When Confucius met Laozi

Ancient Chinese sources describe a meeting between the young Confucius and the older Laozi at the Zhou capital, where Confucius had come to ask about ritual.

Laozi was not impressed by his eagerness. According to Sima Qian, he told Confucius to put away his proud airs, his many desires and his ambitions: none of them, he said, would do him any good.

Afterwards Confucius told his disciples that birds can be shot with arrows, fish caught with lines and animals trapped with nets. But the dragon, riding the wind and clouds up to heaven, was beyond his understanding. “Today I have seen Laozi,” he said. “He is like a dragon.”

Whether the meeting happened is uncertain. But Chinese culture kept both men: Confucius for duty, order and learning; Laozi for simplicity, nature and letting go. Many people find they need both.