Issued in 1820, Nguyen Du’s The Tale of Kieu is deemed one of, if not the most, substantial work of Vietnamese literature. Written during a time when Chinese culture was dominant in Vietnam and Chinese was the official language, Du’s choice to write his epic poem in Vietnamese was a rejection of the great Chinese influence occurring in Vietnam at the time. The Chinese language is far from the only aspect of Chinese culture rejected by Du. Various aspects of Confucianism, the main Chinese philosophy that influenced society, are also repudiated in Du’s work. Despite the rejection of Chinese culture, certain aspects of Confucianism still frame and influence The Tale of Kieu. By including certain aspects of Confucianism while simultaneously rejecting others, Du demonstrates that morality is not a black and white issue with definite right and wrong answers like Confucianism purports it to be. Instead, Du expresses that morality is multi-faceted …show more content…
The Classic of Poetry, which is believed to have been edited by the creator of Confucianism himself, “is drawn on some fifty times” (Shirokauer 383). Du’s work also includes quotations from other prominent Confucian writers such as “Meng Qiao, Sima Xiangru, Qi Kang, Su Shi, and others” (Shirokauer 383). Additionally, in expressing Kieu’s great poetic skill, Du writes “Could Ban and Xie have measured up to this?” (Du 559). Ban and Xie were both greatly respected Confucian scholars. Evidently, Du has great respect for these authors since he included them in his work, yet he himself refuses to follow their conventions. This is just another instance where Du demonstrates that values are not strict like Confucianism claims they are. Instead, it is perfectly acceptable to pick and choose which ones one wants to follow based on one’s personal beliefs and
Amidst the chaos of political instability and constant warring of the Zhou era, arose many intellectual thinkers that brought such profound impact in the field of politics, religion and philosophy. Even to the day, their influence can be espied in the many matters of China. Confucianism became the paramount school of thinking and later significant philosophies such as Daoism and Legalism gained immense recognition as well. Each party had their own proposals for creating an idealistic political society where the many problems they faced in their everyday lives could be eliminated. All three approaches were very distinct but at the same time, they contained certain similarities as well. In my reasoning, I find that Confucianism and Daoism could be paralleled in many ways to find several common grounds. On the other hand, Legalism goes on to take a more unique approach which was much different from the previous two.
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurred in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment.
Confucius’ impact on Chinese culture has withstood numerous generations and continues to be one of the most prominent philosophies found in Chinese culture. Firmly rooted in years of education, Confucius spent considerable time developing his set of values and principles. In his article entitled “Confucius and the Effortless Life of Virtue”, author Hagop Sarkissian adds to this by saying, “Confucius set his mind on a course of study or cultivation at the age of fifteen, and pursued such studies for a span of fifty-five years, and was thereby able to cultivate a state of being such that he could follow his immediate inclinations in all of life’s predicaments without transgressing social norms” (Sarkissian 1). Confucius’ extensive studies only added to the philosophy represented in the Analects. This includes the pas...
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
Hong, Andrew. "Confucianism and Filial Piety." Andrew Hong, Reformed Second Generation Chinese Ministry. N.p., 5 May 2008. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
The teachings according to Confucius refer to Confucianism. Confucianism is the multifarious classification of ethical, collective, political and pious philosophy developed by Confucius and the old Chinese practices (Bertrand, 1999). Confucianism aim is actually making an individual honorable but also making such an individual the character of learning and of proper manners. The ideal and faultless man has to combine the characters of a saint, an intellectual and gentleman. Confucianism is a religious conviction whose adulation is focused on offerings to the dead. The idea of responsibility is extensive beyond the precincts of morals and holds close to the minutiae of daily living.
One of the most fascinating parts of Du's The Tale of Kieu is the diversity, yet simplicity of the characters. Kieu herself represents a range of characteristics, the most obvious being dedication. Though Kieu's dedication is not shown in a way that Western society would find acceptable, it speaks to the influence of Buddhism on Vietnamese culture. The most important thing in Kieu's life is redeeming herself from her past, even if that means enduring the pain of prostitution, lost love and deception. Certainly there are times that she is saddened by her lot in life, but she presses on to continue her work. This emphasis on Buddhism is one reason why the author chooses a woman as the main character. In the Buddhist faith, a man is closer to reaching nirvana than a woman. A person's final incarnation is as a man. The fact that Kieu is a woman emphasi...
In his poem, “Notes from the City of the Sun”, Bei Dao utilizes obscure imagery consistent with the Misty Poets and veiled political references to illustrate the struggles in Chinese society during the Cultural Revolution. The poem is sectioned into fourteen short stanzas containing imagery that are symbolic of the cultural hegemony in China under the rule of Mao Zedong. Bei Dao, born Zhao Zhen-kai, is an anti-revolutionary poet and one of the founders of a group known as the Misty Poets. The Misty Poets wrote poems that protested the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong. Therefore, a lot of Bei Dao’s poems speak out against the Cultural Revolution and the restrictions that it placed on any form of art. Bei Dao’s poetry is categorized as “misty” because of the ambiguity in its references to Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution. An obscure imagery that occurs twice in “Notes” is the sun imagery. Another imagery that depicts the injustice of the Cultural Revolution is the description of freedom as scraps of paper. In the poem, Bei Dao also equates faith to sheep falling into a ditch; this is a depiction blind faith during the Cultural Revolution. The purpose of this essay is to analyze how Bei Dao’s use of the Misty Poet’s ambiguous imagery and implicit political context in the poem “Notes from the City of the Sun” to illustrate the cultural hegemony in China under Mao.
Confucianism is a moral and religious system of China. Its origins go back to the Analects, the sayings attributed to Confucius, and to ancient writings, including that of Mencius. Confucius was born a mandarin under the name Kongzi. It was developed around 550 B.C. In its earliest form Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical concepts for the control of society. It saw man as a social creature that is bound to his fellow men by jen, or “humanity.” Jen is expressed through the five relationships—sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Of these, the filial relation is most important.
As one of the greatest founding novels of Taoism, Book of Chuang Tzu serves to strengthen Lao Tzu 's arguments in Tao Te Ching and lays the foundation for Taoism 's place in Chinese philosophy. Because Confucianism and Taoism are two competing philosophy schools that share more outstanding differences than similarities, the followers of both schools often refute and evaluate the ideals of the opposite school. However, the constant appearance of Confucius as the main character in more than twenty chapters in Book of Chuang Tzu not only surprises the readers, but also calls for deep analysis of the roles played Confucius in order to understand the true meaning of this ancient literature. While Chuang Tzu criticizes many of the Confucian ideas
However, Chen’s rather vague approach here in refuting Confucianism may likewise be rooted in a form of non-thinking. Chen appears to view the Western “faith in equality and human rights” as an all-encompassing solution to Confucianism’s ills by simply advocating for China to “import the foundation of a Western style
Philip J. Ivanhoe. Confucian moral self cultivation. New York : P. Lang, vol. 3, 1993.
Nivison, David S. The Ways of Confucianism: Investigations in Chinese Philosophy. Ed. Bryan W. Van Norden. Chicago and La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1996.
One of the points at issue in this sense is whether men and women are inherently good, inherently evil, or a mixture of both. The answer to this would certainly influence the way that Confucians approach situations from day to day. Take, for example, an argument that arises between two people. Wong points out that the spirit of Confucianism would try to avoid if not eradicate such discordant issues. From a realistic standpoint, however, such disagreements are unavoidable and should be met with compromise.