Briefly describe the historical background of the emergence of Confucianism.
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3.Confuciunism.pdf
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Confucianism The Decentralized Rule of the Zhou Dynasty • In 771 BC, the King of the Zhou dynasty was killed by an alliance of
the tribesmen from the northwest and some of the Zhou’s regional lords
• The capital of Zhou was moved to the south of the Yellow river • Zhou Kings maintained ritual functions as the communicator with
heaven, but they lost military control over many of Zhou’s regional lords
“A hundred schools of thought contended” Confucianism in Imperial China • In imperial China，the most prestigious career, that of government
service, was open only to those who passed the rigorous examinations in Confucian Classics.
• The Confucian Classics formed the curriculum for schools in China down through the nineteenth century.
• There were traveling storytellers who would chant the Classics to the illiterate
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Confucianism in the early 20th century
• In the early 20th century, both before and after the fall of the last imperial dynasty, Confucianism was harshly criticized by the leading scholars in China.
• China‘s traditional culture, represented by Confucius teachings, was holding China back from becoming a modern nation
• The creation of a new Chinese culture based on Democracy and Science.
Confucianism in the mid-20th century
• Communist thinkers also joined this anti-Confucian trend • By the time of the Communist victory in 1949，
Confucianism in mainland China seemed virtually dead.
A Comic Book: The Evil Life of Confucius
Confucianism in the late 20th century In 1979, after Deng Xiaoping began a process of liberalization and opening of China to the West Leadership of the party gave permission to scholars to study Confucianism again as a legitimate philosophy that was an essential part of traditional Chinese culture.
Confucianism in the 21st Century • Economic growth created inequalities, forced dislocations, and
engendered corruption
• Confucianism revived for spiritual nourishment.
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Confucianism in the 21st Century The promotion of Confucianism by the government • In 2006, the Chinese president called on government officials to
return to Confucian moral ethics as a way to counter corruption. • He also approved funding for over 100 “Confucius Institutes” to be
established around the world to offer classes and resources about Chinese language and culture.
Confucianism in the 21st Century "Confucius fever" is going strong in popular culture • A professor at Beijing Normal University gave a very popular series of TV lectures
on Confucius teaching. • Her book Confucius from the Heart, published in 2006, became a huge best-seller
in China, with over three million copies sold in its first four months in print
The Wisdom of the Classics in Comics by Cai Zhizhong
Confucianism in the 21st Century The revival of Confucianism in Chinese schools • In many parts of China, element school students started their first
day of school with the ancient ceremony worshiping Confucius
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Confucianism in the 21st Century The revival of Confucianism in Chinese schools • Confucius camps have been held across China where students read
the Confucius classics and practice calligraphy over summer
Confucius • Family name ：
Kong • Kong Fu-zi (K’ung Fu-Tsu)：
“The Master Kong” • Confucius:
Latinization of “Kong Fu-zi”
A portrait of Confucius by the Tang dynasty artist Wu Daozi
Confucius and the Ru (pronounced as “rue”; “a learned/educated man”) Tradition
• Confucius advised his disciples to be genuine “Ru (pronounced as ‘rue’); a learned/educated man) ”
• “Ru” refers to court experts who assisted rulers to perform rituals and ceremonies, observe astronomic phenomena, adjust the calendar, and keep historic record.
• “Shi (pronounced as shih); knights” were the lowest rank in the Zhou hereditary aristocracy, who had been the guardians of the Zhou military power
• The changes in military technology (e.g., the introduction of cavalry, the rise of mass conscription armies) eliminated the military function of the old Knights class.
• The “Shi” class identified more closely with the “Ru” class • In later Chinese usage, either “shi” or “ru” came to mean “scholar-official”
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Confucius and the Ru (pronounced as “rue”; “a learned/educated man”) Tradition
• When the “Ru” class came to play more influential role on the Zhou court, sources of knowledge about government and ritualized behaviors were attributed to the sage kings in early ancient China.
• The accumulated wisdom of those sage kings was recorded in books and archives that people could interpret rationally.
Confucius claimed to derive his teachings from “the Ancients,” whose wisdom is embodied in
“The Five Classics” (Wu Jing)
• The Book of Changes (“I Jing ”)： Used for divination built on the oracle bones tradition
• The Book of Documents (“Shang Shu /Shu Jing”): A compilation of speeches by major figures and records of events in early ancient China.
• The Book of Songs /Odes (“Shi Jing”): A collection of ceremonial and folk poems.
• The Book of Ritual (“Li Ji ”): A collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou Dynasty, as they understood in the later Zhou Dynasty and early Han Dynasty.
• The Spring & Autumn Annals (“Chun Qiu”): Chronicles of Confucius’ s state of Lu， covering the years 722 to 481 B. C., with appended commentaries
The Primary Sources of Confucian Philosophy
The Further Expression of Confucian philosophy
• the Analects (“Lun Yu”) A collection of sayings of Confucius recorded by his disciples
• the Doctrine of the Mean (“Zhongyong”) Emphasis on the moderation in one’s conduct which enables him to live in harmony with the universe
• The Great Learning (“Da Xue”) Emphasis on self-cultivation as the key to the good society
• The Book of Mencius (“Mengzi”) A collection of sayings of one of Confucius’ great successors
(Mencius, 371-288 BC)
The Four Books (Sishu) The Way How Chinese Philosophers
Express themselves • Sources of Chinese Philosophical Texts
oRecords of the philosopher’s sayings
oLetters the philosopher wrote to his disciple and friends
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The Way How Chinese Philosophers Express themselves
• Characteristics of Chinese Philosophical Texts oBriefness oDisconnectedness oAbsence of detailed arguments oLack of precise formula like syllogism for measuring the
validity of statements oA collection of sayings of the philosopher and incidents
from his life, usually complied by his disciples
What was Confucius' major concern? • How to restore social stability and order “Only when character is cultivated are our families regulated; only when
families are regulated are states well governed.”
The goal of character cultivation is to be an ideal man (a gentleman) who have good behaviors showing high moral stands
How an ideal man should live his life and interact with others, and the forms of society and government in which he should participate.
Key Terms in Confucius Teachings • “The Gentleman / Princeling (Junzi)”:
An ideally ethical and capable person. • “The Petty Person (Xiaoren)”:
Someone who does not grasp the value of virtues and seeks only immediate gain.
• “The Sage Person/ The superior man (Shengren)”: Models of human excellence; The perfection of Morality
• “The Way (Dao)”: The evolved moral and social pattern of past eras of sage governance.
Characteristics of a Gentleman
According to Confucian teachings, 1. In what manners should a gentleman speak? 2. How should a gentleman treat wealth or profit? 3. What should a gentleman revere? 4. How should a gentleman treat the others? 5. Does the gentleman have any hatreds or fear?
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Characteristics of a gentleman • In what manners should a gentleman speak? “He is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech” “In his expression he wishes to be warm….in his words he is concerned
sincerity” “He must guard against getting into quarrels” “First, he behaves properly and then he speaks, so that his words follow his
actions” “The gentleman doesn’t promote people merely on the basis of their words,
nor does he reject words merely because of the person who uttered them “Upon hearing his words you find they are serious.” “When he is in doubt, he wants to ask questions. When he is angry, he is wary
of pitfalls
Characteristics of a gentleman • How should a gentleman treat wealth or profit? “ When he sees the chance of profit, he keeps in mind the need for integrity”
“The gentleman understands integrity; the petty person knows about profit.”
“In his home, he does not seek luxury”
“ The gentleman concerns himself with the way; he does not worry about his salary. Hunger may be found in plowing; wealth may be found in studying. The gentleman worries about the way, not about poverty.”
Characteristics of a gentleman • What should a gentleman revere?
“He reveres the mandate of Heaven; he reveres great people; and he reveres the words of the sages”
“In serving his superiors, he was reverent”
Characteristics of a gentleman • How should a gentleman treat the others?
“In serving his superiors, he was reverent; in nourishing the people he was kind; in governing the people he was righteous.”
“The gentleman is in harmony with those around him but not on their level. The small man is on the level of those around him but not in harmony with them”
“He associates with those who possess the way, and thereby rectifies himself.”
“The gentleman is easy to serve but difficult to please. When you try to please him, if your manner of pleasing is not in accord with the way, then he will not be pleased..”
“The gentleman has three transformations. Seen from afar he appears majestic. Upon approaching him you see he is amiable. Upon hearing his words you find they are serious”
“The gentleman must exert caution in three areas. When he is a youth and his blood and spirit have not yet settled down, he must be on his guard lest he fall into lusting. When he reaches the full vigor of his manhood in his thirties and his blood and spirit are strong, he must guard against getting into quarrels. When he reaches old age and his blood and spirit have begun to weaken, he must guard against envy.”
“A gentleman knows enough not to exceed his position”
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Characteristics of a gentleman • Does the gentleman have any hatreds or fears?
“He hates those who harp on the weak points of others. He hates those who are base and yet slander those who exalted. He hates those who are bold but do not observe the proprieties. He hates those who brash and daring and yet have limited outlook.”
“Si asked, ‘Can not fearing and not worrying be considered the essence of being a gentleman?’ Confucius responded, ‘if you can look into yourself and find not cause for dissatisfaction, how can you worry and how can you fear?”
Virtues of a Gentleman • Humanity / Goodness / Benevolence (Ren):
The care and concern for the well-beings of the others; The man who loves others is the one who is able to perform his duties in society
• Righteousness / Uprightness (Yi): What is ethically best to do in a certain context
• Ritual / Propriety (Li): The proper way of doing things
• Intelligence (Zhi) The ability to know correct action and to follow it
• Courage (Yong) The courage to make own judgments about what action is right in any circumstances
“Confucius said, ‘the way of the gentleman is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Righteousness, he is free from anxieties; Intelligence, he is free from confusions; Courage, he is free from fear." Zi Gong said, "Master, that is what you yourself say.“ (Analects 14: 28)
