Analects
The Analects (Chinese: 論語; pinyin: Lúnyǔ; lit. 'Selected Sayings'; Old Chinese: [r]u[n] ŋ(r)aʔ), also known as the Sayings of Confucius, is an ancient Chinese philosophical text composed of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been compiled by his followers. There is consensus among scholars that large parts of it were written during the Warring States period (475–221 BC), and that it achieved its final form during the mid-Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). By the early Han dynasty the Analects was considered merely a "commentary" on the Five Classics, but the status of the Analects grew to be one of the central texts of Confucianism by the end of that dynasty.
A page from the Analects | |
| Author | Disciples of Confucius |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Language | Classical Chinese |
| Translation | Analects 論語 at Wikisource |
| Analects | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Analects" in ancient seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 論語 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 论语 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lúnyǔ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Selected Sayings", or "Edited Conversations" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | Luận ngữ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 論語 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 논어 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 論語 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 論語 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kana | ろんご | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
During the late Song dynasty (960–1279 AD) the importance of the Analects as a Chinese philosophy work was raised above that of the older Five Classics, and it was recognized as one of the "Four Books". The Analects has been one of the most widely-read and studied books in China for the last 2,000 years, and continues to have a substantial influence on thought and values throughout East Asia to the present day.
Confucius believed that the welfare of a country depended on the moral cultivation of its people, beginning from the nation's leadership. He believed that individuals could begin to cultivate an all-encompassing sense of virtue through ren, and that the most basic step to cultivating ren was devotion to one's parents and older siblings. He taught that one's individual desires do not need to be suppressed, but that people should be educated to reconcile their desires via rituals and forms of propriety, through which people could demonstrate their respect for others and their responsible roles in society.
Confucius taught that a ruler's sense of de, or 'virtue', was his primary prerequisite for leadership. His primary goal in educating his students was to produce ethically well-cultivated men who would carry themselves with gravity, speak correctly, and demonstrate consummate integrity in all things.