What is "Confucianism"? What are the characteristics of a “Confucian”? What about their social behavior, daily life, words and deeds? There have always been different views on these issues. The name "Confucianism" appeared earlier in classics such as "Zhou Li" and "The Analects of Confucius". Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty said in "Shuowen Jiezi": "Confucianism means softness. It is called a magician. It follows people and needs to be heard." In other words, "Confucianism" is a weak "warlock". Since modern times, scholars have conducted various discussions, such as Hu Shi, Guo Moruo, etc., who have expressed their own different opinions. In his book "Original Confucianism", Zhang Taiyan defined "Confucianism" from the broad sense of all scholars of alchemy to the narrow sense of "people who wrote about Yao and Shun for their ancestors, civil and military constitutions, and Zhongni as their master".
People in the late Spring and Autumn Period already had different views and even misunderstandings about "Confucianism". At that time, there were many Confucians in the state of Lu. According to "Zhuangzi Tian Zifang", Lu Aigong once said that "the people of Lu were promoted to Confucianism"; "Historical Records: Biography of Youxia" said that "all the people of Lu adopted Confucianism".
But in Confucius' view, a true "Confucian" should have noble virtues. This is what Confucius warned his disciples, to be "gentlemen Confucians" and not to be "villain Confucians".
This article uses Confucius's answer to Duke Ai's question to express the ideal "Confucian" image, "Confucian" style and "Confucian" personality in his mind. By describing the Confucian's self-reliance, appearance, preparedness, approachability, determination, perseverance, promotion to official positions, thoughtfulness, generosity, making friends, respect, etc., Confucius defined what he recognized as being maverick, outstanding, generous, benevolent, and respectful. , the image of a Confucian who is strict in self-discipline is vividly portrayed.
In Confucius's discussion, he combined the weak "Confucian" and the scholar who sacrificed his life to become benevolent. This is what he thought of "benevolence as one's own duty", "oneself wants to establish others," and "oneself has to establish others". "If you want to achieve, you can achieve others", a Confucian personality that is both respectful and humble yet resolute and enterprising.
This article contains many famous aphorisms praising the conduct of Confucian scholars, which can be compared with Confucian classics such as The Analects and The Doctrine of the Mean. For example, "Confucianism does not treasure gold and jade, but loyalty is its treasure; it does not pray for land, but benevolence and righteousness is its treasure; it does not seek land, but it is wealth that is rich in literature." It is similar to "A gentleman seeks the way but does not seek food, and worries about the way" in "The Analects of Confucius" Don’t worry about poverty.”
The phrase "learn erudition without being exhausted, practice sincerely without being tired" in this article can also correspond to "learn erudition, inquire deeply, think carefully, discern clearly, and practice diligently" in "The Doctrine of the Mean". This highlights the valuable value of "Family Language" and shows that "Family Language" urgently needs to be further explored and utilized. These discussions of Confucius are not only a reflection of Confucius' own personality, but also regarded by later generations of Confucian scholars as a guideline for conducting life. This article is also helpful for today's people to cultivate their moral character and improve their personality.