Zhang Zai Quotes
Zhang Zai was a Chinese Northern Song Confucian philosopher and one of the founding figures of the Neo-Confucian renaissance. With Zhou Dunyi and the Cheng brothers, he reshaped Confucian thought by developing a sustained metaphysics of qi, the vital material force that constitutes and pervades all things, and by articulating in his short Western Inscription a vision of the cosmic kinship of all human beings with heaven, earth, and one another. The quotes below are attributed to Zhang Zai, organized by topic.
Browse Zhang Zai by topic
Zhang Zai on Knowledge
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“为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平。”
To ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth , to secure life and fortune for the people , to continue the lost teachings of past sages , and to establish peace for all future generations . | Complete Works of Master Zhang , "Supplements to Reflections on Things at Hand", as quoted in Wang Chunyong's Famous Chinese Sayings Quoted by Wen Jiabao , trans. Chan Sin-wai (Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Book Co., 200
Zhang Zai on Love
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Attributed to Zhang Zai:
“All people are my brothers and sisters; all things are my companions.”
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Attributed to Zhang Zai:
“Compassion follows from the recognition that one is one with all things.”
Zhang Zai on Nature
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Attributed to Zhang Zai:
“Heaven is my father, Earth is my mother, and I, this small creature, find an intimate place in their midst.”
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Attributed to Zhang Zai:
“The Great Vacuity is identical with qi.”
Zhang Zai on Politics
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Attributed to Zhang Zai:
“To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to recover the lost teaching, and to bring peace to all generations.”
Zhang Zai on Time
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“To ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth , to secure life and fortune for the people , to continue the lost teachings of past sages , and to establish peace for all future generations .”
为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平。