They are both saying the same thing!
this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2024
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From the original Reddit post:
Zhuang Zi, Taoist philosopher (369 BC – 286 BC): The span of human life is as short as the time taken by a white pony flashing across a rock crevice. 人生天地之間，若白駒之過隙，忽然而已。
Meng Zi, Confucian philosopher (372 BC – 289 BC): Appetite and lust are human nature. 食色性也。
On brief reading I wonder if this is not taking out of context as well as comparing two wildly different philosophies. It seems Mengzi typically discusses lust as part of an inner quality when arguing righteous must come from inside before an external action occurs.
But then I found this and think I am wrong
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%A3%9F%E8%89%B2%E6%80%A7%E4%B9%9F
Mengzi is most famous for arguing that human nature is originally good and thus corrupted by society. I wonder if he is saying delighting in food and sex is natural but these actions may be corrupted via society into bad acts of desire and lust.
Thanks for providing the Classical Chinese