reference need to be found in the files: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Oe-C5achWHRJrVMl9…

Part I. Interpretation Questions

Interpret the meanings of the following passages and articulate their far-reaching implications in
succinct fashion. (Each around 100 words)

1. The Master said, “Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and
   application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Is he not a
   man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of
   him?” (The Analects, 1.1)
2. Mencius said, “The woods on Ox Mountain were once beautiful! On account of its being
   on the edge of a large country, it had been attacked with axes and hatchets, and then
   how could it remain beautiful? The refreshing breezes of day and night, and the
   moisture provided by rain and fog, did not fail to give rise to sprouts of vegetation. But
   cows and sheep have been repeatedly pastured there, and for that reason it has
   remained desolate. People observe its denuded state and assume that it never had any
   good resources. But how could this state be the true nature of this mountain?”
   — Mencius, 6A:8
3. “Human nature is evil; its goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human
   nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and
   strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears. One
   is born with feelings of envy and hate, and by indulging in these, one is led into banditry
   and theft, so that the sense of loyalty and good faith with which he was born
   disappears. One is born with the desires of the ears and eyes and with a fondness for
   beautiful sights and sounds, and, by indulging these, one is led to licentiousness and
   chaos, so that the sense of ritual, rightness, refinement, and principle with which one
   was born is lost.” (From the Xunzi)
4. Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. At every touch of his hand, every
   heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee – zip! zoop! He
   slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were
   performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music.
   “Ah, this is marvelous!” said Lord Wen-hui. “Imagine skill reaching such heights!”
   Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, “What I care about is the Way, which
   goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself.

After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now – now I go at it by spirit and
don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit
moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows,
guide the knife through the big openings, and follow things as they are. So I never touch
the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint.

A good cook changes his knife once a year-because he cuts. A mediocre cook
changes his knife once a month-because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for
nineteen years and I’ve cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as
though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and
the blade of the knife has really no thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into
such spaces, then there’s plenty of room – more than enough for the blade to play about
it. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first
came from the grindstone.

However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell
myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly,
and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until – flop! the whole thing comes apart
like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all
around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife
and put it away.”

“Excellent!” said Lord Wen-hui. “I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned
how to care for life!” (From “The Secret of Caring for Life,” the Zhuangzi)

5. Interpret the meanings of the Stele of the First Emperor of the Qin. How does this stele
justify the making of the first empire in China? What values do you think are emphasized
in this text? (attached)

Part II. Analytical Essays: (Each 150 words)

1. Describe competing claims to the Way during the Warring States Period, and explain
   why Legalism, rather than other schools of thought, emerged triumphant! (You should
   read “the Biography of Li Si” and Chapter 3 in the Cambridge Illustrated History of
   China.)
   
2. The reform councilor Wang Anshi (1021-1086) proposed his visions of reform in the
   famous (or notorious) “Ten-Thousand-Word Memorial.” What are the main arguments
   laid out in the memorial? How does it differ from his arch-rival Conservative historian
   Sima Guang’s visions of politics?

1. Explain what the concept “learned immediacy” mean in Michael Fuller’s article, “The
   Bamboo in the Breast.” (Attached)
2. How did Zhu Xi (1130-1200) re-interpret the Confucian tradition? What did he think were
   lacking in Han and Tang Confucianism, and what did he think were urgently needed? What
   were Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucian programs? How might his Neo-Confucianism have contributed
   to the long-term stability of the Chinese imperial system afterwards?
3. Read Chapters 20 and 21 in Sources of Chinese Tradition and the two chapters (posted
   on the AVENUE) from Neo-Confucianism in History by Peter K. Bol.
   Explain in your own words the fundamental teachings of Neo-Confucianism! How would
   you account for the Neo-Confucian views of good government and the good life? Why
   do you think Neo-Confucianism rose to become triumphant in the subsequent eras of
   Chinese history?
4. Read Benjamin Elman’s article, “Political, Social, and Cultural Reproduction via Civil
   Service Examinations in Late Imperial China.” (Available on the Avenue). How did the
   Civil Service Examinations contribute toward the unity of the Chinese civilization?
5. Huang Zongxi’s views of Good Government: How does Huang Zongxi criticize despotism?
   What is his alternative? What are his political and social agenda? Read Waiting for the
   Dawn. (Attached)