Richard van mencius biography
Mencius (Book)
Mencius (Book)
The Mencius (Chinese: ; pinyin: Mèngzǐ; Old Chinese: *mˤraŋ-s
Mencius
tsəʔ) is a collection of conversations, anecdotes, and series of genuine
and imagined interviews by the Confucian philosopher, Mencius.[1] 孟⼦
The book is one of the Chinese Thirteen Classics, and explores
Mencius’ views on the topics of moral and political philosophy, often
as a dialogue with the ideas presented by Confucianism.[2][1] The
interviews and conversations are depicted as being either between
Mencius and the various rulers of the Warring States period, or with
his students and other contemporaries. The book documents Mencius’
travel across the states, and his philosophical conversations and
debates with those he meets on his journey.[2] A number of scholars
suggest that the text was not written by Mencius himself, but rather by
his disciples.[3] The text is believed to have been written during the Early-13th-century Mencius printing
late 4th century BC.[3] held in National Palace Museum
Author Mencius
Country China
Contents
Language Chinese
History
Genre Philosophy
Interpretations
Publication date c. 300 BC
Contents
Moral Philosophy
Mencius
Political Philosophy
Influences on Hermeneutics
Selected translations
References
Footnotes
Works cited "Mencius" in seal script (top) and
External links regular (bottom) Chinese
characters
Chinese
History
Hanyu Mèngzǐ
Mencius’ core ideas on education and human nature were largely Pinyin
shaped during the Warring States period (c. 770–221 B.C.).[4] The Literal "[The Writings of]
period marks the transition of China's system of slavery to that of meaning Master Meng"
feudalism, one that expanded the accessibility of culture and
Transcriptions
education to various sectors of society.[4] It was during this time, that
Mencius was able to access, and further developed the philosophical Standard Mandarin
doctrines of Confucius. The creation of the Mencius, serves as a Hanyu Pinyin Mèngzǐ
furthe
Confucius
Chinese philosopher (c. 551 – c. 479 BCE)
For other uses, see Confucius (disambiguation).
Confucius (孔子; pinyin: Kǒngzǐ; lit. 'Master Kong'; c. 551 – c. 479 BCE), born Kong Qiu (孔丘), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the philosophy and teachings of Confucius. His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity, and a ruler's responsibilities to lead by virtue.
Confucius considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods which he claimed had been abandoned in his time. He advocated for filial piety, endorsing strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, the respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives. Confucius recommended a robust family unit as the cornerstone for an ideal government. He championed the Silver Rule, or a negative form of the Golden Rule, advising, "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself."
The time of Confucius's life saw a rich diversity of thought, and was a formative period in China's intellectual history. His ideas gained in prominence during the Warring States period, but experienced setback immediately following the Qin conquest. Under Emperor Wu of Han, Confucius's ideas received official sanction, with affiliated works becoming mandatory readings for career paths leading to officialdom. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Confucianism developed into a system known in the West as Neo-Confucianism, and later as New Confucianism. From ancient dynasties to the modern era, Confucianism has integrated into the Chinese social fabric and way of life.
Traditionally, Confucius is credited with having authored or edited many of the ancient texts By the third quarter of the seventeenth century, the Society of Jesus directly or indirectly dominated the Dutch debate on China in print. Jesuits like Nicolas Trigault and Martino Martini provided many of the eyewitness accounts that were adopted by Dutch authors, translators, and publishers. They, in turn, constructed narratives on the Middle Kingdom that shaped and disseminated images of Chinese religion and philosophy. The Dutch did this by producing printed works of exceptional quality and by utilising their extensive networks of distribution; significantly in this respect, their content was largely free from censure by Church and State. This proliferation of Jesuit accounts had profound implications for the religious and cultural representation of China. In fact, Jesuit publications were instrumental in making Confucius the main protagonist of Europe’s interactions with Asian philosophy: simply consider the fact that ‘Confucius’ is the Jesuit Latinisation of the Chinese title of Kong Fuzi . Chapter 3 The Vernacular and Latin Translations of Confucius