It has been translated into English as “benevolence,” “altruism,” “goodness”, “humaneness” etc. The word ren 仁 is perhaps the most fundamental concept in Confucian thought. Are not filial piety and obedience to elders fundamental to the actualization of fundamental human goodness?” Once the fundamentals are established, the proper way appears. The noble man concerns himself with the fundamentals. Those who do not enjoy offending superiors are never troublemakers. You Zi said: “There are few who have developed themselves filially and fraternally who enjoy offending their superiors. One might want to compare the term “noble man” to the Buddhist bodhisattva, in that both are the models for the tradition, both indicate a very high stage of human development as technical terms, yet both may be used colloquially to refer to a “really good person.” Thus, the categorization is not so rigid. And although many descriptions of the requirements for junzi status seem quite out of our reach, there are many passages where Confucius labels a contemporary, or one of his disciples a “noble man,” intending a complement. The character of the noble man, in contrast to the sage, is being taught as a tangible model for all in the here and now. Though the junzi is a highly advanced human being, he is still distinguished from the category of sage ( shengren 聖人), who is, in the Analects more of a “divine being,” usually a model from great antiquity. Though sometimes used strictly in its original sense, it also refers to a person who has made significant progress in the Way ( dao) of self-cultivation, by developing a sense of justice 義, by loving treatment of parents 孝, respect for elders 弟, honesty with friends 信, etc. In the Analects, Confucius imbues the term with a special meaning. “Noble man” is an English translation for the Chinese term junzi 君子, which originally meant “son of a prince”-thus, someone from the nobility.

The Master said: “Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn't it also great when friends visit from distant places? If people do not recognize me and it doesn't bother me, am I not a noble man?” When citing, please refer to the URL of this page: First translated during the summer of 1990.

The analects meaning