Fundamental Principles of Confucius

History 8 China Review 100 Schools of Thought

There are many fundamental principles of Confucius, to start off I'll talk about Jen. Jen, also known as wren, is goodness, benevolence, man-to-man-ness, and that

which gives humans their humanity. Jen is a dignity of humanity; a feeling of humanity towards yourself and others. The next principle is Li. Also knows as lee, Li is

the principle of gain, benefit, order, and a concrete guide to human action. The next principle is the principle of Yi (Also known as Yee). Yi is righteousness, the

moral disposition to do good, and a necessary condition for Jen. Next we have the principle of Hsiao (showe). Hsiao is the principle of reverence. After that is the

principle of Chih (chee). Chih is moral wisdom whose source of virtue is knowledge of the right and wrong. Chih was added to Confucianism by Menicus who believed that

people were born to be good. The next principle is Chun-tzu (choon dzuh). Chun-Tzu is the superior man, the gentle person in the most significant sense. The final

principle is Te (day). Te is the power by which men are ruled and the power of moral example.

Sources:

<http://philosophy.lander.edu/oriental/main.html>

Page done by Evan Eisenberg on 4/23/2013