On Confucius' View Of Gentleman

During the Spring-autumn and Warring period, the Confucians, bearing the ambition to preach their doctrine to the whole nation, had noticed the significance of men's moral character and proposed many ideal moral modes, among which the most representative is Confucius'idea of gentleman. The idea of gentlemen's moral character and the related cultivation theories have had a great influence upon generations of great men and helped to shape the Chinese national character and psyche. It is the essence of our traditional culture.This dissertation is composed of three parts:Part one: Briefly analyze the cause of Confucius'proposal of gentleman's moral character. From the contemporary situation of Confucius'time and his idea and pursuit of an ideal society, analyze the implication of his idea of"gentleman's virtue"and why he sets it as the ideal moral character.Part two: Elaborate the essential attributes of Confucius'idea of gentleman's moral character from the aspect of"saint within and king without". Being a"saint within"means the gentleman possess such moral qualities as"benevolence, wisdom and bravery"and are uprighteous, moderate and persistent in moral conduct. Being a"king without"means the gentleman pursue moral integrity and benefiting others.Part three: Elaborate the means of cultivating the gentleman's moral character. This is mainly analyzed through four aspects: the gentleman's consciousness; self-improvement through study; self-restraint through the rules of"li"(Confucian moral code); the idea of destiny.At the close of the dissertation the author puts forward the idea of critical inheritance and expects people will revive the gentleman's moral character in today's society.