Word Games: The Entire World of Writing is One Big Copy

Everyone can write articles, and countless pieces are published daily. After reading many, it seems that they all convey the same ideas. They just change a few words, with nothing new—it's merely a word game. From elementary to high school, I always found writing assignments very difficult because I never knew what to write about. Piecing together quotes and stitching together a composition left me feeling ashamed since none of it was genuinely my own.

When I was young, I didn't understand why we needed to write essays in language classes. Wouldn't it be enough to read the works of ancient sages? Memorizing Tang and Song poetry is just a matter of good memory. After extensive reading, one can naturally produce fluent prose, but even this "prose" relies heavily on quoting the ancients and is not original.

A few years ago, I heard about a young person in their early twenties who had already published over twenty books. I could only smile without comment. I'm not saying that the young person's books were bad, but according to ancient Chinese wisdom, a true sage appears only once in 500 years. Determining the sage of our time will be left to future generations.

Countless books are published worldwide daily, but those that stand the test of time and are worth reading repeatedly are rare. I loved reading ancient texts as a child and ended up studying languages in university, learning English, French, and German. Despite this, I still believe: "There are saints in the East and the West; their hearts and principles are the same." It seems everything has already been discussed in ancient texts, so what can I write?

Ji Xiaolan, a Qing Dynasty scholar who edited the Siku Quanshu, once said, "All principles and matters are covered in ancient books. Any modern writings cannot surpass the scope of the ancients, so why write more?" Confucius humbly said, "I transmit but do not revise; I am faithful to our ancestors' teaching." This shows the wisdom of a saint, showing respect for the ancient saints' wisdom and continuing their legacy. Confucius merely conveyed ancient knowledge without adding his own creations or opinions, believing in the truth of the saints' teachings. His faith was not blind but genuine and profound. He compiled, verified, and disseminated ancient knowledge for future generations to inherit.

Sometimes, when chatting with friends, they would disagree with my views. I would explain that these were not my views but quotes from a saint's classic text. There is no need to argue with me; if you disagree, you'd have to go back 2000 years and argue with the sage.

I have no original opinions; I merely quote the classics because I'm not a saint or sage—just an ordinary, somewhat dull person who can remember a few ancient texts. I often cite ancient texts, always with quotation marks and the source, indicating which book or person I am quoting. The ancients said, "All writings are a grand copy." Copying is acceptable because each generation must build on the previous one. As the saying goes, "The past is the teacher of the future." Ancient writings had their sources, and skillful modifications allowed them to be passed down. However, directly copying without any change and not acknowledging the source is a moral issue.

Paraphrasing and plagiarism are not the same. "Treasure awaits in books!" Let this be a lesson.

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This article is part of the IAK Digital Archive, an ongoing collection dedicated to classical wisdom, cultural heritage, and contemporary reflection. Through the study of Eastern and Western traditions, we seek to build bridges between past and present, knowledge and practice, self-cultivation and modern life.

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Preserve memory for the past. Leave kindling for the future.

为过去保留记忆，为未来留下火种。