Junzi

Junzi (Chinese: 君子, pinyin: Jūnzǐ) or nobleman, was a term used by Confucius (and the Duke of Wen in the main Yi Jing), to describe his ideal human. To Confucius, the functions of government and social stratification were facts of life to be sustained by ethical values; thus his ideal human was the junzi. Often translated as "gentleman" or "superior person" and sometimes "exemplary person"^[1], the junzi literally means "lord's son". As the potential leader of a nation, a son of the ruler is raised to have a superior ethical and moral position while gaining inner peace through being virtuous. Despite its literal meaning, any righteous man willing to improve himself can become a junzi. Paul Goldin's translation of junzi as "noble man" is a clever attempt to suggest both the earlier political meaning as well as the later moral meaning.^[2]

On the contrary, the petty person or xiaoren (小人, pinyin: xiăo rén, lit. "small person") does not grasp the value of the Confucian virtues and seeks only immediate gains. The petty person is egotistic and does not consider the consequences of his action to the overall scheme of things. Should the ruler be surrounded by xiaoren as opposed to junzi, his governance and his people will suffer due to their small-mindness. Examples of such "xiaoren" individuals can range from those who continually indulge in sensual and emotional pleasures all day, or the careerist politician who is interested merely in power and fame; neither sincerely aims for the long-term benefit of others.

The junzi enforces rule in his subjects by acting virtuously himself. It is thought that his pure virtue will 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

• Confucianism
• Four Gentlemen
• Übermensch

References

1. ^ Roger T. Ames and Henry Rosemont, Jr., The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation
2. ^ Confucian Key Terms: Junzi