The Analects: On Life and Death; Women; the Mean Person Essay

The Analects: On Life and Death; Women; the Mean Person
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
The Analects: On Life and Death; Women; the Mean Person
Introduction
Junzi is a Chinese word that is loosely translated to ‘gentleman’ in English. It can also be used to mean ‘man of honor’. Notably, junzi is one of the important ideas in the Chinese culture, and it is definitely among the most prominent terms which have been used in Confucius’ Analects. One of the main reasons for the prominent use of the term is because becoming a gentleman or a man of honor, usually called a junzi, is considered one of the ideals for men in the Chinese culture. Although there are various ways through which one could become a gentleman, Confucius's Analects describes what it takes to become a gentleman as per Chinese culture.
Search for the keywords of “gentleman/junzi.” What are the characters you identify as a gentleman? How do you practice those characters in relationship to the concept of “learning” that we have discussed in the past two weeks?
When the keywords ‘gentleman/junzi’ are searched, various characters come up on how to become a gentleman in the society. Some of characters that come up include honesty, responsibility, hardworking, kindness, and truthfulness. However, I have shifted my definition of a gentleman as contained in what we have learned in class. In The Analects, the gentleman is the central term. There also other terms which have been used to refer to the same persona. As such, this makes it challenging to summarize the characters of a gentleman easily. However, it becomes easier when the term is consider in lieu of how it has been used in the text. Therefore, I consider a gentleman as one who possesses the characters outlined in this text; one who ‘follows the way’ and acts in accordance with the morals and belief of the society in which they live. Acting in such a way enables one to relate well with the other members of the society and also...