Childlike Innocence
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A great person is one who retains the pure and innocent heart of a child. This concept, rooted in Mencius, suggests that the great are those who preserve their innate goodness and simplicity. It serves as a scaffold for the beginner's mind, encouraging curiosity and openness even after becoming an expert, thus preventing rigidity in experience.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Beginner's Mind. After becoming an expert, one should remain curious and open like a child, which is the only antidote to the ossification of experience.
Anchor fast decisions
Childlike Innocence refers to the pure, unadorned, and untainted heart of a newborn, which Mencius used to describe innate human goodness such as compassion. Later, it came to signify a sincere and unpretentious state of mind, representing an ideal shared by Confucian belief in inherent goodness and Daoist return to simplicity.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B5%A4%E5%AD%90%E4%B9%8B%E5%BF%83_%28%E9%9B%BB%E8%A6%96%E5%8A%87%29verified
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