大学英语中国文化概况论文.doc

Zhejiang Institute of Technology Confucius Confucianism(The root and flowers of Chinese culture)The jesuits in china in the Ming and Qing dynasties were entirely rejecting Idealist philosophy of philosophy but advocating Confucianism in the pre-Qin dynasty, which is believed by the most of the scholars.( From 孔夫子：最初西文翻译的儒家经典). At the same time，Confucius win the respect of many people. “Confucius was introduced for the first time to the West as: Chinese philosopher, who flourished about five hundred years before the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”(From Confucius and Confucianism)Confucius“Confucius has proved to be the greatest influence over the Chinese character.”(from Confucianism)Confucianism was further developed by Mencius (372B.C.-289B.C.) and Xun Zi. It was in the reign of Emperor Wu during the Han Dynasty that Confucianism was promoted to being the state ideology. Since then, Confucianism became the orthodox doctrine of Chinese society. And Confucius was glorified as a Saint instead of an ordinary man. There is no doubt that Confucius is a great educationist, thinker and unsuccessful politician, besides, he is also the founder of Confucianism. In Chinese, Confucius was called “Kong Qiu ” Because of the high forehead which like a small hill ,his father took the “Qiu” as Confuciuss given name . Confucius pursued truth, kindness and perfection throughout his life and his success and failure were largely due to his character, which had an everlasting impact on Chinese intellect. Until today he is still the sages with so many peoples respect, regardless of ethnic areas. Confucius teachings have exercised such a molding influence that if the Oriental way of life were to be characterized in one word it would be Confucian Confucius was human, all-too-human, and the sagest of the sages. He did not pretend to be a prophet, but dedicated his whole life to save the mankind as a heavenly missionary. Confucius promised those who followed him no great riches, no secrets for worldly power or fame.ConfucianismConfucianism is the philosophical system founded on the teaching of the Chinese sage Confucius (551-479 B.C.). It has been very important in China and has also influenced Japan and Korea. Confucianism combines a political theory and a theory of human nature, resulting in a prescriptive doctrine or way (dao). The political theory is based on the idea that the legitimate ruler derives authority from heavens command, or the mandate of heaven, and is responsible for the peoples well-being and for peace and order in the empire. In terms of human nature, humans are essentially social animals whose ways of interaction are shaped by convention or ritual (li), which prescribe proper behavior for a given situation. Sages are those who have mastered li, and from whom the mass of people learn. Leaders should, ideally, be sages, and should appoint only those who are models of virtue (de) to prominent positions. People will emulate virtuous models, so virtuous leadership results in a natural moral education. The highest level of moral development is ren, the natural inclination toward harmony with the dao. Although Confucius never wrote down his philosophy, his disciples compiled his sayings after his death and preserved them in the basic text of Confucianism, the Analects.“Confucianism is something of a derivative. As a matter of fact, Confucius insisted on close adherence to Tao. ”However, he was pragmatic and concerned with the existential problems of man, hence he deals less with generalities and more with the practical matters of daily and personal relationships .The cultures most strongly influenced by Confucianism include those of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as various territories including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Singapore, where ethnic Chinese are the majority The Four Books:The Great Learning(大学)The Doctrine of the Mean（中庸）The Analects of Confucius（论语）The Mencius(孟子)The Five ClassicsThe Classic of Poetry （诗经）The Classic of History（书经）The Classic of Rites（礼经）The Classic of Changes（易经）The Spring and Autumn Annals（春秋）In fact , there is A sixth book which is called the Classic of Music(乐经). Unfortunately it is referred to but was lost by the time of the Han Dynasty.Rediscover Confucius and ConfucianismThe China Confucius Fund launch the statue of Confucius on 2006.9.23.Some people felt it didnt quite match the Confucius image in their mind though. Among a thousand readers, there will be a thousand intepretations of the character Hamlet. So is Confucius. To be fait, its an impossible job to create an official statue of someone who lived more than 2,500 years ago. No one knows what he looked like, just like no one in the West knows what Plato looked like.“ Confucianism is succinct as well as intensive. Strictly speaking, it is not a religion but more a doctrine than belief, while the meaning behind the beautiful words renders wordy post-modernism pale and dull.”（FromConfucianism） .Nowadays Confucianism seems to be back in fashion again. Some companies are using Confucianism as a management tool. The government is also promoting the Confucian values of ethics, fairness, and honesty. They see it as a way to address the social problems that have emerged as a result of the accelerated economic growth.Confucius and Confucianism, as a heritage of Chinese Cultural, infect the whole world with its strong vital