True knowledge is knowing the extent of our ignorance.
The superior man understands what is right. The inferior man understands only what is beneficial to him.
Confucius
Obedience is not, contrary to what many think, a mere Confucian virtue, since blind obedience implies the eradication of one's own thought or opinion (when it exists), transmuting from obedience to servitude.
The ideas contained in Li Ji or Lai Kei in Cantonese, being "Li" the Rite, in the broadest sense of the word, including the courtesy of human nature, ethics, and behavioral norms leading to a harmonious social order seem to have reached our days misunderstood or even ignored in its essence.
Confucius himself, when asking questions in a temple in his hometown of Qu Fu in Shandong, was challenged by another visitor: "Is this the wise Confucius who is asking questions in the temple?" To which the Master replied "to ask questions is also part of Li (ritual)."
However, it is interesting to note that in addition to Li Ji or Lai Kei, the Analects are a source of wisdom and common sense that should be known to all Chinese regardless of their place of origin because knowledge of culture and history are decisive in establishing identities.
The Analects or Lon Yu contain a group of key terms whose meaning seems to be as subtle as wise and complex, so it seems best to leave them untranslated, using only the phonetic transcription for them. Here are some examples:
Ren - a comprehensive ethical virtue: benevolence, humanity, kindness.
Junzi 君子 - Confucius defined this term with the concept of the Superior, ethical Man. It was from the concept of Junzi that later the term "noble" came to have another connotation, allowing everyone to access mandarinate through the study of the Classics. The ramp for meritocracy was thus thrown.
Li 禮 - term that covers the norms of discipline and personal conduct, the daily relations until the political protocol and the ceremonial ones.
Virtue (of 德) - a very complex Chinese concept, which can be said to have developed into an ethical term denoting the inclination to moral action.
Culture (wen 文) - denoting a relationship with civilization characteristics that are representative of Zhou's culture of which Confucius was derived.
Law / Justice (yi 義) - often a complement to ren, denoting correct choices of action, or the moral vision that allows them to operate.
Loyalty (zhong 忠) - denotes not only loyalty to superiors or peers. At bottom an alignment of the individual with the interests of the social group as a whole, never for their own benefit.
Finally, Zūnyán (尊严) means dignity, the quality of one who is worthy, of who is honored, exemplary, who proceeds with decency, with honesty. A Superior Man is necessarily worthy.
In the West, the dignity of someone represents their "moral integrity."
The philosopher Emmanuel Kant defined dignity as the value of everything that is priceless, that is, that can not be replaced by an equivalent.
In this way, dignity is an inherent quality of human beings as moral and ethical entities.
Thus, in this visitation to the Chinese side of the transcultural values in which we live here, it will be concluded that Zunji (君子) aspires to often value his moral integrity and respect for himself.
This is what happened in China's multi-millennial history, where ministers killed themselves in protest against the decay of some dynasties.
The superior man understands what is right. The inferior man understands only what is beneficial to him.
Confucius
Obedience is not, contrary to what many think, a mere Confucian virtue, since blind obedience implies the eradication of one's own thought or opinion (when it exists), transmuting from obedience to servitude.
The ideas contained in Li Ji or Lai Kei in Cantonese, being "Li" the Rite, in the broadest sense of the word, including the courtesy of human nature, ethics, and behavioral norms leading to a harmonious social order seem to have reached our days misunderstood or even ignored in its essence.
Confucius himself, when asking questions in a temple in his hometown of Qu Fu in Shandong, was challenged by another visitor: "Is this the wise Confucius who is asking questions in the temple?" To which the Master replied "to ask questions is also part of Li (ritual)."
However, it is interesting to note that in addition to Li Ji or Lai Kei, the Analects are a source of wisdom and common sense that should be known to all Chinese regardless of their place of origin because knowledge of culture and history are decisive in establishing identities.
The Analects or Lon Yu contain a group of key terms whose meaning seems to be as subtle as wise and complex, so it seems best to leave them untranslated, using only the phonetic transcription for them. Here are some examples:
Ren - a comprehensive ethical virtue: benevolence, humanity, kindness.
Junzi 君子 - Confucius defined this term with the concept of the Superior, ethical Man. It was from the concept of Junzi that later the term "noble" came to have another connotation, allowing everyone to access mandarinate through the study of the Classics. The ramp for meritocracy was thus thrown.
Li 禮 - term that covers the norms of discipline and personal conduct, the daily relations until the political protocol and the ceremonial ones.
Virtue (of 德) - a very complex Chinese concept, which can be said to have developed into an ethical term denoting the inclination to moral action.
Culture (wen 文) - denoting a relationship with civilization characteristics that are representative of Zhou's culture of which Confucius was derived.
Law / Justice (yi 義) - often a complement to ren, denoting correct choices of action, or the moral vision that allows them to operate.
Loyalty (zhong 忠) - denotes not only loyalty to superiors or peers. At bottom an alignment of the individual with the interests of the social group as a whole, never for their own benefit.
Finally, Zūnyán (尊严) means dignity, the quality of one who is worthy, of who is honored, exemplary, who proceeds with decency, with honesty. A Superior Man is necessarily worthy.
In the West, the dignity of someone represents their "moral integrity."
The philosopher Emmanuel Kant defined dignity as the value of everything that is priceless, that is, that can not be replaced by an equivalent.
In this way, dignity is an inherent quality of human beings as moral and ethical entities.
Thus, in this visitation to the Chinese side of the transcultural values in which we live here, it will be concluded that Zunji (君子) aspires to often value his moral integrity and respect for himself.
This is what happened in China's multi-millennial history, where ministers killed themselves in protest against the decay of some dynasties.
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