"A settant'anni seguivo gli impulsi del mio cuore senza incorrere in trasgressioni". Il valore del tempo nella cultura cinese classica

The notion of time in Chinese thought and religions played a fundamental role in shaping the concept of life, longevity and immortality. The notion of time and in particular of the “propensity of time” or “propensity of circumstances” (shishi 時勢) has been recently discussed and explained by the scholar Wang Hui, who summarizes the Chinese traditional view of cyclical time in the concept of tianli 天理 (heavenly principle), as opposed or complementary to gongli 公理 (public principle), based on modern science. In traditional China man’s behaviour has been influenced by a constant attention to the natural course of events, a principle which is followed in military strategy, particularly in the Sunzi bingfa 孫子兵法 (The art of war). The notion of “propensity of time” denotes the force of nature which stems from its constant change and variability.