The word junzi ( or "Son of the Vassal, or Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman", "superior person",[Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and later moral meaning. Cf. " Confucian Key Terms: Junzi ".] or "noble man".[ Yi Jing "Qian" quote: "天行健， 君子以自強不息。" Bernado's translation : "Heaven action is strong and dynamic. Thus the junzi never ceases to strengthen himself."] and by Confucius in his works to describe a virtuous person with noble characters.
In Confucianism
In
Confucianism, the ideal personality is the 聖
shèng, translated as saint or sage. However, since sagehood is unattainable for most people, Confucius articulated a less demanding ideal of a cultured and moral life, using the term
junzi—originally denoting a member of the nobility—to refer to anyone who embodies this ideal, regardless of social status.
Junzi acts according to proper conduct (禮,
li) to bring about harmony (和,
hé), which Confucianism maintains should rule the home, society, and the state.
primarily has to do with social expectations, both in terms of the formal behavior and the execution of religious rites and imperial ceremonies also proper conduct in human relationships.
Confucius considered a
junzi to be someone who embodies humanity – one who possesses a totality of the highest human qualities.
He elaborated that
junzi embody the concept of
ren (仁,
rén) and outlined specific qualities they have, recorded by his disciples in the
Analects.
A
junzi embodies moral superiority by adhering to the ritual code of the tradition, displaying respect and dignity towards others, and striving for virtues such as humility, sincerity, trustworthiness, righteousness, and compassion.
Zhu Xi categorized the
junzi as second only to the sage.
Junzi have many characteristics. A junzi does not compromise his virtues even in poverty; a junzi's actions speaks louder than his words; a junzi is Loyalty, obedient and knowledgeable. A junzi disciplines himself. According to Mencius, ren is the core virtue of a junzi.
The concept and term of junzi were used as Chinese proverbs. An example is "君子成人之美" ( jūn zǐ chéng rén zhī měi), which roughly means "A junzi brings out the best in people".[Analects "Yan Yuan" quote: "子曰：「 君子成人之美，不成人之惡。小人反是。」" Translation based on Eno (2015): "Confucius said: ′ The noble person perfects what is beautiful in people; and does not perfect what is ugly. The petty person does just the opposite.′"]
Governance
As the potential leader of a nation and country, the son of the ruler is raised to express superior ethical and moral positions while gaining inner peace through virtue. To Confucius, the
junzi sustained the functions of government and social stratification through his ethical values. Despite its literal meaning, any righteous man willing to improve himself can become a
junzi.
The junzi rules by acting virtuously himself. It is thought that his pure virtue would lead others to follow his example. The ultimate goal is that government behaves much like family. Thus at all levels filial piety promotes harmony and the junzi acts as a beacon for this piety.
Junzi and xiaoren
By contrast the
xiaoren (,
xiăorén, "scoundrel, small or petty person") does not grasp the value of virtues and seeks only immediate personal gain. The scoundrel, or petty person, is
egotistic and does not consider the consequences of his/her actions. Should the ruler or state be surrounded by
xiaoren as opposed to
junzi, governance and the people will suffer due to their selfish small-mindness. Examples of such
xiaoren individuals can range from those who indulge in self-satisfying sensual and
pleasures and gains to the career
politician who is interested merely in power and
Celebrity rather than the long-term benefit of others. There are many expressions in Confucius' writings that contrast the two, for instance: "君子和而不同，小人同而不和." (
jūn zǐ hé ér bù tóng , xiǎo rén tóng ér bù hé); "The
junzi acts in harmony with others but does not seek to be like them; the
xiaoren seeks to be like others and does not act in harmony."
[ Analects, Zi Lu translation based on Eno (2015)]
See also
-
Confucianism
-
Five Classics - five ancient Chinese texts forming the core of the Confucian canon
-
Four arts - four scholarly accomplishments of ancient Chinese gentleman
-
Four Gentlemen - four plants depicted in art as symbols of Confucian virtues
-
Four Sages - four eminent Confucian figures
-
- Aristotle’s virtue of “greatness of soul”
-
New Man (utopian concept) - utopian concept of creating an ideal “new” human archetype across various religious and political ideologies
Bibliography
External links
Lunyu 論語,
The Analects; the Database of Religious History, at https://religiondatabase.org/browse/1063/#/
