In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we talk about the Great Learning (大学), a wide-ranging text that talks about everything from how to manage your household and family and to the benefits of self-improvement, through to how to

ep 30 More great learning

May 19th, 2019 26m 57s

ep 26 The Four Books

Apr 19th, 2019 26m 15s

The four core texts (四书) on Confucianism is the topic of our next few episodes on the Three Character Classic (三字经). We get started by talking about how, if you want to become a scholar (为学者), you have to start at the beginning (必有初). After you

ep 14 Servitiude and patriarchy

Apr 19th, 2019 24m 10s

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), the book takes a step back to a topic touched upon earlier, namely, how people should approach their relationships with different people in their lives. We’ll talk about the bond between a s

ep 26 The Four Books

Apr 19th, 2019 26m 15s

ep 32 So many books

Apr 19th, 2019 30m 29s

The Three Character Classic (三字经) continues to pile on reading for its young readers, this time turning to what are called the six classics (六经), namely the the books of Poetry (诗经), Documents (书经), Changes (易经), Rites (礼记), and the Spring and

ep 24 Defining relations

Apr 19th, 2019 22m 46s

Before we come to the end of chapter two of the Three Character Classic (三字经), we have a chunky summary of all the lessons we’ve learned about the social ties in our lives. There’s the kindness between father and son (父子恩), harmony between husb

ep 24 Defining relations

Apr 19th, 2019 22m 46s

ep 32 So many books

Apr 19th, 2019 30m 29s

ep 14 Servitiude and patriarchy

Apr 19th, 2019 24m 10s

ep 02 Using education to stop the rot

Mar 19th, 2019 15m 27s

In our first episode of the Three Character Classic (三字经) we explored the belief that people are fundamentally good when they’re born, and how that can change under the influence of environment and education. In this episode, we look at the rol

ep 11 Learn the right things at the right time

Mar 19th, 2019 17m 56s

The first part of the Three Character Classic (三字经) talked about the value of devoting your time to learning to valuable things (贵以专). It’s at this point that we move into the second part of the book, which tells you what some of those valuable

EP 17 The five building blocks of everything

Mar 19th, 2019 21m 40s

In Chinese philosophy, water (水), fire (火), wood (木), metal (金), and earth (土) are five elements that make up the properties of everything in the universe. This episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经) tells the story of the discovery of fi

ep 28 The Second Sage

Mar 19th, 2019 25m 54s

We’re continuing our discussion about the four core texts (四书) about Confucianism in this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经). The works of Mencius (孟子者) covers seven chapters (七篇止). They talk about the road to virtue (讲道德), and the im

ep 31 First the four, then the six

Mar 19th, 2019 24m 27s

In this episode we give you a brief introduction to the six books that the Three Character Classic (三字经) recommends you tackle when you’re done with the Analects of Confucius (论语者), the works of Mencius (孟子者), the Doctrine of the Mean (中庸), the

ep 19 Grains

Mar 19th, 2019 17m 21s

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经) we cover the six main cereals in traditional Chinese agriculture, and tell the story of a mythical figure called Shennong (神农), “the Divine Farmer”. According to legend, he led a group of fol

ep 21 Mixed emotions

Mar 19th, 2019 24m 19s

In a previous episode, we talked about the importance of the mean (中庸) in Chinese thought, which means in essence to keep things in balance. This is something we touch on again in this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经) about the seve

ep 16 It's all about the zhong

Mar 19th, 2019 18m 31s

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we continue exploring the traits of the natural world by taking a look at the four cardinal directions (四方): north (北), south (南), east (东), and west (西). We also talk about the importance o

ep 25 I like your old stuff better than your new stuff

Mar 19th, 2019 21m 26s

This episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经) is reminiscent of our earliest episodes about study. We talk about the importance of all kids having a good education (凡训蒙) based on careful study of the fundamentals (须讲究). In this case, it mea

ep 08 Learn from teachers, learn from friends

Mar 19th, 2019 16m 8s

One of the main takeaway messages from the teachings of Confucius (孔子) is that it’s important to respect your elders. This is a theme that’s touched on repeatedly in the Three Character Classic (三字经). In this episode, we talk about the importan

ep 23 Nine generations

Mar 19th, 2019 25m 43s

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we talk about the nine generations of relations that make up one’s family, in the traditional definition of the word. There’s a lot of “this person begats that one, who begats etc.” in this

ep 03 Mourners, merchants, and mothers

Mar 19th, 2019 12m 59s

In episode three of the Three Character Classic (三字经) we look at the role a good environment can have on a child’s early development. You’ll hear how the mother of the philosopher Mencius moved house three times to help ensure that the people i

ep 10 Share your pears

Mar 19th, 2019 17m 49s

In this episode of the Three Character Classic (三字经) we follow on from our previous two episodes, about the importance of listening to teachers and of filial respect for parents, with one about being nice to your elder brother. (You might be pi

ep 09 Keeping the bed warm

Mar 19th, 2019 17m 26s

As Beijing pluges into winter and temperatures plumet, your hosts for the Three Character Classic (三字经) huddle together in their chilly studio to recount the story of nine-year-old Huang Xiang (黄香), who lay in his father’s bed to warm it up in

ep 04 Learning begins at home

Mar 19th, 2019 15m 53s

Dou Yanshan (窦燕山) was a figure from the Five Dynasties Period (五代时期) in around the 10th century. He was a father to five sons, who all grew up to become high government officials. In today’s episode of the Three Character Classic (三字经) we talk