Glossary of Concepts

Cardinal virtue: humaneness, benevolence, and empathy. For Confucius, "to love others." For Mencius, the innate sprout of compassion.

Ritual norms and appropriate conduct. External expression of virtue. For Xúnzǐ, the primary means of human transformation.

Moral sense of what is right. Discerning duty in each situation. For Mencius, rooted in the sprout of shame and dislike (羞惡之心).

Moral knowledge. For Zhū Xī, investigation of principles. For Wáng Yángmíng, innate intuitive knowledge.

Integrity in one's word. Foundation of social trust.

Devotion and respect toward parents and ancestors. Root of all virtues.

Transcendent principle and source of moral order. The Mandate of Heaven (天命) legitimizes the ruler and grounds human nature.

Ideal of a morally cultivated person. Not nobility of birth but ethical excellence.

Rational structure inherent in each thing. Distinct from lǐ 禮 (ritual). Central to Zhū Xī.

Substance-energy of the material world. Qì actualizes principle (lǐ) in concrete reality.

Wáng Yángmíng: intuitive moral capacity present in every person. Does not depend on external investigation of things, but must be actively extended through moral effort (致良知).

Radical authenticity connecting the human being with the cosmic order. Central to the Zhōngyōng.

Central debate: inherently good (Mencius), tending toward disorder without cultivation (Xunzi), or neutral? Defines the Confucian schools.