TERMBASES
Literally, the term means “this culture.” It encompasses the cultural and ethical progress created by rites, music, education, codes, and systems as well as a social order which is hierarchical but harmonious. Later, this term came to refer to the literati and extended to mean being cultured and refined.
Renwen (人文) encompasses the cultural and ethical progress created by rites, music, education, codes, and systems as well as a social order which is hierarchical but harmonious. Renwen is in contrast …
Li (礼) is a general term for social norms which regulate an individual’srelationship with other people, everything else in nature, and even ghosts and spirits. By setting various regulations about ce…
Yue (乐) is one of the six arts of ancient times, often mentioned together with li (礼 rites / social norms). In contrast to external rules and rites, music touches the emotions and thus can affect hum…
This term refers to a thriving, prosperous, and perceptibly refined society in which people behave in a cultured fashion. Wen (文) refers to the arts and humanities, including social norms, music educa…
Shaping the mind through education was a key concept of the political philosophy and an essential way of governance in ancient China. Rulers usually used a combination of means, both visible and invisi…
This refers to the effect a ruler’s virtuous behavior has on hissubjects, in the way the wind influences the myriad things. Moral cultivationis an important part of education. The Confucian view is th…
Originally, this term meant to educate and influence people. Later, it came to refer to the function of shaping customary social practices, namely, the educational role of literary and artistic works i…
The term is used to describe efforts to teach people essential ideals and principles of renwen (人文) and guide them to embrace goodness with the aim of building a harmonious – albeit hierarchical – …