Chinese Panorama: Confucius and Laozi

By: Crazy 13459111233

 Confucius

Contents Laozi
 01
PART ONE

Confucius
 1. Confucius
A. The Rise of Confucianism
In Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period (770
B.C.---221 B.C.), a cultural renaissance appeared. This wave is
historically known as “Various Masters and A Hundred
Schools” “诸子百家“ (P.42) A lot of great persons started to
express philosophical concerns and inquired various social
scopes. Most of them focused on effective methods of ruling
the nation.
zhū zǐ bǎi jiā
诸 子 百 家
Tan Chung, 2017, China: A 5000-Year Odyssey. Beijing: New World Press
1. Among so many great persons, some hold
that a nation rules only by strict laws; others
believe that a nation rules by virtues upon
humanity; while another group maintain that a
nation rules naturally, a fourth group says that
a stable society can achieve by wars. So there
are Strategism, Legalism, Taoism, Confucianism.
2. what is the purpose of wars according to the
perspective of Strategism (strategist)?
• 孔子 ( The Master Kong )
Latinized Name --- Confucius

• 名:丘 ( Given Name: qiu )

• 字:仲尼 ( Alias: Zhongni )
• 思想家 ( Thinker )
• 大教育家 ( Educator )
• 儒家学派创始人
( Founder of Confucianism )
 Core concepts
of Confucius’
doctrine

Heaven Humaneness
rite or ritual
(天 tiān ) (仁 rén )
(礼 lǐ )

Raymond Dawson, 1993, Confucius -- The Analects. London: Oxford University Press
1. Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity
( 孔子的天人之学 )

 A: 天: 生命创造之源
( Heaven: the source of life )

 B: 仁：从爱父母到爱天地万物
( Humaneness: from loving parents to loving all living
creatures )

 C: 礼：维护社会安定与和谐
( Rituals: Rituals are used to preserve social order, stability
and harmony )
Towards Heaven 天
1. views on heaven
A. towards heaven, people hold it in awe
( 敬畏 respect and fear ).
B. heaven was the highest sacred being,
with its profound mystery never
unfolded fully to mortals.
C. Heaven was not a supernatural,
personified deity, but the world of
ever-generating life.
 Inquiry into Relations between
Heaven and Life
1. Heaven does not speak in words. It speaks through the
rotation of the four seasons and the growth of all living
things. (“天何言哉？四时行焉，百物生焉，天何言哉？)
From Confucius
2. About the source of life, it was attributed to Heaven.
“ Continuous creation of life is change.” (生生之谓易)
“ The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life.”
(天地之大德曰生) From Books of Changes
3. Reflection on Heaven: destiny (天命)a world of ever-
generating life. “He who offends Heaven has none to who
he can pray.” (获罪于天，无所祷也。)
 On 仁 ( humaneness )
1. 仁 Ren, means “ humaneness “, simply
interpreted as “loving people”. It starts with
the love for one’s parents and for the family,
with “ filial piety and fraternal duty ” as the
essence of 仁. (孝悌，仁之本)

“ The greatest love for people is the love for

one’s parents.” --- Confucius’ saying quoted
from The Doctrine of the Mean
“仁者；亲亲为大。”《中庸》
• Children should not travel afar while their parents are
alive; and if they do travel, they must have a fixed
destination.
“父母在，不远游，游必有方。”
• Children should consider often the age of their parents.
They should feel happy for their health and longevity
of their parents. They should also feel concern for the
aging of their parents.
“父母之年，不可不知也。一则以喜，一则以惧。”
• From loving parents to universal love
（从亲亲到忠恕之道）
 On Rituals 礼
• Li refers to rituals, traditions and norms used to maintain
a stable and harmonious society. It mainly includes
burial rituals (丧礼) and ancestral worship rituals (祭拜
礼).
• “A child should not leave his parents’ bosom until he is
three years old.” (子生三年，然后免于父母之怀。) As a
child, the ritual of wearing mourning for a deceased
parent for three years was an expression of a child’s
love and remembrance for his parents. (守孝三年)
• Rituals, according to the Master Kong, is used to
discipline, a principle to act on. Rituals are
necessary to preserve social order, stability and
harmony.

• Philosophical implications of rituals 哲学味道

Through burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals,
a limited individual lifespan becomes merged with
limitless life of nature. The individual dream of
eternal life can thus come true.
个人有限的生命和自然界无限的生命联系在一起，从而实现个体
的人对生命永恒的追求。
 On Education
• The first person in Chinese history to initiate private
education.
• Confucius was honored “sage of sages”.
“至圣先师”
• The basic goal of education: to cultivate “person of
virtue” who have integrity and uplifted minds .
(培养高尚的人格与精神追求).
• Domains oriented in his education: six arts (ritual礼,
music乐, archery射, carriage driving御, calligraphy书,
and mathematics数)
• Education is to cultivate men of quality (贤) who should be
able to shoulder important social responsibilities and to
make contributions to society.
承担重大社会责任，对社会做贡献。

• On his educational paradigm:

志于道(way)，据于德(virtue)，依于仁(humaneness)，游于艺
(arts)
Education is for the purpose of reaching supreme rules
and laws. By constant referring to virtues and acting on
the principle of humaneness, people undertake arts to
fulfill the aim of a whole humanity.
 Classical Texts of Confucius
dì zǐ guī
弟 子 规
fù mǔ hū yìng wù huǎn fù mǔ mìng xíng wù lǎn
父 母 呼， 应 勿 缓 ； 父 母 命， 行 勿 懒。
fù mǔ jiào xū jìng tīng fù mǔ zé xū shùn chéng
父 母 教， 须 敬 听 ； 父 母 责 须 顺 承。
Rules for a Disciple
Upon parents' call, reply with no delay.
Upon parents' order, act with no laziness.
Upon parents' teaching, listen with respect.
Upon parents' blame, take with no suspicion.
sān zì jīng
三 字 经
rén zhī chū xìng běn shàn
人 之 初， 性 本 善。
xìng xiāng jìn xí xiāng yuǎn
性 相 近，习 相 远。

Three Character Classics

Human beings are born kind; they are similar in nature,
but different in character and habit.
lún yǔ sān zé
论 语 三 则
zǐ yuē wēn gù ér zhī xīn kě yǐ wéi shī yǐ
子 曰：“温 故 而 知 新， 可 以 为 师 矣。”
zǐ yuē xué ér bù sī zé wǎng sī ér bù xué zé dài
子曰：“学 而 不 思 则 罔, 思 而 不 学 则 殆。”

Three citations from the Analects

The master said: “Reviewing the old knowledge helps gain new
understandings, thus he is fit to be a teacher.”
The master said: “Studying without thinking put one in confusion.
Thinking without studying does harms and put one in peril.”
 02
PART TWO

Laozi
Laotsu / Laotse / Laozi
Laozi (老子) or Laodan (老聃)
Name: 李耳
He was said to be a recluse (隐
居者) once holding a low civil
position in royal court in charge
of archival records.
道可道，非常道；
名可名，非常名。
无名天地之始，
有名万物之母。
故常无，欲以观其妙；
常有，欲以观其徼。
此两者，同出而异名，
同谓之玄。玄之又玄，
众妙之门。
The way that can be spoken of
Is not the constant way:
The name that can be named
Is not the constant name.
The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth;
The named was the mother of the myriad creatures.
Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets;
But always allow yourself to have desires in order to
observe its manifestations.
These two are the same
But diverge in name as they issue forth.
Being the same they are called mysteries,
Mystery upon mystery -
The gateway of the manifold secrets.
• First and Core inquiry of Taoism: Nature --- a
comprehensive world view ( a simplistic
materialism perception 朴素唯物观)
• Dao is the supreme and highest rule of existence
(Nature) --- beyond human language (非常道)
• Second inquiry of Taoism: specific individual
existence (name) --- name, if they do have, is
imposed. (非常名)
• The origin of nature: formless infinity --- mystery
(玄), a changeable balance (妙subtlety，徼
boundary and limit)
 道生一，一生二，二生三，三 生万物。
万物负阴而抱阳，冲气以为和。
• A structural micro-perception of individual existence :
一，the unvarying start of universe, 即混元，太一
Taichi （天地未分混沌之元气也）---《淮南子·诠
言》
• Components of each individual natural existence: yin
(阴) and yang (阳)
• Manipulation of balance within each individual
existence: air (气) --- presumed gas flowing within
each individual to manipulate the balance of two
poles.
• 人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然
自然（universe）
imperceptible
--- stratums in the universe
formless
infinity Metaphysical Dao
道(形而上学)
天 (heaven)

地 (earth)

人 (human beings)
 Laozi’s Life Philosophy (attitude):
Non-action and Non-contention
1. the highest life standard: naturalness
On following Dao (师法自然)
Act through non-action (无为而无不为)
For non-action, he did not mean that one should do
nothing and passively wait for something to be
achieved. He also did not deny human creativity. He
held it true that human enterprises ( 进取心 ) should
be built on the basis of naturalness. Don’t interrupt
the rhythm of nature. Human creativity should be in
compliance with the ways of nature.
• 2. “Great ingenuity appears to be
stupidity.” (大巧若拙、大智若愚)： The
highest level of ingenuity is far from
name and is nameless; it arises out of an
absolute naturalness. Great ingenuity is
not an ordinary ingenuity, instead it is
an ingenuity of naturalness, a heavenly
source.
 On Non-contention (不争的哲学)
• A: An view of “overcoming the strong by being weak.” (以
柔克刚)
“Winning a war without fighting it.” (不战而屈人之兵)
From Sunzi (孙子，strategist)
B: Speculation on water
子曰：知者乐水；仁者乐山。知者动；仁者静。知者乐；仁者寿。
The master said: “The wise dilight in water, but the humane delight in
mountains. For although the wise are active, the humane are at rest.
And although the wise will find joy, the humane will have a long life.”
(P.22)

Raymond Dawson, 1993, Confucius -- The Analects. London: Oxford University Press
 On Returning to a New-born State
( 回到”婴儿“状态 )

• A new-born state doesn’t mean wanting to

remain childishly ignorant; it is free of
knowledge, desire, impurity or falsehood.
The grow-up of human is accompanied with
lose of pure minds and true self. It is a
departure from true self. You are suggested
to combat bloated desires.
 Question for Analysis
• A carpenter went with his apprentice to the State of Qi. On the way they
came across a giant tree by the local temple for the deity of the earth. Its
trunk was several dozen meters thick and as tall as a mountain. Its
branches could provide shade to several thousand cattle. While people
thronged to worship the super tree, the carpenter passed it without
taking a look. The apprentice, however, was fascinated. After carefully
studying the tree, he ran to catch up his master and asked, “Ever since I
became your apprentice, I have never seen such fine wood. But you just
kept walking with even looking at it. Why?” The master replied, “That
tree produces useless wood. If you made a boat out of it, the boat would
sink. If you made a coffin out of it, the coffin would soon rot. If you made
utensils out of it, they would wear out quickly. Its wood is of no use at
tall. That is why this tree has been able to live so long.”
 Classical Texts of Daoism
dào shēng yī yī shēng èr èr shēng sān
道 生 一， 一 生 二, 二 生 三，
sān shēng wàn wù wàn wù fù yīn ér bào yáng
三 生 万 物。 万 物 负 阴 而 抱 阳，
chōng qì yǐ wéi hé
冲 气 以 为 和。
The way creates one, one creates two. Two creates three and
then the myriad creatures. All these creatures carry on their
back the Yin and embrace in their arms the Yang. All of these
are results of blending of the two generative forces.
dào kě dào fēi cháng dào míng kě míng fēi cháng míng
道 可 道， 非 常 道； 名 可 名， 非 常 名。
wú míng tiān dì zhī shǐ yǒu míng wàn wù zhī mǔ
无 名， 天 地 之 始； 有 名， 万 物 之 母。
gù cháng wú yù yǐ guān qí miào cháng yǒu yù yǐ guān qí jiǎo
故 常 无 欲，以 观 其 妙； 常 有 欲, 以 观 其 徼；
cǐ liǎng zhě tóng chū ér yì míng tóng wèi zhī xuán
此 两 者， 同 出 而 异 名， 同 谓 之 玄。
xuán zhī yòu xuán zhòng miào zhī mén
玄 之 又 玄， 众 妙 之 门。
 Question for Discussion
What is the weakness of Confucianism and
Daoism as a whole according to your
understanding? Can you supply some support
from your culture?
THANKS