Papers by Mieke Matthyssen
Contemporary Chinese Thought, Sep 14, 2015
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The calligraphy Nande hutu 难得糊涂 is without doubt one of the most wellknown works of art of Qing-c... more The calligraphy Nande hutu 难得糊涂 is without doubt one of the most wellknown works of art of Qing-calligrapher and official Zheng Banqiao (1693–1765). The calligraphy can be translated as «It is hard to be muddled», but behind this paradox a high wisdom of life rooted in traditional philosophy is hidden. This high wisdom finds its source in the Daoist ideal of the sage as a fool. However, after more than 250 years, this ancient spiritual ideal seems to have given way to a pragmatic, rather instrumental interpretation of the saying. This paper attempts to show how in contemporary Chinese society the high wisdom of the saying has become a popular strategy for dealing with stress and disappointment. In this attempt, some in the academic and popular discourses on the calligraphy frequently used expressions exemplary for respectively the ancient-philosophical and the popular contemporary meaning of the saying will be discussed 2 .
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Ignorance is Bliss: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing, 2021
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Ignorance is Bliss: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing, 2021
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Ignorance is Bliss: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing, 2021
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Ignorance is Bliss: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing, 2021
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Chinese Discourses on Happiness, 2019
Following decades of disorientating economic, social and societal changes, the Chinese self-help ... more Following decades of disorientating economic, social and societal changes, the Chinese self-help market flourishes. These self-help sources contain many popular sayings that represent wisdoms of life strongly rooted in Daoist and Confucian cosmology and ethics, such as constant change and cyclic thinking, and moral self-cultivation. Such sayings often contain a dialectical phrasing using opposites, and reflect the typically Chinese perceptions of happiness (fu), contentment (zu), and joy (le). They also offer concrete advice on how to navigate happily and smoothly through life. On the one hand, they embody individual strategies for coping with conflicts, failure, grief, powerlessness, and the quirks of fate. On the other hand, these sayings emphasize the importance of harmonizing interpersonal relations (zuo ren). This chapter argues that such popular philosophies are an essential part of today’s folk psychology and popular health discourse, and will lay bare not only their ancient ...
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Garant, 2021
De laatste jaren merken we steeds meer interesse voor lichaamsgerichte methodieken in het werken ... more De laatste jaren merken we steeds meer interesse voor lichaamsgerichte methodieken in het werken met jongeren. Binnen verschillende sectoren zoals het onderwijs, jeugdwerk, sportverenigingsleven, straathoekwerk en hulpverlening gaan begeleiders aan de slag met diverse activiteiten en methodieken. In dit boek zoomen we in op het pedagogisch boksen. Het idee om boksen in te zetten als een therapeutische, gezondheidsgerichte of sociaalpedagogische interventie is niet nieuw, maar blijft een onderbenut en vaak ook onbekend terrein. Om de lezer een concreet idee te geven over hoe een sportpedagogische methodiek eruit kan zien, beschrijven we een boksproject dat plaatsvond in een gesloten jeugdvoorziening. Het project beoogde de bevordering van het integratieperspectief van jongeren. We laten hierbij uitgebreid de jongeren en de begeleiders zelf aan het woord, en koppelen onze bevindingen aan internationale wetenschappelijke literatuur. Het boek biedt ook een uitgewerkte sportspelmethodiek voor het pedagogisch boksen aan, waarmee de lezer zelf aan de slag kan gaan. Voor de meer ervaren bokstrainer kan dit hoofdstuk nieuwe inzichten bieden om de bestaande lessen te verrijken. Vanuit een beleids- en organisatorisch perspectief geven we bijkomend enkele concrete aandachtspunten voor het opzetten van bokspedagogische projecten. We sluiten het boek af met een pleidooi om bokspedagogische projecten, en bij uitbreiding andere (vecht-)sporten, meer ingang te doen laten vinden binnen het onderwijs, het jeugdwerk en de jeugdhulp
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Synthesis Philosophica, 2014
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nouveau livre sur la Chine sort presque chaque semaine. Avec l’ouverture des frontières de ce pay... more nouveau livre sur la Chine sort presque chaque semaine. Avec l’ouverture des frontières de ce pays, nous pouvons nous demander quelle est la situation des Chinois en Belgique et aux Pays-Bas. Quelle est l’homogénéité de cette communauté ? D’où viennent ces Chinois et quelle langue parlent-t-ils ? Comment pratiquent-ils leur propre culture à l’étranger ? Comment s’intègrent-ils dans leur « pays d’accueil ». Autant de questions auxquelles cet article entend répondre.
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1. Nande hutu and the ‘Art of being muddled’ My former research project (PhD dissertation, on Nan... more 1. Nande hutu and the ‘Art of being muddled’ My former research project (PhD dissertation, on Nande hutu 难得糊涂 and ‘The art of being muddled’) dealt with Zheng Banqiao’s (1693-1765) calligraphy Nande hutu 难得糊涂 (‘It’s difficult to be muddled’) and its present popularity and attractiveness in contemporary Chinese society. The full saying is accompanied by a post-script that translates as follows: ‘Being smart is difficult, being muddled is also difficult. But it is even more difficult to turn from being smart into being muddled. Let go for once, and take a step back. Present peace of mind consists of not planning for future rewards.’ (聪明难,糊涂难,由聪明而转入糊涂更难. 放一 着,退一步.当下心安,非图后来福报也). The aim of this research was, through a semantic and etymological analysis, and through an analysis of the academic, popular and official discourse on the calligraphy and of its use, to unravel the traditional philosophical, socio-historical and psychological dimensions of this calligraphy/saying. At the same ti...
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Critical Theory, 2019
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Papers by Mieke Matthyssen
Originating in the calligraphy of Qing-dynasty scholar Zheng Banqiao, Nande hutu translates literally as: “hard to attain muddle-headedness”. Mieke Matthyssen traces the historical development of this saying and related philosophies to reveal a culturally conditioned, multi-layered inclination to different forms of not knowing. In contemporary society, she argues, this inclination forms part of a living art: in some respects, a passive, evasive strategy for self-preservation; in other respects, a strategy for coping with intrapersonal, interpersonal and social complexities.
Drawing on an extensive range of primary sources and original research, the analysis skillfully combines philosophical and socio-historical analysis with theory from Chinese philosophy, philosophical psychology and the relatively new field of indigenous psychology, to provide an in-depth understanding of how Nande hutu has shaped, and continues to shape, the Chinese psyche and behaviour.
This book will appeal to all readers looking for fresh insights into Chinese culture, and in particular to students and scholars of Chinese and Asian studies, cultural and social anthropology, and philosophical and indigenous psychology.