Start here
The Evolution of Chinese Philosophy: A Historical and Cultural Analysis
A broad survey of Chinese philosophy, from Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism in the early period to Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism and modern debates.
Ideas and Meaning
Core ideas, virtues and belief traditions.
Start here
A broad survey of Chinese philosophy, from Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism in the early period to Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism and modern debates.
How mianzi, or face, relates to dignity, reputation and etiquette in Chinese social life, and how people today debate whether it helps or hinders.
What xiao, or filial piety, asks of children and parents, where it comes from in Confucian thought, and how families and critics interpret it today.
Guanxi describes relationship networks built on trust and reciprocal obligation. This article explains the idea and why scholars both praise and criticize it.
Harmony (he) as a social and political ideal in Chinese thought: what it has meant, how it has been used, and why critics ask whom it serves.
Yin and yang describe complementary opposites in early Chinese cosmology. Learn where the idea comes from, how it was used and where the metaphor falls short.
How Confucian values continue to shape family expectations, schooling and public life in China today, with attention to regional and individual variety.
How Buddhism reached China, blended with local thought and shaped art, literature and daily life, from the early centuries to the present.
Related topics