History of China & Japan
1
HISTORY
Subject
:
History
Paper No.
:
Paper - VIII
History of China & Japan Unit No. & Title
:
Unit- 1
History of China
Topic No. & Title
:
Topic - 1
China & Imperialism during 19th
Century
Lecture No. & Title
:
Lecture - 2
Confucianism
(For under graduate student)
FAQs
1.
What was the basic character of Taoism?
Taoism was in large part a philosophy of retreat and
withdrawal on the part of thinkers who were appalled
by perpetual warfare and struggle for wealth and
power.
They
accepted
the
unimportance
of
individuality except as human beings being individual
manifestations of vast cosmic forces. It also expressed
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the rebellion of intellectuals at the growing rigidity of
Confucian moralists.
2.
Who were the Legalists?
A leading thinker of the Legalist school was Han-feitzu (died 233 BCE) who was a disciple of Hsun-tzu, a
Confucianist. This school believed that severe laws and
harsh punishments, though hateful to the people, are
the only means of bringing them the order and
security they yearned for. They denied all rights
except
for
philosophy
those
was
of
the
designed
ruler
to
and
aid
their
the
whole
ruler
in
consolidating his position and power.
3.
How did Confucianism become the predominant
philosophy in the Han period?
It was during the reign of the Han Emperor Wu Ti that
Confucianism was established as the predominant
philosophy. In 136 BCE Wu Ti set up at court five
Erudites of the Five Classics which were by then
identified with the Confucian tradition. This school
grew
steadily
and
soon
many
started
entering
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government service through the examination system
managed by the official scholars. Confucian precepts
about proper rituals and etiquette were also gradually
incorporated into law.
4.
What led to the emergence of neo-Confucianism?
The Late Tang and Sung periods witnessed the
appearance
of
patterns
that
were
to
remain
characteristic of China until the nineteenth century.
The
philosophical
synthesis
known
as
neo-
Confucianism which emerged from the intellectual
ferment of these centuries were destined to remain
the core of Chinese thought till the advent of Western
thought and revolutionary political and social changes
in
the
twentieth
century.
The
neo-Confucianists
endeavoured to recreate the ideal Confucian society
but in terms of the attitudes and interests of their own
day.
History of China & Japan
5.
4
Name some of the philosophies that constituted
the ‘Hundred Schools of Thought’.
The period known as witnessing the emergence of a
‘Hundred Schools of Thought’ saw the efflorescence of
Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, Mohism, Agrarianism,
Naturalist, Logician and schools of Diplomacy, Military
Strategy and Minor Talk.
6.
What
are
the
sources
of
information
for
Confucianism?
A book that contains his sayings and conversations is
Analects which is regarded as the Confucian Bible.
These teachings were compiled and amplified by
others in two other treatises. One was The Great
Learning/
The
Higher
Education
(Tahsuch)
which
constitutes the gateway through which beginners enter
into the path of virtue. The other was the Doctrine of
the Mean/The Golden Mean (Chungyung). This treatise
is important for understanding Confucian philosophy.
These were the Four Books which century after
century every Chinese schoolboy had to recite and
from which we can form an idea of Confucian precepts.
History of China & Japan
7.
5
Was Confucianism reformist in nature?
Bai Shouyi and some other Chinese scholars hold that
Confucianism was to some extent reformist in nature.
Confucius
had
proposed
that
good
and
talented
people—irrespective of their social status-- should be
appointed to official posts. Such a proposal was
contrary to the prevailing practice of hereditary rule.
8.
What did Mencius teach?
Like Confucius, Mencius also divided human beings
into two main classes, -the superior and the inferior;
while the former was knowledgeable and wise, the
latter was stupid, and this was also unalterable.
However while Confucius himself did not explicitly
focus on the subject of human nature, Mencius
asserted
the
innate
goodness
of
the
individual,
believing that it was because of the lack of a positive
influence of society that one developed a bad moral
character. He highlighted four ethical attributes, benevolence, and observance of rites, propriety and
wisdom.
History of China & Japan
9.
6
What did Tung Chung-shu teach?
Tung Chung-shu (179-104 BCE) formulated codes of
conduct for women. He put forth the “three cardinal
guides” and the “five constant virtues”. The “three
cardinal guides” meant that the sovereign guides the
ministers, the father guides the sons and the husband
guides the wife. That is to say, the sovereign, father
and husband have the absolute power to rule, while
the ministers, sons and wife should obey absolutely.
The “five constant virtues” refer to the so-called five
unchangeable
principles,
namely,
benevolence,
righteousness, propriety, wisdom and sincerity.
10. What made the Chinese question the relevance
of Confucianism?
Since 1840 when China suffered humiliating defeats
during the Opium wars. The difficulties that came with
them enraged the common people as well as for the
failure to drive away the barbarians. They felt insulted
that the heaven-ordained Confucian world should be
so bullied by the foreigners from afar. This made the
Chinese feel that Confucian scholarship and knowledge
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were not enough and had to be supplemented with
Western science and technology.