Mr. Yuan Xian was a disciple of the virtuous an wise Confucius. He was respected for living contentedly as a poor scholar and leading a simple, virtuous life. His thatched house had a door made of tree branches and straw and a leaky roof that often left the inside of the house wet. Despite this, Yuan Xian did not experience it as hardship; he devoted himself to studying Confucianism and lived happily.

Kang said to his disciples, "Buddha Sakyamuni has entered nirvana and the responsibility now lies with us. A divine manifestation should have occurred but it seems we were unable to touch the Buddha's heart. If we are so useless, there is no need to wait for punishment by the ruler. We should make vows that if a divine intervention does not occur, we will pay with our own lives!"

Xingling did not talk much and was always bullied by others, but he never became angry. Everyone in the village called him a fool. His father and brother also thought that he was foolish and sent him to the field to watch over the grain fields.

After he got drunk and returned home, the Xiu Cai sat idly and let his fantasies run wild. “When I pass the next level of civil service examination, I will take the neighbor's young maid Ageng as my concubine. I shall build a luxury mansion and buy extravagant frocks for her.” After midnight, he was still having fantasies about his life with the beautiful Ageng. When his wife hurried him to go to bed, he spat the tea in her face and shouted insults. “You are a vat of vinegar! A vat of vinegar!”

Tan Zhao was very surprised at what he saw and said, "Many years ago, I saw that you had a countenance of good fortune but why has that changed? Your Tianting (forehead) looked full but now it seems collapsed; your Dige was round but now it has sharpened. Further more, there is dark Qi surrounding the centre of your palms. This means there is calamity awaiting you, you need to be careful. Your physiognomy has changed so much. I wonder what unethical things have you done?"

One Chinese New Year's Eve while all the families in town were celebrating the New Year and playing with fireworks, the two looked at each other and sighed because they lived in such abject poverty that they were unable to go home and celebrate the New Year. Suddenly, they heard a noise outside as loud as thunder. They hurried out of the temple only to find a giant rock had split open, revealing a treasure within. He Rushen was overjoyed beyond belief. He decided it must be a gift from Heaven out of pity for their poverty. He wanted to ship the treasure home.

Yan Shu lived in the Song Dynasty of ancient China and was known to be kind and honest from the time he was very young. He was also bright and eager to learn. When he was only seven years old, he was able to write excellent articles. By 15 years old, he was honoured as a genius and recommended to the Emperor by the county governor due to his extreme intelligence.

One day, a rich merchant needed to cross the river. Gong discovered that he was very wealthy, and carried many valuable possessions. Thinking about all the money he pushed him into the water when the boat reached the middle of the river. The merchant drowned, Gong took all of his belongings, and with his new swag he quit his fishing and started a business. Soon, he had a son.

The five thousand years of traditional culture in China is very profound, containing a very deep and scientific understanding of material manifestations and of the spirit. Its understanding of the universe, life, the human body, far surpasses that of today's science and the limitations of its so-called "scientific method." However, nowadays there aren't many who can truly understand the righteous inner meanings and value of traditional Chinese culture.

Qin Qing was not angry, nor did he stop Xue Tan. Instead, Qin Qing provided a farewell banquet for him in the suburbs. At the banquet Qin Qing sang mournful songs for him. The songs were so fantastic that the nearby woods were moved, and the clouds seemingly stopped and listened.

The character "Ren" (忍, forbearance) is composed of the element "xin" (心, heart) which represents the meaning, and the element "ren" (刃, knife blade) which represents the sound. "Ren" means to endure, to forbear, and to tolerate. It also contains the connotation of self-restraint and self-control. The character "Ren" (forbearance) is formed by placing the "knife" over the "heart," as if implying "Ren" (forbearance) is not easily achieved by ordinary people, but requires a higher level of cultivation, discipline, and will.

The Greeks spread their myths to the world. The Americans print "In God We Trust" on their dollar bill. The Apollo Temple in Egypt is world famous, and with the spread of Yoga, the Indian Myth of Shiva has widely spread around the world. Since the Renaissance, European literature and artists have as their mission sung the praises of God. But how many Westerners know about the Chinese gods Pangu, Nuwa, Shengnong and the Eight Immortals?

Dong Yong was from the Qianchen area of the Han Dynasty, currently north of Gaoyuan Town, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province. After his mother died when he was a child, he did his best to serve and care for his father. He worked hard to give his father a happy life. When he went to the field to farm, he pulled his father on his cart to the field. His father rested besides the field so he did not feel lonely. After his father died, he did not have money to bury him. He sold himself to be a servant and used the money to bury his father.

After Sir Shuijing heard the three stories, he nodded in appreciation, "Zhuge Liang will be an outstanding fellow!" He immediately asked the young servant to take him to Longzhong to invite Zhuge Liang back in person.

The second day, Zhang Liang was late again and the old man told him the same thing. On the third day, Zhang Liang arrived earlier than the old man. The old man was satisfied with Zhang Liang this time, so he gave him a book and said, "If you read this book, you can become the King's teacher. If you need any further help, go to the yellow stone at the foot of Gucheng Mountain." Therefore, later generations named the book Yellow Stone Master's Book.

Emperor Liangwu sought to meet the monk. He sent a messenger with an invitation to the palace. One day, Emperor Liangwu was playing chess when a messenger arrived and told him, "Your Majesty, the Kowtow monk has arrived." Emperor Liangwu was concentrating so hard on his chess game, trying to figure out how to take one of the enemy's chessman, that he said loudly "Kill!" The messenger left at once to fulfil the command. The monk was killed.

In ancient times, there was a legendary ferocious beast named Nian. Nian lived at the bottom of the sea all year around, but when the Chinese New Year's Eve came, Nian would leave the sea, approach villages, eat livestock and hurt human beings. Therefore, every year when the New Year's Eve was getting closer, people all fled to tall mountains to prevent from being hurt by Nian.

A drowning burglar saw him and called for help, "Please help me! I swear that I will not steal any more." Bohan showed mercy for him and asked people to set him free. The revered Bohan worried that this man would go back to doing unrighteous deeds again, therefore he gave him a small boat and told him to row travellers over to the ferry and thereby earn a living. Similar to this story, the revered Bohan had given another seven boats to those kinds of men, and they all gave up their evil deeds.

The other replied, "He is a man of very good fortune. When he reaches 17 he will pass the entrance exam for a government-official training school and at age 19 will graduate and become a county official. He will advance rapidly in his career and enjoy a comfortable life." The first divine gestured toward Li Fu and asked, "What about him?" The second divine being answered, "He is a man with no luck and will have neither money nor power all his life." With those words, the two divine beings flew up and disappeared behind the closed Heavenly Gate. Li Fu awoke puzzled, and told his dream to his parents and friends.

The Chinese and the western world view jade differently. In western mineralogy and petrology, rocks and minerals are studied based on physics and chemistry. Scientists research their ingredients and how they were formed. They are classified and appraised based on their investigations. However, the ancient Chinese studied rocks and minerals with a connection with the realm of thoughts.

Du Lide, also called Chunyi, was from Baodi in Shuntian (current Baodi Area in Tianjin City) in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD). He ranked high as the minister of Etiquette, and he was honoured as a private teacher for princes. He was known for his kindness, graciousness, and forgiveness in both his public and private life.

When, finally, the person was done with his cursing, Sakyamuni asked him with a smile: "My friend, when a person gives something to another person and if the person refuses to accept it, then who shall own the thing?" That person answered offhandedly: "Of course it belongs to the giver." Sakyamuni said: "That's right. You have been cursing me until now. If I don't accept your cursing, then who will receive the cursing?"

A couple of years later, Zhang Ying's father again dreamt of Wang Dun who was to be born into his family. He scolded Wang, "You're indeed a minister of dishonesty. You want to fool me again. I won't have you." Wang Dun answered, "I looked around each of the major families south of the Yangtze River. No single family matches yours in terms of blissfulness and virtue. I'm not going to leave this time."

Suo Yuanli (unknown-691) was a general during the guerrilla war in the reign of Wu Zetian. He was responsible for the court of Luozhou. He oppressed many innocent people, took bribes, and tortured people to extract a confession. He made a device, the Iron Dragon Head, used as torture instrument when interrogating criminals. The Iron Dragon Head torture instrument was used when he himself was interrogated. He confessed to all his crimes and died in jail.

He believed in Buddha and built a statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, which he set out at home and paid respect to. Later on, he was framed and imprisoned. He could not stand the torture and had to admit to things he did not do. He was sentenced to death. One night, he dreamt of a monk, who told him to chant, "Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Savior," one thousand times. When he woke up, he started chanting immediately.

During one calamitous year, crop yields were very poor. Li Shiqian distributed grain to tens of thousands of poor people. When, by the end of the year, those people were still unable to return the grain to him, they came to his house to apologise and asked him for a six-month extension. Li Shiqian said, "My family's surplus grain should be used to help people." He burned his debtors' I.O.U.'s and said, "You have all paid back what you owed. You should no longer worry about it anymore." The next year's harvest was good and people hurried to return the grain they had borrowed but he still wouldn't accept a single grain.

Those receiving traditional acupuncture care saw their headache rates drop by almost half - suffering 7 fewer days of headaches over the four weeks following the treatment. Those receiving minimal acupuncture had 6.6 fewer days of headaches. While the control group experienced 1.5 less days of headaches - a drop of just a tenth.

After he went to Yi Zhou, he was very kind and generous to the local people. He did not even like to physically punish the criminals. His assistant commented," People here are very stubborn and very hard to manage. You need to have a system to punish them harshly, otherwise you will not be able to not establish your reputation and people will not fear you." Lu Huiangxhian shook his head and said, "I see it entirely different. If you manage the people's affairs well, there will be social stability. The people will love to work hard and enjoy their lives. They will then obey you. So why do I need to punish them heavily to build my reputation?"

Zixia and Zengzi were both students of the wise Confucius. One day, they met each other on the street. Zengzi carefully looked Zixia over from head to toe, and then asked, "In the past you had many illnesses and were always thin and weak. You seem to have gained weight and look energetic too." Zixia happily said, "I have recently won a battle, so I feel very happy and have gained weight as a result."

Shao Jing said, "I don't even care whether I can keep my head; why should I worry about my legs?" His cell mate, however, talked to the guards on Zhao's behalf. As a result, nothing happened to him the next day at his trial. Prime Minister Yang Song recommended a punishment of 100 floggings, but Emperor Shi Zong refused and dismissed Zhao Jing from his job instead.

Yu Zhaitian was a prime minister at the end of the Qing dynasty. He was obsessed with cleanliness and many other taboos. At home, he would not let anyone sit where he normally sat or touch the curtains or doorknob. In the office, his subordinates had to hold the end of a Chinese brush when they handed it to him. his clothes had to be free of wrinkles and dust. If there were wrinkles after he sat for a while, the garment had to be ironed.

In the story, a fisherman from Wuling in Hunan Province decided to row his boat up river. After a long while, he saw a huge peach grove with splendid blossoms. He was overwhelmed with such scenery and continued to row. He then saw a small mountain with a small cave in the middle of the mountain. He was so curious that he got off his boat and crawled into the cave. At the end of the cave, there appeared a broad, flat area. He kept walking and saw rows of houses neatly arranged with various crops growing in a fertile field.

About a year later, Chen Liangdong died from a sudden illness. Before he died, he told his wife, "I'm on my way to Li's family to pay back the debt I owe them." He died as soon as he said those words. At the same time, a cow in Li's family suddenly gave birth to a small ox. On the forehead of the ox, there appeared to be a few characters. The characters were quite illegible. A year later, the characters were legible, and they read, "Chen Liangdong."

After he woke up, he realised that he had experienced being both rich and poor, gain and loss. He wrote a poem to express his sentiment: "Life is like a dream until death when you awake. Why worry about gain and loss? You would suffer until you are out of shape."

Marquis Wen (44 -396 B.C.) was the first leader of the state of Wei in the Warring States Period in China. Because he treated others with honesty and conviction, he was esteemed by people from all walks of life. The state of Wei prospered quickly under his administration. [Note: He was one of the first leaders to implement professional training for his soldiers with the use of bells, drums, and gongs to control their maneuvers.]

Yan Zi immediately stood up and replied respectfully, "My wife is old and ugly now, but she was young and beautiful once and we have been together for a long time. When she was young and beautiful, she trusted me that we would be together until we died. She trusted me with her life, and I accepted her trust. Now you want to give me your daughter, but how can I violate her trust?" Yan Zi bowed to the king again and again to decline.

Xia Yuanji was the Secretary of the Internal Ministry in the Ming Dynasty. He was a person with a tolerant mind. Once someone asked him: "Can one learn your tolerance?" He said: "When I was young, I was always very angry when someone upset me. Later I first tried to control myself and appeared calm on the outside, while I slowly calmed myself down within. Gradually I found that I was able to control myself well on all occasions."

If a person makes a promise, he should live by the principle of "Truthfulness" and fulfil his promise no matter what. It is a foundation of behaving virtuously. When I read stories about ancient people keeping their word, even at the cost of their lives, I felt great admiration for them from.

The true essence of education, therefore, is to guide the person to preserve and return to his original good nature. This approach educates a person to dedicate himself to nurturing and substantiating his moral character, so that in the face of the numerous dilemmas in his life, he will make the correct decision by following his kind nature. This ancient educational philosophy is at odds with what today's science-based society often advocates.

The idiom "Vicissitude" means that things in this world have changed a lot. It is originated from the book A Deity Passes on - Yuan Wang by Ge Hong from the Jing dynasty. Ma Gu said: "Since the reception, we have seen that the East China Sea has changed to a mulberry field three times."

With some obstacles, Li Rongji was finally rescued and brought to shore. A-Gui was in tears as he helped Li remove his wet clothes. He took off his own uniform, which was made of black fox skin that was granted by the Emperor. A-Gui put the uniform on Li to warm him. After a long time, Li regained consciousness. A-Gui apologized to Li sincerely and then proceeded to report his failure and mistake to the government, recommending that Li Rongji fill his post.

The old saying "Tian (heaven) Gao (high) Ting (listen) Bei (tiny things)" means that even though the Gods are far above us, they observe all good and evil deeds and will reward each with either fortune or retribution. Therefore, if a person says "yes" but means "no," he will only end up cheating people.

The officials told him to prepare a notebook and write down everything that he did during the day. If there was anything he said or did during the day that would be too shameful to record, then those were the words that he should not speak and actions he should not do. The underworld official also told him to meditate often to have longevity. He pointed out that no medicine in the human world is more effective than meditation, which doesn't have any bad side effects or cost.

The guard wasn't careful with the candle and Han Qi's hair caught on fire. Han Qi quickly wiped out the flame with his sleeve and continued to write as if nothing had happened. After a while, he noticed that the original guard had been replaced. Han Qi was afraid that the original guard was going to be punished. So he hurriedly told the supervising guard, "Don't replace him. Bring him back. He has already learnt how to hold a candle properly." Everyone in the army greatly admired Han Qi.

Just when everyone was vigorously discussing what to do, Zeng Shen returned home. Everyone was surprised. They asked Zeng, "Weren't you arrested because you killed someone? How have you manged to come here? Was it because you killed a bad guy so you weren't severely punished?"

Zhang Shuai sent his servant's ship home with three thousand pounds of rice. When the rice arrived home, only half of it was left. The servant told him that the birds and mice stole half of the rice. Zhang Shuai smiled, and said, "Those birds and mice are very capable!" Liu Gongquan and Zhang Shuai ceased looking for their lost property, which helped them to avoid conflicts and trouble, manifesting a great amount of tolerance.

"...People from far and near come to get what they need, and mountains always generously offer what they have. Mountains can also stir up winds and thunder and create clouds and rain to link heaven and earth and harmonise Yin and Yang energies, bringing rain to water all things on earth, so that they can grow and people can have food and clothes as a result. This is the reason why compassionate people enjoy to see mountains."

Fu Shuo suggested to Wu Ding, "A wise king should follow the way of the universe. The king should establish a country, select a capital city, and give the officials appropriate titles. Doing so is not for the king's convenience and comfort, but for the wellbeing of the people. The gods are the wisest, and they know everything. A wise king should manage the country the same way that gods treat humans. If the governor and officials follow the way of the universe, people can be easily managed."

A regulation of that dynasty set an upper limit of people on the island to 300 people. The government provided enough food for 300 criminals only. In addition, the island was very small and couldn't really hold any more people. Usually when the number of people in the island exceeded 300, the officials drowned the surplus criminals in the sea. The head of Shamen Island, Li Qing, threw more than 700 criminals into the sea during his term.

Who is without fault or mistake? He who is willing to understand and forgive other people's mistakes has a broad, forgiving heart. Ren Dijian won the respect of an entire army because he was forgiving and generous and because he was able to forgive the server's mistake. After Li Jinglue passed away, all the officers and soldiers asked to have Ren Dijian take his place.