Index of Historical Passages (Index Locorum)

Most episodes have one or two “featured passages” from historical Chinese texts. Some regular instructors of Chinese philosophy have asked us to create an index organized by text and passage number, so that they can easily find and assign specific episodes on specific passages.

For ease of reference, we will list texts by author (actual or legendary) in alphabetical order, followed by the name of the text.

– Justin and Richard

Confucius (Kongzi), Analects

2.3 “Guiding the People with Virtue, not Coercive Punishments”: Episode 2: Shame (January 31, 2024)

2.4 “The Spiritual Autobiography”: Episode 5: Cultivation and the Autobiography of Confucius (June 2, 2024)

          3.17  “The Lamb Sacrifice”: Episode 15: Ritual in the Analects (January 1, 2025)

6.28 “The Nanzi Passage”: Episode 14: Women in the Analects (December 15, 2024)

6.30 “The Golden Rule for Sages”: Episode 8: The Golden Rule and Empathy (August 19, 2024)

13.18 “Upright Gong”: Episode 13: Family Before State (November 18, 2024); Episode 6: Partiality and Justice (July 5, 2024)

15.24 “The Classic Formulation of the Golden Rule”: Episode 8: The Golden Rule and Empathy (August 19, 2024)

Laozi, Daodejing

2 “When the good strives to be good…”: Episode 11: Nonaction in the Daodejing

37 “The Way does nothing, and yet nothing is left undone…freedom from desire”: Episode 11: Nonaction in the Daodejing

48 “One does less and less until one does nothing”: Episode 11: Nonaction in the Daodejing

Mencius (Mengzi), Mengzi

1A7 “The King and the Ox”: Episode 10: Moral Cultivation (September 14, 2024)

2A6 “The Child at the Well”: Episode 9: Moral Sprouts (August 30, 2024)

7A35 “Shun Gives Up the Empire to Save His Father”: Episode 13: Family Before State (November 18, 2024)

Mozi, Mozi

Chapter 11 “The Mohist state of nature”: Episode 17: The Mohist State of Nature Argument (February 13, 2025)

Zhang Zai, “The Western Inscription”

Some thematic reference to the entire work: Episode 3: Oneness (February 20, 2024)

Zhu Xi, Complete Works

Some Questions on the Great Learning, “Zhu Xi’s Definition of Pattern (Li 理)” Episode 18: Neo-Confucian Metaphysics (March 8, 2025)

Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou), Zhuangzi

Chapter 1, “The Gourd Passage”: Episode 12: Zhuangzi on Play (October 28, 2024)

Chapter 1, “The Useless Tree Passage” (the first one): Episode 16: The Zhuangzi on Uselessness (January 22, 2025)

Chapter 2, “The Monkey Trainer” (Walking Two Roads): Episode 1: Daoist Detachment (January 31, 2024) and Episode 12: Zhuangzi on Play (October 28, 2024)

Chapter 3, “The Butcher” (“Cook Ding”): Episode 7: The Butcher

Chapter 4, “Yan Hui Proposes a Conversion Mission to Confucius”: Episode 4: Daoist persuasion (March 11, 2024)

Chapter 20, “The Goose That Couldn’t Honk”: Episode 16: The Zhuangzi on Uselessness (January 22, 2025)