Abstract
The first part of this chapter discusses the decline of feudalism in ancient China, which constituted the backdrop for the birth of Chinese philosophy. Among the early schools, Confucianism stands out as the one which most directly concerned itself with genteel manners and mores. Indeed, the author argues that not only were most of the early Confucian thinkers members of the gentry, but that their thought largely represented a theory of gentility. The chapter includes a brief sociological comparison of the Chinese and Greek gentries.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Marcel Granet, La féodalité chinoise (Paris: Editions Imago, 1981) 16–18.
- 2.
Ibidem, 16.
- 3.
Marcel Granet, La pensée chinoise (Paris: Editions Albin Michel, 1968) 247.
- 4.
James Legge, translator, The Chinese Classics, Vol. I: The Life and Teachings of Confucius , 2nd ed. (London: N. Trübner & Co., 1869) 154. In his commentary to this passage, the translator notes that in ancient times a gift of dried meat was considered to be a very modest offering.
- 5.
Ibidem, 230.
- 6.
Ibidem, 239.
- 7.
Ibidem, 158–159.
- 8.
Burton Watson, translator, Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings (New York: Columbia University Press, 1963) 102–103.
- 9.
Ibidem, 128.
- 10.
Ibidem, 116–117.
- 11.
Ibidem, 153.
- 12.
Ibidem, 238–239. My reading of this passage is heavily indebted to Legge’s commentary.
- 13.
James Legge, translator, The Sacred Books of China: The Texts of Confucianism, Part III (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1885) 404. Also, Part IV, 323.
- 14.
Marcel Granet, La civilisation chinoise (Paris: Editions Albin Michel, 1968) 234.
- 15.
Burton Watson, translator, Xunzi : Basic Writings (New York: Columbia University Press, 2003) 93.
- 16.
Watson, Xunzi : Basic Writings, 48.
- 17.
Legge, The Chinese Classics, Vol. I, 118–119.
- 18.
Ibidem, 199.
- 19.
Watson, Xunzi : Basic Writings, 17.
- 20.
Ibidem, 174.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mitchell, J. (2019). The Ethos of Gentility in Early Confucianism. In: On the Decline of the Genteel Virtues. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20354-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20354-2_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20353-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20354-2
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)