A Study On The Argumentation Of Chapter Liren Of Confucius Analects

Confucius Analects is one of the most classic works in Chinese philosophical history, which is compiled by disciples of Confucius and his disciples. It uses a quotation style to record sayings of Confucius and his disciples. Although the Analects is a quotation book, but each chapter is not unrelated. However, this kind of connection has not re-received enough attention from ancient times to today. Maybe there are someone who once realized this, but they never expressed it clearly. The most obvious connection reflected in the Analects is virtue. The rate of the emergence of virtue is extremely high, which is throughout the whole book. And there are more indirect expressions about virtue can be found here and there.This combination of explicitness and implication constitutes the whole virtue and makes it more rich and stereo. In the Chapter Liren, virtue appears in a more obvious way. This paper will choose the first part-the first seven chapters to interpret how the virtue in each chapter connects with one another.Confucius interpreted the practice and gain of virtue in a way of not simply stating the meaning of virtue but focusing on combining it with specific things, so we can fully understand it. The virtue in Chapter Liren, especially the virtue in the first seven chapters is all about one topic-’ live in a virtuous neighborhood’. So this paper will use context and various annotations to explore and then find out how to be wise when live in a virtuous neighborhood. The content of this paper is mainly about what the meaning of living in a virtuous neighborhood is, how to choose a better virtuous neighborhood. It involves many specific sayings and issues, such as "the virtuous resting in virtue","the wise desiring virtue" and "likes and dislikes". In these examples, especially the "likes and dislikes" plays a key role in understanding "living in a virtuous neighborhood". In a word, the virtue lies in every line of the first seven chapters. With the exploring on the argumentation of virtue, this paper aims at helping people feel the intention of compilers by heart and try to understand the meaning of virtue at the same time, so they can have a preliminary understanding on the connection of virtue and the whole Confucius Analects.