Chinese Cultural perspective and meaning of Chinese keyword “仁(ren)”
Keyword, literately meaning they are the representative of the entire body of the certain knowledge to which they are related. Similarly, cultural keywords in a language are words which are significant in that language, and reflect the culture of the given language. (Wierzbicka 1997) This paper will focus on one of the Chinese keywords: “仁(ren)”, and argue the meaning and Chinese cultural perspective on “仁(ren)”. This is analysed in comparing the explanations and translations in related literature. Additionally, scholars agree with the fact that the interpretation of cultural keyword has become a major difficulty for outsiders to understand, because it has an inseparable
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Thus, the third cultural difference is focused on the social culture. Comparing the attitude towards dogs, English people love pets. Thereupon, they always hold a friendly attitude towards dogs, for instance, there are “be top dog”, “a lucky dog” and so forth. Conversely, Chinese people of consider “dog” as a disparaging term, therefore, it is common to find a word such as “狗腿子” (means someone is obsequious) , “狗仗人势” (means being a bully with the protection of a powerful person) and so forth. (Wan and Han 2014)
Having considered why there might have deviant meaning when translating words or phrases between Chinese and English, it is reasonable to look at a particular Chinese keyword: “仁/ren”. As a result, the following paragraph will focus on discussing the meaning and Chinese cultural perspective on “仁/ren”. In general, “仁/ren” is the Confucian virtue representing the pleasant feeling a virtuous human experience when being benevolent. (Cortazzi and Shen 2001) The following are indicated by the meaning of the “仁/ren” :
a) “中国古代一种含义极广的道德观念。其核心指人与人互相亲爱。孔子以之作为最高的道德标准”
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Religion is an important part of the culture. Confucianism has been passed from generation and generation, and it has a profound influence for Chinese people. As mentioned earlier, “仁/ren” is the central concept of the Confucianism. Therefore, owing to the lack of the related religious culture, outside learners might find it is difficult to fully understand the cultural concept of “仁/ren” .
Last but not the least, social culture might have accounted for this phenomena. The British people might have concerned more about the relations between the superior and subordinate, while Chinese people focus more on the fairness. From what the author has discovered, the most frequency English translation version for the “仁/ren” is “benevolent”. However, according to the Oxford advanced learner’s English-Chinese dictionary (2009), the target of the “benevolent” is especially indicated the people in authority. It is clear that some part of the original meaning has
To begin, Confucianism is a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius. Confucianism was the code of ethics accepted as the certified religion of most of the immense empires in the territory since the Han Dynasty. Confucianism provided an outline of ethical and religious beliefs that most of the Chinese expanded to make other religions such as Daoism and Legalism. To expand, Confucianism was founded by Confucius and his beliefs on the political and social order of China. Confucius believed that everything would fall into place if children had respect for their parents and if the rulers were honest. In Confucianism, specific roles were followed by each person in the family. The head of the family, the father, was the one primarily in control and then it was the oldest son that was next in line. Confucius had the belief that a ruler has to be everything he wants
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 occurs 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. As was the case in China, Cao depicts the two forms of belief existing alongside one another, and not necessarily practiced exclusively to one another.
Confucianism became popular during the Han Dynasty as it was the state religion and had a great impact on East Asia (Confucianism 1, pg. 7). Born in 551 BCE in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Confucius himself absorbed the teachings of Mahavira and the Buddha (Confucianism 1, pg. 2) He had a set of virtues that he believed a functioning society should stand by such as benevolence, love and rites. Confucius wanted China to return to the old days when people were loyal to their rulers and rulers were polite and caring towards their people. He believed rulers s...
Filial piety is as closely associated with Confucius teaching as it is one of the virtues of Confucianism. Confucius once said, “Among human practices, none is greater than xiao” (Chan, Alan Kam-Leung; Tan, Sor-hoon). There is no doubt that filial piety remained the important aspect of Chinese society, where as the philosophers such as Confucius strongly pushed forward the idea of filial piety. A ...
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...
"Holy Mencius (Chinese): Book 3 - Part 3." Holy Mencius (Chinese): Book 3 - Part 3. Ishwar, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
For those individuals that choose to look into the philosophy of Confucius, Confucianism recognizes that the quest for virtue is ordinary and providential. However, in this quest of moral aptness Confucius tried to offer other people the fervent self love that he had greatly embodied. To actually make oneself as perfect as possible was the central concern of life. Al...
Chinese people might find naming their religion challenging as it is a mixture of “traditional religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism” (Corduan, 2012, p.388). The Chinese Popular Religion continues to evolve and change as the world around it changes and outside influences enter the Chinese culture (Corduan, 2012). Investigation of the Chinese Popular Religion includes its key features, practices, and influences, along with tis role in contemporary China, and how Christians can enhance their interactions.
Although Judaism and Confucianism appear to be on different realms of the religious spectrum, they have similar traditions deriving from dissimilar roots. The significance of family in Confucianism is strongly upheld by the filial piety rooted within all of the traditions and beliefs. Meanwhile, Judaism’s emphasis on God’s word as being the ultimate path for a righteous life is supported throughout the Jewish adherence to the special laws commanded by God. Whether the foundation of the religion is rooted from filial piety or God’s commandments, both Judaism and Confucianism reflect similar standards in family rituals, religious beliefs, and moral conduct.
Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the same time, its modern value is excavated by many countries in the world, and its international influence is also growing with the rise of China.
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism constitute the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. The relationship among the three has been marked by both competition and complementation in history, with Confucianism playing a more dominant role. Confucianism emphasized a reiteration of current moral values and Taoism developed a system of based upon a harmonization of man with the natural order. These two popular philosophies, however, developed into popular religions eventually. Besides the major religions, ancestor worship and animism also have strong support in China. Chinese people are very pragmatic, worshipping gods that might answer their prayers.
Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113). Therefore, since the two religions grew up together, there are similarities, such as their views on humans, attempting to find harmony in life and in nature, and serve as guides for their followers through self-cultivation and improvement techniques. Confucianism believes that their congregation should have human conduct over the idea of God in their lives, whereas Taoism is formed on the belief that its congregation should create a relationship with nature. This is pointed out by Smith in Experiencing the World’s Religions, “Confucius represents the classical, Lao Tzu the romantic; Confucius stresses social responsibility, Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness; Confucius focus is on the human, Lao Tzu’s on what transcends the human” (Smith 218).
Historically, the Chinese have considered the family as the basic unit of society. Familial principles such as obedience, loyalty, and kinship have been cherished in all states. In premodern China, many philosophers discussed their own beliefs about family. Confucius and other philosophers defined that an exemplary family was the one in which parents cared about their children, and children obeyed their parents. The Analects of Confucius discusses filiality, a traditional obedience to parents and ancestors, as its central theme. When an individual understands the concept of filiality and practices it, he can establish his moral way of behaving. Deference to elders in a family is considered the roots for accomplishing one’s comprehensive ethics. In the Han dynasty, filial piety was a political ideal as well as a familial virtue. Thus, emphasis on this familial virtue increased significantly. Confucius argued that filial piety begins with serving one’s parents and continues with serving the emperor. Being obedient to one’s parents was a prerequisite to being loyal to the emperor. On th...
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