Cheng Yi Quotes
Cheng Yi, with his elder brother Cheng Hao, was one of the founders of the Neo-Confucian School of Principle that would culminate in the synthesis of Zhu Xi. He served briefly as imperial tutor and was repeatedly exiled for his uncompromising criticism of court policy. The quotes below are attributed to Cheng Yi, organized by topic.
Cheng Yi on Knowledge
-
Attributed to Cheng Yi:
“Knowledge is the basis of action; action is the completion of knowledge.”
Cheng Yi on Love
-
Attributed to Cheng Yi:
“The heart of heaven and earth is the love of life.”
Cheng Yi on Nature
-
Attributed to Cheng Yi:
“Principle is the heart of all things.”
-
Attributed to Cheng Yi:
“All things have their principle, and only by investigating things can we exhaust their principles.”
Cheng Yi on Virtue
-
Attributed to Cheng Yi:
“Self-cultivation begins with reverent attention.”