Junzi “Gentleman” by Kongzi or “Confucius”

Philosophy Paper: Junzi “Gentleman” by Kongzi or “Confucius” (551-479 B.C.E)
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Philosophy Paper: Junzi “Gentleman” by Kongzi or “Confucius” (551-479 B.C.E)
Junzi is the Chinese for “gentleman” which literary refers to a “noble son” or the “son of a lord.” In Chinese philosophy, junzi is a person with humane conduct ren, that makes him a moral example in society. The terminology originally referred to aristocratic men or princes and Kongzi or “Confucius” (551-479 B.C.E) (1.1) later invested the term with an ethical connotation while maintaining its meaning of nobility. Contrary to a petty person xiaoren, the Chinese for “little person,” or a person who cannot transcend personal prejudices and concerns but only acts for his selfish gains, the junzi is well cultured “wen” and understands how to speak and act appropriately in any setting. Therefore, junzi becomes an exemplar whose virtuous influence promotes a burgeoning human community. While junzi is not as cultivated as the sagely person shengren, the rare person whose cultivation is so great that humane behavior in any given circumstance is virtually natural, is a person of great importance and capacity. While the term appears in a number of classical texts, the moral and philosophical senses of junzi are attributed to Confucian. As a man who always promoted humane governance, Confucius a teacher and bureaucrat who couched young men aspiring to serve in government. As written in the Analects Lunyu or the Classified Teachings” that is a record of Kongzi teachings, Confucius placed at the heart of human life both study and the repeated practice of what has been studied (1.1). This paper analyzes the concept of junzi “the gentleman” while referring to, quoting, paraphrasing, and citing Confucius’ teachings to better understand the idea within the context of Confucianism.
Confucius believed that during the rule of Zhou dynasty, which lasted between c1045 and 771 B.C.E or the Western Zhou period, humanity had experienced the Golden Age. The cultural heroes such as King Wen, King Wu, the Duke of Zhou, and early rulers of Zhou personified the Golden Age where they established and maintained a pleasant rapport with tian, “Heaven,” by observing sacred rituals or rites known as li. Since the rulers practiced formal obedience to Heaven in both small and great manners, the Zhou royal lineage was rewarded wi...