Books

1. Wong, DB; Wang, EH; Marchal, K, Metaphor and Analogy in Chinese Thought: Governance Within the Person, State, and Society (January, 2025), pp. 1-340 [doi].
   (last updated on 2026/01/09)

   Abstract:
   David Wong’s lectures explore the fundamental role of metaphor and analogy in shaping human thought, particularly within the Chinese philosophical tradition. Rather than being mere poetic devices, metaphors and analogies actively structure understanding, allowing complex ideas to be communicated through familiar concepts. The interaction between source and target domains in metaphors is dynamic, with interpretations evolving through continuous refinement. Wong examines early Confucian thinkers, particularly Mencius and Xunzi, who offer contrasting yet complementary views on moral cultivation-natural growth versus deliberate shaping. While Mencius likens moral development to plant growth, Xunzi's craft metaphor highlights the role of effort in cultivating virtues, though his approach is more nuanced than a simple crafting analogy suggests. Wong also explores the Confucian ideal of harmony (he), incorporating aesthetic, musical, and culinary metaphors. He brings Chinese thought into dialogue with the Greek notion of contest (agon), emphasizing the importance of accommodating disagreement. The lectures extend to Neo-Confucianism’s “one body” metaphor, which highlights interdependence, moral beauty, and concepts such as zhong (doing one’s best) and shu (sympathetic understanding). Finally, Wong examines Daoist critiques of Confucianism, arguing for a synthesis of flexible hierarchies informed by qi, offering a more adaptable model of governance and moral development.