The Way of the Gentleman in Confucianism

Abstract: The Analects of Confucius is a collection of quotations from Confucius and his disciples, and what is said in the Analects, such as the way of benevolence, filial piety and fraternal duty, the middle way, the way of gentleman, etc., has a profound influence on the history and culture of the Chinese nation, and the word "gentleman" is mentioned one hundred and seven times in the book of the Analects, which can see the importance of the gentleman.

Keywords: Confucius; Confucianism; gentleman;

I. Introduction

The Analects has been passed down for more than two thousand years, and the "Way of the Gentleman" mentioned in the Analects is the commonly recognized standard of being a man, so we should never ignore it. Confucius said, "There are three ways of a gentleman, and I am incapable of doing them: those who are kind do not worry, those who know do not confuse, and those who are brave do not fear." It is not difficult for us to know from this, the content of the gentleman's way is: benevolence is not worried, the knower is not confused, the courage is not afraid.

Second, the way of the gentleman

The word "gentleman" is not the first Confucius, in its previous era has also appeared, but the gentleman's designation and connotation is diverse. There are references to the ruler of the country, such as "Elephant" said the zephyr on the ground, Lin, the gentleman to teach the infinite thought, the people to protect the people without boundaries, "Zhou Yi - Lin". There is a reference to the husband, "the gentleman in the service, do not know the period, where to? Chickens roosting in the roost, the day of the evening, sheep and cattle down, the gentleman in the service, such as how do not think" "Poetry - Wang Feng". In the Analects of Confucius, the term "gentleman" is developed on the basis of Confucius' systematic summary of his predecessors, and is given a new connotation. In the Analects of Confucius, gentleman no longer refers to the ruler of the country (in the Analects of Confucius, the term "gentleman" refers to the "ruler of the country"), and does not have the meaning of a husband. Instead, it refers to a person with great talent, great ability, great ability, and great heart. The gentleman is different from the unattainable saints and cabs, but he can learn to know through his own efforts, and he is a gentleman who does not have a weapon.

Confucius lived in a time of social unrest, when the rites and music were in tatters. There was a situation where a minister killed his king and a son killed his father, i.e., "the king is not a king, the minister is not a minister, the husband is not a husband, and the son is not a son" (Lun Yu - Yan Yuan). In order to change the social situation and restore the Zhou rites, Confucius put his hope on the perfect personality of the gentleman, and used it as a guideline for self-discipline and other discipline. The "Way of the Gentleman" in the Analects of Confucius has influenced generations of people and is still a model image for people today. So, what are the aspects of Confucius' Way of the Gentleman that we should learn and apply? Here we are from several aspects to talk about.

1. Junzi Waide

The first point of the gentleman's way is: Junzi Waide. The gentleman with virtue, is the beginning of the gentleman's way. So, what is virtue? "Virtue" mainly refers to "benefit people, benefit others, benefit the world" sense of social responsibility, in layman's terms is that the gentleman must first be a good person. When it comes to the word "gentleman", Confucius insisted that character comes first, not learning and demeanor as one might think. Confucius said this about the "gentleman's virtue": the gentleman carries virtue, the villain carries earth; the gentleman carries punishment, the villain carries favor (Li Ren, The Analects of Confucius). The more thorough understanding of this sentence is the Song Dynasty rationalist Zhu Xi's commentary: "Huai, thinking about it. To harbor virtue means to preserve one's inherent goodness. Huai earth, said the drowning of the security of its location. Huai criminal, said fear of the law. Huai Hui, is the greed for profit. The gentleman and the villain are different between public and private interests". "To harbor virtue" means to have benevolence and virtue in one's heart; "to harbor earth" means to have possession in one's heart; "to harbor punishment" means to have legal prohibitions in one's heart; "to harbor benefits" means to have benefits and benefits in one's heart. " refers to the heart of favor. According to Zhu Xi's commentary, the difference between a gentleman and a villain is fundamentally the difference between public and private. To think in terms of the interests of the public ****, that is a gentleman; to think in terms of the interests of the individual, oneself, is a villain. The villain here refers to the common people, so it is reasonable to "harbor the earth" and "harbor favors", and they are not considered evil. However, even the ordinary people, if you are always thinking of their own countryside and not to protect the goodness and virtue, and always thinking of personal favor and not to care about the social laws and prohibitions, then it is not a gentleman.

? The relationship between "earth", "things" and "virtue" is reflected in the fact that a gentleman carries things by virtue: the relationship between them is one of carrying and being carried, and the relationship between "earth" and "things" is one of carrying and being carried, and the relationship between "earth" and "things" is one of carrying and being carried. The relationship between them is one of bearing and being borne, and "earth" and "things" cannot be juxtaposed with "virtue" in order of precedence, thus giving rise to the ancient saying in Zhouyi: "A gentleman carries things in the name of virtue" (Zhouyi - Xiangzhuan). (Zhouyi - Xiangzhuan) There are two ways to interpret the phrase "to carry material things with great virtue", that is, whether to regard "great" as a verb or an adjective. If viewed as a verb, it means: first cultivate and strengthen virtue, and then you can carry all things. If viewed as an adjective, it means: only with a thick and solid moral base can you carry all things. Both of these meanings, with the word "load", to illustrate the main relationship between "virtue" and "things".

? The gentleman uses virtue, the villain uses force. In addition to "things", there is also "power" that intrudes on "virtue". In fact, many people pursue things, but the ultimate goal is still the pursuit of force. To this day, in the minds of many people, it is vulgar to show off possessions, but enviable to show off power. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, what is more capable of dissolving "virtue" is not other than "power". One should admire Xunzi for his timely statement of eight words: "A gentleman is characterized by virtue, while a villain is characterized by strength" ("Xunzi - The Tenth Book of Fortune"), which speaks of the foundation of a person's identity. A gentleman's foundation is based on virtue, while a villain's foundation is based on force. Even if a gentleman possesses strength, then he must return to virtue and promote virtue with strength. In short, between heaven and earth, virtue is the greatest master.

? A gentleman is also soft in benevolence, and rigid in righteousness, as well as soft and rigid. In many classical writings of ancient China, virtue, is a grandiose category. Around it, there are some neighboring concepts, such as benevolence and righteousness. We can consider them as "family members" of virtue, as an extension of the basic proposition that "a gentleman embraces virtue". Generally speaking, ren is a soft virtue and yi is a hard virtue. Confucius' definition of "benevolence" is that "a benevolent person loves others". Thus, when people talk about "benevolence" in the future, it always includes love. As for "righteousness", Confucius put forward the idea that "a gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, while a villain is a metaphor for profit" ("The Analects of Confucius - Liren"). What is righteousness? Roughly speaking, it refers to the righteousness of a man who starts from virtue. Comparing "benevolence" and "righteousness", "benevolence" is gentle and "righteousness" is strong. One is soft and the other is strong, and they combine to form morality, and then to form a gentleman. In other words, a gentleman's moral character is half soft and half strong, and faces a wide range of different objects. Such a wide range of virtues is great virtue

Channelling benevolence and righteousness and promoting great virtue, only great virtue can stand tall and form a systematic contrast to the wider range of villainous deeds. For this issue, Wei Zheng of the Tang Dynasty made a concise summary, he said in the "ten gradient not grams of the end of the sparse": the heart of the gentleman, the dance of benevolence and righteousness and promote the great virtues; small man nature, good slander and sycophancy for the body plan. The three words "good slander and sycophancy" have obviously become the great evil clause in the Chinese cultural code. It means "accustomed to destroying people with rumors, and eager to flatter with flatteries". This kind of person, of course, should be judged as a villain who lacks virtue. On the other hand, the nature of the gentleman is also in contrast to show more clearly: "to do benevolence and righteousness and promote great virtue".

In the end, a gentleman's virtue is to put his heart in the right place, to know that he is important, and to know that others are as important as his confidant. Ming in this, we will love people like themselves, as Mencius said: "love people who love people always love, respect people who always respect", at least can do what Confucius said, "Do not do unto others as you would not want them to do unto you".

2. gentleman's virtue

The second point of the gentleman's way is the "gentleman's virtue", which follows the "gentleman's virtue". The source of the gentleman's moral wind is a passage from Confucius in the Analects of Confucius - Yan Yuan: The gentleman's moral wind, the villain's moral grass. The wind on the grass will be laid to rest. The general idea is that the morality of the gentleman is like the wind, while the morality of the people is the grass. When the wind blows on the grass, the grass will sway with the wind. Where morality is concerned, it should become the wind. This argument aptly points out that the virtue of a gentleman must influence the masses like the wind. The "little people" that Confucius refers to here are still the little people in terms of social status, and thus the little people are often referred to as the "grass people". Confucius argued that the winds that could influence the dynamics of the people should be the winds of morality, the winds of the gentleman. In society, no matter whether it is fashion, style, custom, or flavor, the starting point of these "winds" should contain "the virtue of a gentleman". This involves both the direction of today's society and the duties of a gentleman.

The benevolent man is good at informing people. In terms of the direction of society, Confucianism is opposed to letting go of negative forces. A gentleman who thinks he has benevolence and great virtue, but is silent and does not spread it, then where is his benevolence to society? Where is his benevolence to the people? Benevolence and virtue is a kind of "other-oriented behavior" with an object, and the more objects it involves, the more valuable it is. Xunzi, one of the representative figures of Confucianism, said, "A benevolent person is good at telling people". In Confucianism, benevolence that does not "inform people" is not true benevolence (not unlike the modern concept of "expanding one's public quadrant"). This Confucian thinking, if expressed in modern terms, that is: advocating elitism, denying populism; advocating that morality should be disseminated, opposed to the gentleman autism.

How far can the wind of morality blow in a gentleman? For this question, the "Shangshu" answer meteorological extraordinary: but the virtue of moving the sky, no far away. Shangshu believes that morality is the will of heaven, and there is no need to look for specific reasons why it can spread. By establishing virtue, one can move heaven, and once heaven is moved, the world will return to it. This ancient saying, which at first sounds like the undisputed hegemony of the age of the beginning of the world, reminds us of the German philosopher Kant's thesis that morality is the "first command" and the "law of heaven".

Virtue is not alone, there will be neighbors. In this view, Confucius was a "moral optimist". He believed in universal human nature, and with it, in the belief that no gentleman in the world is alone. This is a very warm statement by Confucius, which makes many virtuous and good gentlemen keep their faith even if they feel lonely for a while. Laozi, unlike Confucius, was not a "moral optimist" and did not want the truly virtuous to be overly self-indulgent (a virtuous person is virtuous if he is not virtuous). However, even he believed that accumulating morality would lead to invincibility. He said, "Heavy accumulation of virtue will lead to invincibility. (Tao Te Ching, Chapter 59). The Mohists did not like the Confucian way of preaching morality, but in terms of practical behavior, they set up a touching image of great virtue. Their "style of virtue" was often spread by group chivalry, which was inspiring. In short, the active promotion of benevolence, righteousness and virtue is an important **** knowledge of Chinese culture for the character of the gentleman.

Thousands of years later, we must make an important addition with a historical perspective. Whether it is the "virtuous wind of a gentleman" that Confucius spoke of, or "no farther than the border" as the Shangshu puts it, it is the spatial power of virtue that is being celebrated. Virtue also has a very strong power of time, Chinese culture has always been to virtue as a banner, extending far away.

3. The gentleman who makes a man beautiful

The third of the gentleman's way is also very important: the gentleman who makes a man beautiful. "Adult beauty" from the "Analects of Confucius - Yan Yuan": the gentleman gentleman beauty, not the evil of man. The opposite is true for small people. "Adults' beauty", as I understand it, means to contribute to the good of others. The "people" here does not just mean family, friends, and acquaintances, but it covers a very wide range of areas.

The difference between "doing good to others" and "doing good to people" is that, as Mencius said in Gongsun Chou, "there is nothing more beautiful than doing good to people". There is a difference between "beauty" and "goodness". For example, rescuing the poor, curing the sick and providing disaster relief, and so on, can only be described as "doing good to others", but not "the beauty of manhood". The "beauty of adulthood" refers more to helping to cooperate, resolving misunderstandings, introducing good friends, facilitating good relationships, and so on. In short, "the beauty of adulthood" is more focused on the positive construction of the icing on the cake, and has a certain process and form and enjoyment. This also reflects the subtle difference between a "gentleman" and a "good man". A "good man" is bound to "do good to others," but a "gentleman," in addition to "doing good to others," will also The "good man" is bound to "do good to others", but the "gentleman", in addition to "doing good to others", will also "do good to others". When disaster strikes, both "gentlemen" and "good men" do the same thing; but on days when there is no disaster, "gentlemen" look for positive forms of enjoyment. For this reason, they seem to be a little more refined than the "good guys".

Adult evil is the opposite of adult beauty. There are three possibilities for "becoming" in "adult evil": the first possibility is that the evil has already begun, and we need to help it finish. The second possibility is that the evil has not yet begun, and it is brewed from scratch. The third possibility is that the good is attacked as the evil, and the evil is forged. This refers mainly to the use of rumors, slander, and other tactics to tarnish others and create a legendary "evil person". The character "人", which corresponds to the three characters "成", also has three meanings. As mentioned earlier, they are "half-evil person", "evil person", and "non-evil person", but the result of all three is "evil person". ". So the "adult evil" is a "multi-faceted, multi-faceted negative social engineering".

After carefully analyzing the "evils of adulthood", we can understand the "beauty of adulthood" more y. Broadly speaking, it is also divided into three possibilities: First, to make the unfinished beauty as far as possible to complete; Second, to make the beauty of the beginning of the start; Third, the non-beauty into beauty, but also let the other side by the dirty slough climbing up the embankment. "Adult beauty" and "with others", both have obvious "give" initiative, are embodied in a kind of positive behavior with the temperament of a man.

Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. Anyone can choose to be a gentleman at any moment, and that is a kind of "water dripping over a stone" training. So we don't need to wait and accumulate, the way of the gentleman is under the feet of all people, and, moreover, it is in the present moment. Since it permeates our daily lives, how can we quickly judge what is good and what is evil in the smallest incidents? Confucius believed that the gentleman's yardstick for judging was hidden in one's own heart. That is, one should never impose on others anything that one does not want to encounter. This yardstick is so simple and easy to grasp that almost all Chinese people know the following eight words: Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. (The Analects of Confucius - Yan Yuan) This is the inner basis for "the beauty of adulthood" and "doing good to others" that everyone can grasp on his or her own. Mr. Sun Yat-sen once said that Western culture is used to imposing its own ideas on others in an overbearing way, whereas Chinese culture believes that the Way of Heavenly Harmony is hidden in everyone's heart, and that all one needs to do is to compare one's heart with one's mind.

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