A Study Of Mencius’ S Concept Of Junzi

Mencius’ thought is a key link in the development of Confucianism,inheriting the ideas of Confucius and Zisi and introducing the new theories of Xunzi.The "Junzi" is one of the representatives of the ideal personality of Confucianism,and has an important moral guidance significance in society.Mencius’ idea of the Junzi originated from Confucius,but on the basis of his inheritance Mencius made his own unique play,especially with the introduction of the theory of the goodness of nature,which established the moral essence of the "Junzi".On the basis of the "four ends",his method of cultivation based on the role of the "heart" played a decisive role in maintaining the reality of the Junzi’s personality,making it impossible for people to ignore the moral influence of the word "Junzi" when they see it.It is impossible to ignore the moral influence of the word "Junzi"-to cultivate oneself and to reflect the virtue of others.Mencius’ creative elaboration of the Junzi realizes the fundamental connection between the Junzi and the human being,and establishes the intrinsic basis on which everyone can be a Junzi.Mencius constructs a three-dimensional moral image of the Junzi from three aspects: virtue,cultivation,and realm.On the level of virtue,Mencius takes the distinction between human beings and animals as a starting point to clarify the prescriptive nature and value of human beings,and takes the initiative of the Junzi’s act of " save" to explain the value of "a few virtues" and "goodness of nature",and In this way,he establishes the moral self of the Junzi and provides the main support for the purpose of benevolence and virtue.On the level of cultivation,Mencius believes that maintaining one’s own goodness through moral cultivation is an important sign that distinguishes a Junzi from an animal.At the same time,Mencius emphasizes that a Junzi’s cultivation should be both internal and external,and that he needs to correct himself in time through the path of physical and mental awareness.At the realm level,the Junzi of Mencius moves from the heart to the "I",inspiring the individual to be self-explanatory,and then from the self to the others,to be honest and sincere,and finally to integrate the realm of the Junzi with the "Heaven" and the "Way".Finally,the state of the Junzi will be integrated with "heaven" and "the way" to achieve a spiritual reversion to morality.On the level of overall moral influence,virtue,cultivation,and realm are the same,three dimensions for analyzing the same thing.However,to fully understand Mencius’ "Junzi",it is necessary to start from external virtue,then touch upon internal cultivation,and finally reach the realization of the spiritual realm.Based on the goodness of human nature,Mencius incorporated benevolence,righteousness,propriety,and wisdom into the nature of the Junzi,establishing the moral essence of the Junzi,and through the shaping of the Junzi,he gave the moral heart a suitable subshapely home,and at the same time gave society at that time the opportunity to rebuild the value of the subject.It is for this reason that the influence of the Junzi’s virtuous meaning was preserved in the benign development of society for a long time,and always accompanied the pursuit of moral self-actualization and lived on.