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A Genealogical Survey of the Values and Practices of Confucian Courage from Ancient China to the Contemporary World

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Reconceptualizing Confucian Philosophy in the 21st Century

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Abstract

According to the Shuo Wen 說文, the character 勇 yong (“courage”) has two etymological origins. One is 勈, which emphasizes muscular strength, and the other is 恿, which emphasizes mental power. Xu Kai’s explanation is that “in ancient characters, 心 xin (“mind”) plus 甬 (“budding”) forms 勇 (“courage”), which implies acting from righteousness.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The “Jin Yu” chapter of Guoyu 国语 provides one early textual example of this; see also Chen (2002).

  2. 2.

    Different meanings of “courage” in ancient texts are listed in Ruan Yuan’s Jingji Zuangu 经籍纂诂, Vol. 32, and documents concerning “courage” are collected in Chen Yaowen’s Tian Zhong Ji 天中记, Vol. 27.

  3. 3.

    Huang Junjie argues that many disciples of Confucius were of the warrior class; see Huang (1991, p. 344).

  4. 4.

    Zi Gong asked, “Has a superior person his hatreds also?” The Master said, “He has his hatreds. He hates those who proclaim the evil of others. He hates inferiors who slander their superiors. He hates those whose courage is not tempered by ritual. He hates the impulsive and the stubborn” (Analects, 17.24).

  5. 5.

    There are different explanations in the commentaries, as Huang Junjie (1991, pp. 348–355) has shown.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Lisheng Chen

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  1. Lisheng Chen
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Correspondence to Lisheng Chen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Xinzhong Yao

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Chen, L. (2017). A Genealogical Survey of the Values and Practices of Confucian Courage from Ancient China to the Contemporary World. In: Yao, X. (eds) Reconceptualizing Confucian Philosophy in the 21st Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4000-9_28

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