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The word junzi (Chinese: 君子; pinyin: jūn zǐ; lit. 'person of high stature' or "Son of the Vassal, or Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person", or "noble man." Since the characters are overtly gendered, the term is frequently translated as "gentleman", but "gentry" is a better non-gendered translation. However, also in recent years, western scholars have been using the term without the gender component, and translate the term as "distinguished person", "moral person", and so on. The characters 君子 were employed both the "Classic of Changes" 易經 (I-ching), attributed traditionally to the Duke Wen of Zhou and by Confucius in his works in order to describe the ideal human being.

Confucianism

In Confucianism, the ideal personality is the 聖 shèng , translated as saint or sage. However, sagehood is hard to attain and so Confucius used the noun junzi, respectable person, which more individuals could achieve. Junzi acts according to proper conduct (禮 lǐ or li) to achieve 和 hé or he, harmony, which Confucianism maintains should rule the home, society, and the empire. Li primarily has to do with social expectations, both in terms of the formal behavior and the execution of religious rites and imperial ceremonies also proper conduct in human relationships. Confucius also considered a junzi to be someone who embodies humanity – one who possesses a totality of the highest human qualities. The philosopher called this a person who embodies the concept of 仁 rén and outlined specific qualities, which were recorded by his disciples in the Analects. Many of these were used as Chinese proverbs (諺語 yàn yǔ ). An example is 君子成人之美 jūn zǐ chéng rén zhī měi, which figuratively means "A respectable person others in their needs". Confucius redefined the term to represent an individual of moral excellence rather than just social nobility. A junzi embodies moral superiority by adhering to the ritual code of the tradition, displaying respect and dignity towards others, and striving for virtues such as humility, sincerity, trustworthiness, righteousness, and compassion.

Zhu Xi defined a junzi as second only to the sage.

Junzi has many characteristics. A junzi can live with poverty; a junzi does more and speaks less. A junzi is loyal, obedient and knowledgeable. A junzi disciplines himself. Among these, 仁 ren is at the core of a junzi.(in Chinese)

Leadership

As the potential leader of a nation and country, the son of the ruler is raised to express superior ethical and moral positions while gaining inner peace through virtue. To Confucius, the junzi sustained the functions of government and social stratification through his ethical values. Despite its literal meaning, any righteous man willing to improve himself can become a junzi.

By contrast the xiaoren (小人, xiăorén, "scoundrel, small or petty person") does not grasp the value of virtues and seeks only immediate personal gain. The scoundrel, or petty person, is egotistic and does not consider the consequences of his/her actions. Should the ruler or state be surrounded by xiaoren as opposed to junzi, governance and the people will suffer due to their selfish small-mindness. Examples of such xiaoren individuals can range from those who indulge in self-satisfying sensual and emotional pleasures and gains to the career politician who is interested merely in power and fame; neither aiming for the long-term benefit of others. There are many expressions in Confucius' writings that contrast the two; for instance 君子和而不同，小人同而不和。jūn zǐ hé ér bù tóng , xiǎo rén tóng ér bù hé "The noble person acts in harmony with others but does not seek to be like them; the petty person seeks to be like others and does not act in harmony."

The junzi rules by acting virtuously himself. It is thought that his pure virtue would lead others to follow his example. The ultimate goal is that government behaves much like family. Thus at all levels filial piety promotes harmony and the junzi acts as a beacon for this piety.

See also

• Bodhisattva
• Confucian art
• Confucianism
• Five Classics
• Four arts
• Four Gentlemen
• Four Sages
• Magnanimity § Aristotle
• New Man (utopian concept)
• Übermensch
• Zhenren

References

1. Sometimes "exemplary person".Ames, Roger T.; Roesmonet, Jr., Henry (24 November 2010). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-77571-9. Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and later moral meaning. Cf. "Confucian Key Terms: Junzi Archived 2014-05-20 at the Wayback Machine".
2. Goldin, Paul (2020). The Art Of Chinese Philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691200811.
3. Yi Jing "Qian" quote: "天行健，君子以自強不息。" Bernado's translation: "Heaven action is strong and dynamic. Thus the noble never ceases to strengthen himself."
4. ^ Matthews, Warren (2008). World Religions, Sixth edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. pp. 184. ISBN 9780495603856.
5. ^ Sen, Tan Ta (2003-08-01). Cheng Ho and Islam in Southeast Asia. Flipside Digital Content Company Inc. ISBN 9789814515436.
6. Analects "Yan Yuan" quote: "子曰：「君子成人之美，不成人之惡。小人反是。」" Translation based on Eno (2015): "The Master said: ′The noble person perfects what is beautiful in people; and does not perfect what is ugly. The petty person does just the opposite.′"
7. Rohsenow, John S. (2003). ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (Yanyu). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 76. ISBN 0824822218.
8. Gardner, Daniel K. (2014-06-26), "Confucianism in practice", Confucianism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University PressNew York, pp. 87–111, doi:10.1093/actrade/9780195398915.003.0006, ISBN 978-0-19-539891-5, retrieved 2023-11-26
9. "君子——儒學的理想人格 (A respectable person - The Ideal personal qualities as viewed by Confucius and through Confucianism)". Archived from the original on 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
10. Analects, Zi Lu translation based on Eno (2015)

See also

Lunyu 論語, The Analects; the Database of Religious History, at https://religiondatabase.org/browse/1063/#/

• Concepts in Chinese philosophy
• Confucian ethics
• Chinese culture