Confucianism: A Definition

Identifying The Chinese Tradition

A Western Misnomer?

To speak of 'Confucianism' conjures up a number of images in peoples' minds. For those who have little or no understanding of the Chinese culture, Confucianism is viewed as a tin-pot philosophy, pithy and trite with little bearing on real life. Others see it as a restricting, repressive and authoritarian set of rules and regulations. People who may have come into contact with Confucius, 'The Analects' or other choice words in a dictionary of quotations regard Confucianism to be the study of Confucius himself and his teachings. The problem we have, however, lies with Confucianism being a very difficult notion to pin down and define completely. As will be seen, Confucianism is such an integral part of both Chinese and East Asian culture, it is extremely difficult to fit it all under one heading or category. In this section, however, we will try to understand what it means to use the word 'Confucianism' and define it in as concise a way as possible.

The Jesuits

The word 'Confucianism' derives from the Jesuit missionaries who went to China in the 1500s. They discovered the immense influence of a Sage the Chinese called K'ung Fu Tzu, and they Latinized his name to 'Confucius.' Subsequently, they labelled the teachings and philosophies of Confucius and his disciples as 'Confucianism' - a word invented by them to try and categorise the phenomenon they were experiencing. In actual fact, the Chinese themselves do not have a word that equates with 'Confucianism' - they use the word ru which refers to the tradition of sages and scholars throughout all of Chinese history. Confucius was the teacher who inspired a whole new movement within the existing ru tradition, and hence ru is now seen as the school of Confucius. Confucianism is the nearest way that the West can view the custom of ru, since it fits in with the desire for 'isms' that many people have. As we shall see, to look at ru in terms of an 'ism' is perhaps impractical, and that when we use 'Confucianism' we should be aware that it is not an 'ism' in the sense of the others it often stands alongside.

The Legend of the Wise Man

Confucius often belittled himself, asserting that he was "a transmitter and not a maker, believing in and loving the ancients," [The Analects 7:1] by which he meant that his teachings were based on the ru xia (Class of Sages), a tradition that had long been in existence in China. Whilst it is true that he did indeed draw some of his teachings from this, the majority of Confucius' principles are his own. Thus, when we speak of 'Confucianism', it is fair to accommodate Confucius and his teachings as primary components; ru is, however, very much a part of Confucianism as a whole. Confucius was to be a sage in a long line of scholars who would take his words and build on, interpret and exemplify for thousands of years. Confucianism is just as much a part of the teachings of Mencius, Chu Hsi, Wang Yang Ming, Hsun Tzu and Mou Zongsan as it is of Confucius. Today there is a new school of Confucianism, the Modern New Confucians, and they too form part of what it means to talk of Confucianism. Despite its derivation, therefore, Confucianism is not just confined to Confucius alone - it incorporates a long tradition of ethical and scholarly teaching stretching before and after the time of Confucius right up to and including the present day.

Asian Values or Confucian Virtues?

Social commentators today have grown increasingly aware of something referred to as 'Asian Values', in particular those displayed in East Asia. The strong sense of family, the respect and honour shown to others, courteous civility and a dedicated work ethic are all viewed as being typically Asian in their essence. Yet, what is interesting to note is that these very values marked out by the West are in actual fact based heavily on Confucian Virtues. The theme of The Family, the sense of duty, the zest for learning and the pursuance of goodness without harming others' interests are very much part of 'Confucianism' - and it is here that we see a great deal of modern relevance with regard to Confucius. Those values that he and his followers distilled in the Chinese mindset have lived on to this day, and are only just beginning to be understood and appreciated by the outside world. If someone asks a Chinese person of today's generation what they believe to be the relevance of Confucianism in their life, they may well not see any - if indeed they fully grasp what Confucianism is. However, they will undoubtedly lay considerable store in what their parents think, in what brings respect and in how honour may be achieved, even in only in a subconscious sense. These integral parts of Chinese life are without doubt the result of the permeation of Confucian Virtues and ideas into Chinese culture. They are so ingrained within China and East Asia that though their origin may be shrouded to some extent, they still very much exist. In understanding what it means to talk of 'Confucianism' one must be careful to include all those aspects of Chinese culture into which Confucian ideas have been sown.

The Tree of Life

In metaphorical terms, Confucius is the trunk of the tree, drawing his energies from the roots of ru, but building, improving and bringing them to fruition; from Confucius grow the branches of interpretation and embodiment made by his followers and later scholars, each one different but still connected to the Master; the tree is forever growing upwards, showing how Confucianism is very much alive to this day and continually being created as a living philosophy; the shadow the tree casts over the ground shows how Confucianism affects all around it, whether knowingly or unknowingly, imbuing it with its own unique character - and the tree as a whole, with its branches, shoots, roots, shadows and body is Confucianism.