The mission of Square and Circle Club shall be to sustain, develop, foster creativity, and flourish with a spirit of cooperation and service by promoting philanthropic activities. The Club shall hold true to its traditions of meaningful commitment born of a deep concern for the community and inspired by the Club’s founding president Alice Fong Yu: “hearts to be bold, minds to be broad, in deeds be square, and knowledge complete.”

智欲圓而行欲方
淮南子主術訓(下)

The Club’s name and motto derive from the Zhushuxun 主術訓 chapter of Huainanzi  淮南子, an ancient book of scholarly Chinese essays written during the early Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD). The above phrase simply states zhi  智 (“knowledge/wisdom”) is yuan 圓 (“round”) and xing  行 (“conduct/behavior”) is fang 方 (“square”). The Zhushuxun chapter discusses how knowledge/wisdom is round, endless, and comprehensive; and how conduct/behavior is square, follows rules, and has limitations. Club members chose to translate the character yuan 圓 as “circle” for its name, “Square and Circle Club.” For the motto, the same character is translated as “round” and xing  行 as “deed,” resulting with “in deeds be square, in knowledge be all-round.” The Club’s logo was created subsequently to symbolize the round and square concepts expressed in Huainanzi.