Text Analysis: East Asian Philosophies CN Name Last name

Do not honor the worthy, and the people will not compete.

Do not value rare treasures, and the people will not steal.

Do not display what others want, and the people will not have their hearts confused.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

Lead the people by means of government policies and regulate them through punishments, and they will be evasive and have no sense of shame.

Lead them by means of virtue and regulate them through rituals and they will have a sense of shame and moreover have standards.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

When you go out, treat everyone as if you were welcoming a great guest.

Employ people as though you were conducting a great sacrifice.

Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. Then neither in your country nor in your family will there be complaints against you.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

Punish severely the light crimes. If light offenses do not occur, serious ones have no chance of coming. This is said to be “ruling the people in a state of law and order…

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly.

When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.

Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other.

High and low depend on each other. Before and after follow each other.

Therefore, the Master acts without doing anything and teaches without saying anything.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

If you establish what people delight in, they will

suffer from what they dislike, but if you establish what

they dislike, they will be happy in what they enjoy.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

The reason people starve is because their rulers tax them excessively. They are difficult to govern because their rulers have their own ends in mind.

The reason people take death lightly is because they want life to be rich. Therefore, they take death lightly. It is only by not living for your own ends that you can go beyond valuing life.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism

Why must Your Majesty use the word ‘benefit’? All I am concerned with are the benevolent and the right. If Your Majesty says, ‘How can I benefit my state?’ your officials will say, ‘How can I benefit my family,’ and officers and common people will say, ‘How can I benefit myself.’ Once superiors and inferiors are competing for benefit, the state will be in danger.

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Legalism