Confucianism: Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system, on occasion

described as a religion, developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher

Confucius. Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the
Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements
in the Han Dynasty. Following the official abandonment of Legalism in China after the
Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the official state ideology of the Han. Nonetheless,
from the Han period onwards, most Chinese emperors have used a mix of Legalism and
Confucianism as their ruling doctrine. The disintegration of the Han in the second century
CE opened the way for the soteriological doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism to dominate
intellectual life at that time.
A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty. In the late Tang, Confucianism
developed aspects on the model of Buddhism and Taoism and was reformulated as NeoConfucianism. This reinvigorated form was adopted as the basis of the imperial exams
and the core philosophy of the scholar official class in the Song dynasty. The abolition of
the examination system in 1905 marked the end of official Confucianism. The New
Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed Confucianism for China's
weaknesses. They searched for new doctrines to replace Confucian teachings, some of
these new ideologies include the "Three Principles of the People" with the establishment
of the Republic of China, and then Maoism under the People's Republic of China. In the
late twentieth century, some people credited Confucianism with the rise of the East Asian
economy and it enjoyed a rise in popularity both in China and abroad.
The core of Confucianism is humanistic, or what the philosopher Herbert Fingarette calls
"the secular as sacred". Confucianism focuses on the practical order inscribed in a thisworldly awareness of the Tian and a proper respect of the gods (shen), with particular
emphasis on the importance of the family, rather than on a transcendent divine or a
soteriology. This stance rests on the belief that human beings are teachable, improvable,
and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor especially self-cultivation and
self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of
ethics. Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and practices include rn, y, and l,
and zh. Ren is an obligation of altruism and humaneness for other individuals. Yi is the
upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good. Li is a system of ritual

norms and propriety that determines how a person should properly act in everyday life.
Zhi is the ability to see what is right and fair, or the converse, in the behaviors exhibited
by others. Confucianism holds one in contempt, either passively or actively, for the
failure of upholding the cardinal moral values of ren and yi.
Historically, cultures and countries strongly influenced by Confucianism include
mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as
various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the
20th century, Confucianisms influence has been greatly reduced. More recently, there
have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academia and the scholarly community.
Ethics
Confucian ethics are described as humanistic. This ethical philosophy can be practiced by
all the members of a society. Confucian ethics is characterized by the promotion of
virtues, encompassed by the Five Constants, or the Wuchang ( ), extrapolated by
Confucian scholars during the Han Dynasty. The Five Constants are:
Rn (, humaneness);
Y (, righteousness or justice);
L (, proper rite);
Zh (, knowledge);
Xn (, integrity).
These are accompanied by the classical Sz (), that singles out four virtues, one of
which is included among the Five Constants:
Zhng (, loyalty);
Xio (, filial piety);
Ji (, continency);
Y (, righteousness).
There are still many other elements, such as chng (, honesty), sh (, kindness and
forgiveness), lin (, honesty and cleanness), ch (, shame, judge and sense of right
and wrong),yng (, bravery), wn (, kind and gentle), ling (, good, kindhearted),
gng (, respectful, reverent), jin (, frugal), rng (, modestly, self-effacing).