Self-Contradictory: Spear-Shield 自相矛盾：以子之矛，攻子之盾

What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?
An example of this contradiction is found in the origin of the Chinese word for contradiction (maodun, literally means ‘Spear-Shield’).

This term originates from a story in the 3rd century BC philosophical book Han Feizi, which led to the proverb of ‘zixiang maodun’ or ‘self-contradictory’.
A man from the State of Chu was selling his spear and shield. He pointed at his shield and shouted: ‘It is the firmest, soundest, strongest shield in the world; nothing can thrust through it regardless of how sharp it is.'

He then held the spear and said, ‘My spear is the sharpest one in the world, and it can thrust through any object no matter how firm the object is.’

An onlooker asked: ‘How about thrusting your spear through your shield?’

The man was speechless.
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如果不可抗之力与无法撼动之物相碰，什么事会发生呢？
中国词语‘矛盾’就很好的说明了这种情形。

这个词源自公元前3世纪的哲学书《韩非子》里的一个故事，也是成语《自相矛盾》的来源。
楚人有鬻(yù)盾与矛者，誉之曰：‘吾盾之坚，物莫能陷也。’
又誉其矛曰：‘吾矛之利，于物无不陷也。’
或曰：‘以子之矛陷子之盾何如？’
其人弗能应也。

Zhuangzi advocates No Action 庄子提倡无为

Zhuangzi advocates wuwei, which means ‘no action’ and involves knowing when to act and when not to act. This story from the Zhuangzi illustrates the importance of wuwei.
‘The ruler of the South Sea was called Shu (倏), the ruler of the North Sea was called Hu (忽) and the ruler of the Central Region was called Hun Dun ( 浑沌). Shu and Hu often met each other in the land of Hun Dun, who treated them very well. They wanted to repay his kindness, saying, “Every man has seven apertures with which to hear, to see, to eat and to breathe, but Hun Dun alone has none of them. Let’s try and bore some for him.” They bored one aperture each day, and on the seventh day Hun Dun died.’
Shu and Hu literally mean ‘swift’ and ‘unstable’ respectively. Hun implies turbid or murky states, and also something simple and natural. Hun Dun (浑沌) suggests ‘blended’, ‘integral’, or ‘undivided’. So in Chinese expressions, the primeval state of the universe before the earth was first separated from the heavens was called Hun Dun.
Seven apertures here mean the function of so-called the five senses, that is, the sense of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch.
One interpretation says that Shu and Hu did not act ‘spontaneously’ or with ‘non-interference’. They were more concerned with proper protocol such as gift-giving. They had a human-oriented bias in that their response was to give Hun Dun human orifices so that he would have the ‘prestige’ of a human face. They did not act with natural and spontaneous actions in accordance with the core Daoist philosophy of wuwei which demands that one submit to and move with, as opposed to against, the natural processes and change.
As a result of their actions, Hun Dun died.
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庄子提倡无为，意思是没有行动，要知道何时行动，何时不应行动。以下庄子的寓言说明无为的重要。
‘南海之帝为倏，北海之帝为忽，中央之帝为浑沌。倏与忽时相与遇于浑沌之地，浑沌待之甚善。倏与忽谋报浑沌之德，曰：“人皆有七窍以视听食息，此独无有，尝试凿之。”日凿一窍，七日而浑沌死。’
‘倏’意为极快，‘忽意’为不平稳，‘混’表示混浊，朦胧的状态，和简单自然的东西。‘混沌’意味混合、完整、未分开。所以，在华人词语中，在天与地还没有分开之前的原始状态的宇宙就叫混沌。
一种解释说倏与忽没有依自然而行动，或者说没有执行‘不干扰’行为。他们更关心的是还礼之类的适当的礼节。他们有着以人为本的偏见，因而他们的反应是给与混沌人类的窍孔，这样混沌就可以有人类的尊严。他们没有依照道家的无为哲学来依自然行事。无为要求一个人服从或依照自然方法或变动，而不是反其道而行。
他们的行动的结果，混沌死了。

Ambassador Yan 晏子使楚

Yan Ying, also known as Yanzi, was an important politician, thinker and diplomat of the State of Qi during the Warring States period.
Yan was appointed by the State of Qi state as its ambassador to the State of Chu. When the king of Chu was so informed, he said to his officials, ‘Yan is an eloquent and witty man of Qi. Since he will come to our State, I would like to humiliate him. How can this be arranged?’
The officials said, ‘When he arrives at the court, we will arrange to have a man bound with ropes before you. You may ask who he is. We shall say he is from Qi, and you then ask what he is guilty of. Our answer will be that he is guilty of theft.’
When Yan was ushered to meet the King of Chu, the latter treated him to a drink of wine. While they were drinking, two officials brought a man bound with ropes to the King, who asked ostensibly, ‘Why did you tie the man with ropes?’
‘He is from Qi, guilty of theft.’
The King looked at Yan and quizzed, ‘Are people of Qi born to be adept thieves?’
Yan left his seat and countered, ‘I heard that oranges grown south of Huai River are true oranges; once transplanted to the north of the river, they become trifoliate oranges. Although they resemble in the shape of leaves, yet they differ greatly in taste. What accounts for it? The difference is in water and soil. Now people born in Qi are incapable of theft, but once in Chu they commit this crime. Could it be that the climate of Chu has something to do with it?’
The King remarked with a smile, ‘A sage is indeed not to be trifled with. The ridicule has recoiled upon us.’
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晏婴,又称晏子，是春秋后期齐国一位重要的政治家、思想家、外交家。
晏子将使楚。楚王闻之，谓左右曰：‘晏婴，齐之习辞者也，今方来，吾欲辱之，何以也？’
左右对曰：‘为其来也，臣请缚一人过王而行。王曰：何为者也？对曰：齐人也。王曰，何坐？曰，坐盗。’
晏子至，楚王赐晏子酒，酒酣，吏二缚一人诣(yì)王。王曰：‘缚者曷(hé)为者也？’
对曰：‘齐人也，坐盗。’
王视晏子曰： ‘齐人固善盗乎？’
晏子避席对曰：‘婴闻之，橘生淮南则为橘，生于淮北则为枳，叶徒相似，其实味不同。所以然者何？水土异也。今民生长于齐不盗，入楚则盗，得无楚之水土使民善盗！’
王笑曰：‘圣人非所与熙也，寡人反取病焉。’

Who is Dearer, Father or Husband? 父与夫孰亲？

The power politics among the rulers and high ministers can result in severe consequences for their family members. Sometimes, their wives and daughters are confronted with agonizing conflicts of loyalty.
Below is one such sad story happened in 697 BC as recorded in Zuozhuan.
The Prime Minister Zhai Zhong monopolized power, much to the distress of the ruler of Zheng. The latter ordered Zhai’s son-in-law, Yong Jiu, to kill Zhai.
In order to do so, Yong invited Zhai to a banquet in the suburbs of the capital. Yong’s wife was aware of the plot and said to her mother, ‘who is dearer, a father or a husband?’
Her mother replied, ‘All men are potential husbands, but you have only one father. How could there be any comparison?’
In the end she informed her father, saying, ‘Yong deliberately decided not to hold the banquet in his own house, he decided to hold it in the suburbs instead. I tell you this because I am suspicious of the arrangement.’
Zhai killed Yong and threw his corpse into the hill of Zhou family. The ruler of Zheng loaded the corpse on his carriage and fled from the capital, saying, ‘He told even his wife about the plot, no wonder he died!’
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统治者与大臣之间的权力政治会对他们的家庭成员带来严重的结果。有时，他们的妻子和女儿会面对痛苦的忠贞的矛盾。
下面发生于公元前697年不幸的故事来自《左传》。
祭仲专，郑伯患之，使其婿雍纠杀之。
将享诸郊，雍姬知之，谓其母曰：‘父与夫孰亲？’
其母曰：‘人尽夫也，父一而已。胡可比也？’
遂告祭仲曰：‘雍氏舍其室而将享子于郊，吾惑之，以告。’
祭仲杀雍纠，尸诸周氏之丘。
公载以出，曰：‘谋及妇人，宜其死也。’