Ren(philosophy)
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(October 2017) |
| Ren | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | Nhân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | nhân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | Nhân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 인 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | Nhân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | Nhân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Part ofa serieson |
| Confucianism |
|---|
 |
| Part ofa serieson |
| Love |
|---|
 |
Ren(Chinese:Nhân,meaning "co-humanity" or "humaneness" ) is aConfucianvirtue meaningthe good quality of a virtuous humanwhen reaching forhigher idealsor when beingaltruistic.Renis exemplified by functional, instinctual, parental feelings and intentions of encouragement and protection for their children. It is considered the outward expression of Confucian ideals.
Yan Hui,one of theFour Sages,once asked his master to describe the rules ofren.Confucius replied, "One should see nothing improper, hear nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper."[1]Confucius also definedrenin the following way: "wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others."[2]Confucius also said, “Isgoodnessout of reach? As soon as I long for goodness, goodness is at hand.”[3]Renis close to man and never leaves him.[4]
Interpretation of the Chinese character[edit]
The singlelogogramforrenis a composite of two distinct commonhanzi,Người (man, a man, a person) and nhị (two), with người assuming its common form inside another character, to which various interpretations have been assigned. Internallyrencan mean "to look up" or "to aspire to higher principles or ideals" and, externally one often hears thatrenmeans "how two people should treat one another". While such folk etymologies are common in discussions of Chinese characters, they are often misleading.
In the case ofren—usually translated as "benevolence" or "humaneness" —humaneness is human-ness, the essence of being human. For Confucius, the interaction of a completely dependent infant and caring parent is the most emotionally charged human interaction, "To love a thing means wanting it to live...".[5]TheWayof humaneness is human interaction and, through shared experience, knowing one's family. "Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said it is loving people. Fan Chi asked about wisdom. The Master said it is knowing people."[6]In other words, human love and interaction is the source of humaneness, the source of the human self.
Another common interpretation of the graphical elements is Man or a man connectingHeavenandEarth.
Pre-imperial epigraphic sources testify to alternative writings of the same character: 忎 (given as a variant of nhân in theShuowendictionary), thân with tâm below (⿱ thể xác và tinh thần ), and the latter compound with người on the right.[7]
Principles ofli,ren,andyi[edit]
The principle ofrenis related to the concepts ofliandyi.Liis often translated as "ritual";yias "righteousness".These three interrelated terms deal with agency as Confucians conceive it.Liis action deemed appropriate by society,yiis action that is indeed correct, whilerendeals with the relationship between the agent and object of the action. Often the same action is bothliandyi;however, that is not always the case.
Liis the outward expression of Confucian ideals, whilerenis both the inward and outward expressions of those same ideals. According to Hopfe and Woodward: "Basically,liseems to mean 'the course of life as it is intended to go'.Lialso has religious and social connotations. When a society lives byli,it moves smoothly: men and women respect their elders and superiors; the proper rituals and ceremonies are performed; everything and everyone is in its proper place. "[8]: 180–181
Nature ofren[edit]
Traditional views[edit]
Renrelies heavily on the relationships between two people, but at the same time encompasses much more than that. It represents an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one is never alone, and that everyone has these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, the world, and ultimately the Tao.[9]
Renis not a concept that is learned; it is innate Everyone is born with the sense ofren.Confucius believed that the key to long-lasting integrity was to constantly think, since[non sequitur]the world is continually changing at a rapid pace.
Renhas been translated as "benevolence", "perfect virtue", "goodness", or "human-heartedness".[8]: 181 When asked, Confucius defined it by the ordinary Chinese word for love,ai,saying that it meant to "love others".[10]
Renalso has a political dimension. Confucianism says that if the ruler lacksren,it will be difficult for his subjects to behave humanely.Renis the basis of Confucian political theory; the ruler is exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects. An inhumane ruler runs the risk of losing theMandate of Heavenor, in other words, the right to rule. A ruler lacking such a mandate need not be obeyed, but a ruler who reigns humanely and takes care of the people will be entrusted by Heaven and trust by the people therefore follows, for the benevolence of his dominion shows that he has been mandated (mingMệnh) by heaven. Confucius himself had little to say on the active will of the people, though he believed the ruler should definitely pay attention to the needs of the people and take good care of them to minimize wants. Mencius, however, stated that the people's opinion on certain weighty matters should be polled.[11][citation needed]
Renalso includes traits that are a part of being righteous, such as:xìn(Tin), meaning to make one's words complement one's actions;lǐ(Lễ), which means to properly participate in everyday rituals;jìng(Kính), meaning seriousness; andyì(Nghĩa), which means righteousness. When all these qualities are present, then one can truly be identified as ajunzi(Quân tử), or "superior man" —a morally superior human being. Confucians held the view that government should be run byjunziwho concentrate solely on the welfare of the people they govern.[11][circular reference]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^AnalectsXII.1
- ^AnalectsVI.30
- ^Confucius(2014). Nylan, Michael (ed.).The analects: the Simon Leys translation, interpretations.Translated by Leys, Simon. New York, NY: W. W. Norton. pp. Chapter 7, Line 7.30.ISBN978-0-393-91195-4.
- ^Do-Dinh, Pierre (1969).Confucius and Chinese Humanism.New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 107.
- ^AnalectsXII.10
- ^AnalectsXII.22
- ^Behr, Wolfgang (2009). "In The Interstices Of Representation: Ludic Writing And The Locus Of Polysemy In The Chinese Sign".The Idea of Writing.Brill. pp. 281–314.doi:10.1163/ej.9789004174467.i-396.94.ISBN978-90-474-2792-6.
- ^abHopfe, Lewis M.; Woodward, Mark R.Religions of the World.Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education Inc.
- ^Chi-Yun, Chang.A Life of Confucius.Taipei: Hwakang Press. p. 34.
- ^Dubs, Homer H. (April 1951). "The Development of Altruism in Confucianism".Philosophy East and West.1(1): 48–55.doi:10.2307/1396935.JSTOR1396935.
- ^ab"The Meaning of Ren in Confucianism".Beijing Tourism.Retrieved17 June2021.
External links[edit]
- Confucius, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, § 6
- Yen Ooi,Ren. The Ancient Chinese Art of Finding Peace and Fulfilment(Welbeck Books) ISBN 9781787398221
