●CONTENTS The Three Guidelines and Eight Objectives of Confucianism1 Three Guidelines and Eight Objectives ...................................................3 Three Guidelines ...................................................................................10 Illustrating illustrious virtue ..........................................................10 Renovating the people ...................................................................12 Resting in the highest excellence ..................................................14 Eight Objectives....................................................................................18 Studying the nature of things to acquire knowledge .....................18 Making the thoughts sincere .........................................................21 Rectifying the mind .......................................................................23 Cultivating morality .....................................................................24 Managing the family ....................................................................26 Governing the state and safeguarding peace under heaven .........31 Self-Cultivation39 Cultivating Morality ..............................................................................41 Cultivating morality: vital for action ............................................41 A man of virtue: holding three things in awe, guarding against three things, and having neither anety nor fear .............46 Sincerity and reciprocity: vital for benevolence by a man of virtue .........................................................................................52 Developing Stronger Virtues ................................................................55 It is peoples nature to develop stronger virtues vital for their survival ..........................................................................................55 Feeling happy when told of his errors and working to correct all his mistakes: a characteristic of a virtuous man with good deeds..............................................................................................61 Choosing what is good and following it: an important manifestation of the cultivation of morality by a man of virtue .....65 Benevolence and Morality ....................................................................71 Benevolence: the fundamental morality of a man of virtue .........71 The self-cultivation of a man of virtue: with benevolence and wisdom included ...........................................................................77 Moral integrity that helps a man of virtue command respect ......84 Modesty and Prudence .........................................................................88 Modesty and prudence: the principle of action of a man of virtue .........................................................................................88 Being earnest in what he is doing, and careful in his speech: a code of conduct of a man of virtue .............................................94 A man of virtue being prudent in his words and deeds: the right moment and propriety ....................................................99 Self-Cultivation Through Learning .....................................................103 Studiousness: a prerequisite for the self-improvement of a man of virtue ..............................................................................103 The itive attitude of a man of virtue toward learning ...........109 Dedication: the only way to master principles ............................ 114 Self-Conduct119 Conducting Oneself in Society ...........................................................121 Principles by which the man of virtue conducts himself in society .........................................................................................121 Honesty: the code of conduct for a man of virtue ......................129 Art: a st in the action of a man of virtue ...............................134 Making Friends ...................................................................................140 A man of virtue: making friends selectively ...............................140 Selecting good people: the fundamental principle and condition by which a man of virtue makes friends .....................144 The art a man of virtue maintains friendly intercourse: showing the same respect for long acquaintance as at first .........150 Diligence and Parsimony ....................................................................155 A thousand-li journey begins with the first step: the only way to success ....................................................... 155 A man of virtue does not eat the bread of idleness: a division of labor in society ......................................................158 Frugality: the fundamental principle a man of virtue cannot afford to abandon .......................................................................162 The Benefit of Filial Piety and Fraternal Respectfulness .....................166 The benefit of filial piety and fraternal respectfulness: vital for benevolence ...........................................................................166 How Confucianism considers a man of virtue to be with genuine filial piety ......................................................................169 The principles and targets of Confucian education ....................174 Putting moral education first: the fundamental principle of Confucian education ....................178 Governance183 Serving as Offis .............................................................................185 Serving as an offi: a itive attitude of a man of virtue ......185 Basic conditions and principles for a man of virtue as an offi .........................................................................................190 Knowledge and the art of leadership: sts for a man of virtue as an offi ......................................................................196 Morality and integrity of a man of virtue as an offi .............202 A man of virtue as an offi: accepting both promotion and demotion .....................................................................................207 Clean Governance ............................................................................... 211 A man of virtue: staying intact based on clean governance ....... 211 A man of virtue: seeking no small gain as an offi and subjecting his gain to principles and righteousness ...................216 Following what ones heart desires without transgressing what is benevolent: a principle that should be affirmed ..............223 Selecting the Virtuous and Appointing the Able ................................227 Principles a man of virtue serving as an offi st observe in selecting the virtuous and appointing the able ........................227 Skills a man of virtue serving as an offi uses to select and place personnel ............................................................................234 Who are the virtuous to be selected and the able to be appointed? ...................................................................................242 Governing the State and Safeguarding Peace Under Heaven ............246 Establishing a state based on the military and governing it based on benevolence ..................................................................246 Staying people-oriented: a st for governance as a sovereign .255 Assuming responsibility for the wellbeing of the state and people as a sovereign ..................................................................261 Making the military efficient and using it sparingly: a principle of governance ............................................................269