A Study On The Ideas About Junzi In The Mencius

Since humanism sprouted in the early Zhou dynasty,the concept of humanity had been considered and enriched as part of philosophical thinking,which triggered the discussion on personality.What kind of personality is regarded as an ideal one that meets the universal values?How to achieve such an ideal personality?What are the ways to create it?The ideal personality has been an all-time hot topic for Confucians scholars to discuss about since Confucius established the framework of humanism.Confucius first of all transformed Junzi,a position in the social hierarchy,into a concept of moral philosophy,and endowed it with the core ideal quality-Ren.Confucius,definition of Junzi was completely inherited and further interpreted in a systematic and innovative manner by Mencius.From the ontological perspective,Mencius' attitude towards Destiny is "to follow the Destiny",which provided the metaphysical basis for Junzi to find out the value of existence while going through adversities in real life that controlled by Destiny;In terms of the relationship between Heaven and Man,Mencius was the first one who proposed the "unity of Heaven and Man"by way of the "original goodness in human nature." By doing so,he provided the necessary basis for Junzi to reach the highest good of Heaven through moral cultivation.From the perspective of the theory of cultivation,Mencius believed that Junzi was free of will and was in a decisive position in the moral philosophical realm by stating that Junzi could cultivate himself by "finding himself sincere after self-reflection." In terms of the practice of the cultivation theory,Mencius proposed that Junzi should do what his conscience told him to do,which was in accordance with Li.In terms of life status,Mencius emphasized senses of responsibility and values from both moral and political dimensions by highlighting Junzi's lifetime careful thought;meanwhile,he thought that the spiritual status of Junzi was one of sincere happiness in the realm of pure morality that dissolved all external achievements,and the best status of all was the highest level of sincerity and good in one's mind.Mencius systematically constructed the personality of Junzi by proposing that "everyone can be Yao or Shun,which imposed a far-reaching influence on the later development of Confucian study,particularly the Neo-Confucianism during the Song and Ming dynasties.