Confucianism Lecture Notes

Flashcards about Confucianism, covering its history, key figures, virtues, and its presence in the United States

How has Confucius been remembered throughout history?

As a communist and a capitalist, reformer and conservative, autocrat and democrat, misogynist and feminist, elitist and populist, royal and commoner; both loved and hated.

What did scholar Tu Weiming say about Confucianism?

He described Confucian thinking as a "potent elixir" poised to cure modern problems.

How did Chinese dissident Wang Xiaobo describe Confucianism?

As "2000-year-old chewing gum," not worth repeating.

In Confucius’s hometown of Qufu, how is he revered?

As both China’s premier philosopher (author/editor of the Five Classics) and a superhuman spirit to whom prayers and sacrifices are offered.

Who are the Three Sovereigns in Chinese legend, and what did they do?

● Fuxi: Domesticated animals, invented trapping, fishing, silk, and clothing. ● Shennong: Invented agriculture, tools, markets, and traditional medicine (and discovered tea). ● Huangdi (Yellow Emperor): Invented boats, weapons, writing, and warfare.

Who are the Three Sage-Kings and what are their main achievements?

● Yao: Created the calendar, centralized government, chose a virtuous successor. ● Shun: Exemplified filial piety, created rituals and ceremonies, linked social harmony to political order. ● Yu: Controlled floods, became the first emperor of the Xia dynasty.

What is the "Mandate of Heaven"?

The belief that Heaven grants the right to rule to virtuous leaders and withdraws it from corrupt ones, often signaled by natural disasters.

What pattern emerged with the first Chinese dynasties?

A sage-king establishes peace, virtuous rulers maintain it, a corrupt ruler brings chaos, and a new sage-king arises to restore order.

What legends surround Confucius’s birth?

Omens such as a unicorn, celestial music, and dragons; he had 49 birthmarks and features of legendary rulers.

Why might Confucius have been obsessed with rituals as a child?

He was orphaned young and may have found structure and meaning in ritual.

What was Confucius’s career path?

Worked as a bureaucrat, then spent 13 years as a wandering teacher offering advice to rulers, then returned to Lu to teach and write.

What was Confucius’s solution to the chaos of his times?

A return to the rituals and values of the golden age of the early Zhou dynasty.

How did Confucius view himself?

Not as an innovator, but as a transmitter of ancient wisdom.

What are the Five Classics associated with Confucius?

Book of History, Book of Poetry, Book of Rites, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals.

What virtues did Confucius emphasize?

Humaneness (ren), ritual propriety (li), and filial piety (xiao).

How did Confucius’s students honor him after his death?

They mourned him for three years and revered him as a culture hero and "uncrowned king."

What is the significance of Confucius in Chinese civilization?

He is seen as a teacher who pointed the way toward self-cultivation and social harmony through ritual propriety.

Where is the Temple of Confucius located?

In Qufu, Shandong province, China (about 350 miles south of Beijing).

How many visitors does the Temple of Confucius attract annually?

About five million visitors per year.

What role do ancient cypress trees play at the Temple of Confucius?

They serve as natural attractions and symbolize the Confucian ethic of care for the elderly and deceased.

What is the significance of the Apricot Platform in the temple complex?

It is said to be where Confucius taught his students under an apricot tree.

What is the central temple in the Qufu complex called?

The Hall of Great Achievement.

What activities do visitors engage in at the Temple of Confucius?

● Taking guided tours ● Snapping selfies ● Visiting Six Arts City (theme park) ● Pilgrimage and ritual prayer ● Making offerings and burning incense

Describe a typical ritual performed by pilgrims at the Temple of Confucius.

Pilgrims kneel, bow three times before the statue of Confucius, place donations, and perform choreographed movements guided by incense vendors.

What do pilgrims pray for at the Temple of Confucius?

1. A safe and healthy family 2. Children’s successful careers 3. Children’s academic success (passing exams)

Who instructs visitors on how to perform rituals at the temple?

Incense vendors, who act as makeshift priests.

Is there a formal priesthood at the Temple of Confucius?

No, there are no priests; rituals are guided by vendors or tradition.

What does the burning of incense symbolize at the temple?

Offering prayers and respect to Confucius, seeking blessings for family and children.

How does the modern veneration of Confucius in Qufu blur the line between religion and philosophy?

The rituals, prayers, and offerings show that Confucianism functions as a lived religion for many, not just as a moral philosophy.

What is the “Six Arts City” and how does it relate to Confucius?

A theme park celebrating Confucius’s mastery of archery, calligraphy, charioteering, mathematics, music, and ritual.

What is the atmosphere like among pilgrims at the temple?

Some are devout and practiced, while others are awkward or treat the rituals as a tourist activity.

What does the presence of both tourists and pilgrims at Qufu suggest about Confucianism today?

It is both a cultural heritage and a living spiritual tradition, attracting both secular and religious devotion.

Ren (Humaneness/Benevolence)

The central Confucian virtue; means compassion, empathy, and loving others. It’s the foundation for all moral behavior.

Li (Ritual Propriety)

Proper conduct, rituals, etiquette, and manners. Li governs everything from state ceremonies to daily social interactions. It’s how individuals cultivate virtue and maintain social harmony.

Xiao (Filial Piety)

Respect, obedience, and care for one’s parents and ancestors. Seen as the root of all virtue and the model for all social relationships.

What is Key about Confucius's Five Relationships?

Each relationship is hierarchical (except friendship) and requires both parties to act according to li and ren.

What are the Five Relationships (Wǔlún)

Confucius emphasized that society is built on five key relationships, each with mutual obligations: Ruler and Subject, Father and Son, Husband and Wife, Elder Brother and Younger Brother, and Friend and Friend.

The Junzi (Noble Person)

The “noble person” or “gentleman.” Not an aristocrat by birth, but someone who achieves moral excellence through self-cultivation, learning, and virtuous action. The goal for every Confucian.

The Shengren (Sage)

The highest ideal in Confucianism. Sages are rare individuals who perfectly embody ren, li, and xiao, and serve as models for all humanity.

Analects

Collection of Confucius’s sayings and teachings, compiled by his disciples.

Five Classics

1. Book of History 2. Book of Poetry 3. Book of Rites 4. Book of Changes (Yijing/I-Ching) 5. Spring and Autumn Annals

Neo-Confucianism

A later development (Song dynasty, especially Zhu Xi) that blended Confucian ideas with elements from Daoism and Buddhism. Focused on metaphysics, self-cultivation, and the investigation of things.

Education

Essential for self-improvement and social harmony. Confucius accepted students from all backgrounds.

Government

Rulers should lead by moral example, not force. The purpose of government is to promote the welfare and virtue of the people.

Mandate of Heaven

Rulers must be virtuous to maintain Heaven’s approval; disasters signal loss of mandate.

Philosophy

Focus on ethics, social harmony, and practical wisdom.

Religion

Includes rituals, ancestor veneration, temples, and prayers-especially evident in places like Qufu.

Prothero’s View

Confucianism resists easy classification; it is both a moral philosophy and a lived religion.

sanjiao

The “Three Teachings”-Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism.

junzi

Noble person, moral exemplar.

shengren

Sage, ultimate ideal.

li

Ritual propriety.

ren

Humaneness.

xiao

Filial piety.

Analects

Core Confucian text.

Five Classics

Foundational texts of Confucianism.

Neo-Confucianism

Later synthesis of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist ideas

First Contact

Americans first encountered Confucianism through books, not direct contact.

Transcendentalists

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were among the first American intellectuals to appreciate Confucian texts (especially the Analects).

Emerson's View of Confucius

Emerson called Confucius “the Washington of philosophy.”

Thoreau's View of Confucius

Thoreau’s ideas on civil disobedience were influenced by Mencius’s arguments about the right to rebel against unjust rulers.

Gold Rush & Railroads

Chinese immigrants arrived in large numbers after 1848 (Gold Rush) and worked on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Chinatowns & Temples

The first Chinese temple in the U.S. was built in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1853.

Discrimination

As Chinese communities grew, so did anti-Chinese sentiment (“Yellow Peril”).

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese immigration and citizenship.

Community Cohesion

Confucian values (like filial piety and ritual) helped maintain Chinese American community identity in the face of prejudice.

Parliament of Religions (1893)

Pung Kwang Yu presented Confucianism as a philosophy, not a religion, reflecting both Chinese tradition and American expectations.

No Word for “Religion”

In Chinese, there is no exact word for “religion” as understood in the West; Confucianism often functions as both a philosophy and a set of rituals.

Immigration Reform (1965)

New waves of Asian immigrants brought renewed interest in Confucian traditions.

Boston Confucians

Scholars like Tu Weiming (Harvard), Robert Neville, and John Berthrong (Boston University) engaged Confucianism with American philosophy and religious pluralism.

From Religion to Philosophy

In the U.S., Confucianism is most often understood as a philosophy of ethics, education, and personal development.

Blending and Adaptation

Chinese American communities blended Confucian values with American life, emphasizing education, family loyalty, and community service.

Recognition

Confucius is depicted as a lawgiver in American public art (e.g., U.S. Supreme Court building).

Key Point about Confucianism in the U.S

Confucianism in the U.S. began as an intellectual curiosity, then became a lived tradition among Chinese immigrants.

How did Confucianism Support Immigrants in the U.S?

It provided a source of community strength and identity in the face of discrimination.

Confucianism in Modern Times

In modern times, Confucianism has been reinterpreted as a universal philosophy, especially by American scholars.

Adaptation of Confusionism

It is often blended with other traditions (Buddhism, Daoism) and adapted to American values.

Émile Durkheim on religion

Saw religion as a key force for social cohesion and collective identity.

Application of Religious Life in China

In China, religious life is often “diffused” (not always tied to formal institutions).

Confucianism as Social Glue

Confucianism especially focuses on rituals and shared values (li, xiao, ren) as the glue of society-even if not “religious” in the Western sense.

Guandi (Guan Yu)

Deified general from the Three Kingdoms era; God of war, loyalty, justice, and protection; venerated in Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion.

Lu Dongbin

One of the Eight Immortals in Daoism; associated with wisdom, internal alchemy, and spiritual cultivation; sometimes venerated for scholarly and martial virtues.

Guanyin

Bodhisattva of compassion (from Buddhism); widely worshipped in Chinese Buddhism and folk religion; symbolizes mercy, compassion, and the granting of wishes.

Sanjiao = “Three Teachings

Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism

Blending of Traditions

In Chinese culture, these three are often practiced together; temples, rituals, and festivals may include elements from all three; many Chinese people identify with more than one tradition, seeing them as complementary rather than exclusive.

Durkheim’s Theory in this context

Rituals and shared values (li, xiao, ren) create social cohesion.

Guandi's Role

Loyalty, justice, protection.

Guanyin's Role

Compassion, mercy, help in times of need.

Sanjiao

The harmonious coexistence and blending of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism in Chinese religious life.