Q0169
Zhang Zai
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
To establish the mind for Heaven and Earth; to secure the destiny of the people; to continue the interrupted learning of the past sages; to open peace for all ages.
Source context
This English passage is associated with ), within the tradition of Neo-Confucianism (Guan School). The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of philosophy, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In Zhang Zai's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: Zhang Zai. (n.d.). To establish the mind for Heaven and Earth; to secure the destiny of the people; to continue the interrupted learning of the past sages; to open peace for all ages. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0169
MLA: Zhang Zai. “To establish the mind for Heaven and Earth;….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0169.
Chicago: Zhang Zai. “To establish the mind for Heaven and Earth;….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0169.