Mencius
Ancient Chinese sage
Mencius is the Latinized name of Mengzi, a Chinese philosopher of the fourth century BCE, second only to Confucius in the Confucian tradition.
He argued that human nature is fundamentally good and that righteous government depends on cultivating innate moral tendencies. *Mencius* also refers to the book of his teachings, one of the Four Books central to Confucian education.
Classical Chinese wisdom text
- daoThe way, lowercase
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- social harmonyPeaceful coexistence among people
- moral orderPrinciples governing right conduct
Moral quality from birth
- human natureInborn behavioral tendencies shared universally
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- mandate of heavenCosmic approval for sovereignty
filial piety · hierarchy · junzi · heart-mind · extension · moral intuition · self-cultivation
Era of Chinese disunity
- debateFormal argument on issues
- disputationFormal argumentative exchange
- argumentationSystematic reasoning process
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
Exchanges between speakers
- discoursesFormal communications on subjects
- Four BooksCanonical Confucian text collection
- commentariesExplanatory notes on texts
- translationsConverted linguistic texts
annotations · exegesis · chapters · passages · quotations · aphorisms · classical text · Warring States
Analects
Classical Chinese wisdom text
- daoThe way, lowercase
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- social harmonyPeaceful coexistence among people
innate goodness
Moral quality from birth
- human natureInborn behavioral tendencies shared universally
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
mandate of heaven · filial piety · hierarchy · junzi · heart-mind · extension · moral intuition · self-cultivation
Warring States period
Era of Chinese disunity
- debateFormal argument on issues
- disputationFormal argumentative exchange
- argumentationSystematic reasoning process
persuasion · ancient China · Shandong · philosophical dialogue
dialogues
Exchanges between speakers
- discoursesFormal communications on subjects
- Four BooksCanonical Confucian text collection
- commentariesExplanatory notes on texts
translations · annotations · exegesis · chapters · passages · quotations · aphorisms · classical text · Warring States · bamboo strips