cauldron from boiling, such as adding cold … Read more

Beating the grass to scare the snake (打草驚蛇) It’s a quite common practice that one will use a stick to beat the bush ahead when … Read more

Creating Something out of Nothing (無中生有) The stratagem of “creating something out of nothing” does not simply mean tricks such as the sleight-of-hand performed by … Read more

Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea (瞞天過海) This scheme about deceit and disguise is usually listed as number one of the well-known “Thirty-Six Stratagems. … Read more