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.
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.”