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Unit 1 Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity
1 Confucius1 (551-479 BC), known in China as Kongzi, given name Qiu and alias Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (prent-day Qufu in Shandong Province) of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period2 (770-476 BC). A great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism, Confucius is an ancient sage (圣人) to the Chine people. His words and life story were recorded by his disciples (弟子) and their students in The Analects3(Lunyu).
2 An enduring classic of Chine culture, The Analects has influenced all thinkers, writers and politicians in the over-2,000-year-long history of China after Confucius. No scholar could truly understand this long-standing culture or the inner world of the ancient Chine without this book.
3 Much of Confucian thought on Heaven and people reprents universal human values. This is perhaps why Confucian thought in the 21st century still retains the interest of not onl
y the Chine but also people in other parts of the world.
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1 Confucius: 孔子。名丘，字仲尼，春秋时期鲁国人.伟大的思想家，教育家，儒家学派创始人.
2 the Spring and Autumn Period：春秋时期.简称春秋，东周的一个时期，因鲁国编年史《春秋》而得名.
3 The Analects:《论语》.儒家经典之一，由孔子门徒及再传弟子编纂，主要记载了孔子及其弟子的言行。
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Confucius on Heaven: the Source of Everything
4 In the Shang (1600-1046 BC)寄托造句 and Zhou1知足的句子(1046-256 BC) dynasties, the prevalent concept 怎么排序of "Heaven" was that of a personified god, which influenced Confucius. Generall
y, however, Confucius regarded "Heaven" as nature. He said, "Heaven does not speak in words. It speaks through the rotation of the four asons and the growth of all living things." Obviously, Heaven equaled nature, in the eyes of Confucius. Moreover, nature was not a lifeless mechanism parate from humans; instead, it was the great world of 鸡蛋面条life and the process of creation of life. Human life was part and parcel of nature as a whole.
5 Confucius' equation of Heaven with the creation of life was an innovative (革新的) idea in 字母什么意思his time. The natural process of life creation was the "way of Heaven". This idea was later developed in The Book of Changes2 (Yijing), as it stated "Continuous creation of life is change."
6 As the natural process of creation of life, Heaven was the source of all living things and the source of all values. This was the "virtue of Heaven". Thus, The Book of Changes家庭英语怎么说 said, "The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life."
7 In the natural process of creation of life, Heaven had its inner purpo in creating all thi
ngs as well as protecting and improving life. Heaven had originated humanity, and humans were obliged to accomplish this purpo. In other words, humans are born with a n of "heavenly mission". and this is the meaning of human life.
8 Confucian "Heaven" also had a certain sacred element, which was related to its being the source of life. Thus Confucius required people to hold Heaven in awe. He said that a person of virtue must "respect his heavenly mission", listen to and live out the purpo of Heaven by caring for and improving life
9 Under the influence of Confucius, the ancient Chine developed a n of awe and beliefe
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1 Zhou:周朝.中国历史上继商朝之后的朝代，可分为西周和东周两个时期，其中东周时期又称“春秋战国”，分为“春秋”及“战国”两部分。
2 The Book of Changes:《易经》.也称《周易》，儒家重要经典，包括《经》和《传》两部分，通八卦的形式，推测自然和社会的变化.提出了若干富有朴素辨证法的观点
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in Heaven. To then, Heaven was the highest sacred being, with its profound mystery never to be fully understood by mortals. It was not a supernatural, personified deity (神), but was the world of ever-generating life. As the most intelligent of all beings, humans should take to heart the purpo of Heaven by cherishing life. If one remained "ignorant and disrespectful of one's heavenly mission" by killing or maiming(残害) life, one would be punished by Heaven. Confucius said, "He who offends against Heaven has none to whom he can pray." The Confucian respect for and belief in Heaven reprented a form of religious spiritualism of the ancient Chine.
10 In the 21st century,the Confucian caveat (告诫) of"standing in awe of the ordinances of化妆店 Heaven" still holds true, as human society begins to pay greater attention to ecological
civilization. Humans should indeed listen to the voiceof nature, respecting and loving it as the world of life. This is our sacred mission and gives value to all human life.
Confucius on People: ren(仁) and li(礼)
1 Ren and li are the two core concepts of Confucius' doctrine about people.
2 When his student Fan Chi asked him about laughsren, Confucius replied, “Love people.” This is Confucius' most important interpretation of ren. Love for the people is universal love, Confucius further emphasized that this kind of love should "begin with the love for one’s parents". He believed no one could love people in general if they did not even love their own parents. Confucius regarded "filial (子女的)piety and fraternal(兄弟的)duty " as the esnce of ren. The Doctrine of the Mean1 (Zhongyong) quotes Confucius as saying, "The greatest love for people is the love for one's parents." He also said, "Children should not travel far while their parents are alive. If they have no choice but to do so, they must retain some restraint." He did not mean that children should not leave their parents at all. What he meant was that children should not make their parents anxious about them while
away from home. Confucius said again, "Children should think often of the age of their parents.They should feel happy for the health and longevity of their parents. They should also feel concern for the aging of their parents."
