Review Questions

1. What are naturalism, supernaturalism, and humanism? How do these concepts

relate to Confucianism?

Naturalism is the philosophical belief that what is studied by the social and physical
sciences is all that exists (and the need for any explanation going beyond the universe is
denied). Supernaturalism is the theological belief that a force or power other than man or
nature is ultimate. Humanism is the philosophical belief that the welfare and happiness of
mankind in this life is of primary concern. Confucianism is a system of moral, social,
political, and religious thought that has had tremendous influence on Chinese history,
thought, and culture down to the 21st century.

2. What is Ren?
Ren is the best a person can be and the closest the can come to becoming a
gentleman, one who respects his brothers and remain's unrecognised while is
free of resentment. Ren is used by Confucius in his book the The Analects.
The concept of ren reflects presuppositions that are characteristic of
Confucian philosophical anthropology (philosophical reflection on human
nature). Confucians have historically viewed each person not as a morally
autonomous individual but as a social being whose identity derives from his
interaction with and conduct within the broader human community. The
person who exhibits Ren exemplifies the ideal of what a human being should
be and encourages others to strive toward it. In fact, the word is homophonous
with the word for human being (Ren). The concept of Ren has been
interpreted in different ways, some of them partially expressed in English
renderings such as goodness, benevolence, and love. All these
interpretations, however, share two notions: every human being has the
capacity to possess Ren, and Ren manifests itself when a virtuous person
treats others with humaneness.

3. What are the Analects?

The Analects (Lun-y) is a collection of moral and ethical principles enunciated by

the Chinese thinker Confucius (Kung Fu-tzu) in conversations with his disciples.
These principles set standards for individual conduct and the administration of
government and community. After Confucius died, his followers compiled his
teachings in the form of dialogues between him and his students. The resulting
collection highly influenced educational, social, and cultural thought in China and
elsewhere.

4. What is filial piety in Confucianism?

Filial piety derives from that most fundamental human bond: parent and child.
The parent-child relationship is appropriately the first of the five Confucian
relationships. Although the child is the junior member in the relationship, the
notion of reciprocity is still key to understanding filial piety. Filial piety is the
 ways of respect, deference and loyalty to one's parents.
It is known as " Xiao " in Confusianism and a primary virtue from which,
according to the related teachings, all other virtues emanate.
In other words there are no other virtues possible without filial piety.
Quoting Robert Oxnam: "Filial piety derives from that most fundamental
human bond: parent and child. The parent-child relationship is appropriately
the first of the five Confucian relationships. Although the child is the junior
member in the relationship, the notion of reciprocity is still key to
understanding filial piety. The Chinese word for this is xiao."
This also applies to superiors in a social perspective e.g between a teacher and
his apprentice.
Few of those who are filial sons and respectful brothers will show disrespect
to superiors, and there has never been a man who is respectful to superiors and
yet creates disorder. A superior man is devoted to the fundamental. When the
root is firmly established, the moral law will grow. Filial piety and brotherly
respect are the root of humanity.

5. What is one important book in Confucianism? What is this book about?

The classics of Confucianism are four books and five scriptures. The four
books are the Analects, Mencius, The Higher Education, and The Doctrine of
the Mean. The five scriptures are The Book of Poetry (Shih), Book of History
(Shu), Book of Changes (Yi), Book of Rites (Li), and Spring and Autumn
Annals (Ch'un-Ch'iu). Most people use the five scriptures as the material they
teach, while the four books record the opinions and the theories of Confucius.
The Doctrine of the Mean mostly describe the philosophy and thoughts of
Confucianism. This is the best source of information if you want to learn
about the Confucian philosophies. It is thought that Tzu-si, the grandchild and
the teacher of Mencius, wrote this book. The Higher Education is the first
book of the four book, and it is also the first book children have to study when
they go to school. The Doctrine of the Mean and the Higher Education is very
useful for the children if they memorize them in their early years. The Higher
Education talks about the individual relationships and the order of the world,
which means the relationship between ethics and politics.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Compare and contrast the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius.
Confucius cared most about people and was perhaps the first great humanist in
history. When the stables burned down, he asked if any person had been hurt
but did not inquire about the horses. He recognized the free will of every
individual, believing that the commander of three armies could be removed,
but the will of even a common person could not be taken away. He spoke of
the way (dao), as when he said, "In the morning hear the way; in the evening
die content;"4 yet he believed that it was humans who made the way great, not
the way that made humans great. Confucius believed that he could even live
among the barbarians, because virtue never dwells alone and will always bring
good neighbors. He believed that a gentleman should help the needy, not make
the rich richer still. Confucius criticized Yuan Si for rejecting his salary of
nine hundred measures of grain as governor, because he could have given it to
his neighbors.

Confucius never gave up and believed that he was serving by being filial even
if he was not in the government. He never expected to meet a faultless person
but hoped that he might meet someone of fixed principles even though he saw
many examples of nothing pretending to be something. He greatly disliked
sham and deceit. He felt he could not stoop to clever talk, a pretentious
manner, and a reverence that was only of the feet. He could not bear to see
high offices filled with men of narrow views, ceremonies performed without
reverence, and mourning forms observed without grief. He hated seeing sharp
mouths overturning states and clans.

Confucius believed that his mission was to spread the culture that had been
passed on to him by King Wen, and trusting that this was the will of heaven he
did not even fear an assassin. He must have believed in prayer, because he
said that whoever turns away from heaven has no one to pray to. He hoped
that even if he was not recognized in the world, he would be known in heaven.
When Confucius became ill, some of his students dressed up as retainers; but
the master reprimanded them for this pretense, because he knew he could not
deceive heaven. He preferred to die in the arms of his disciples anyway.
Although he believed there were others as honest as himself, Confucius felt
that no one loved learning as much as he did. Any situation could be a lesson.
When walking with others he could emulate the good qualities he saw in
others and correct the bad qualities in himself. Confucius did not believe
himself to be a sage or even perfectly virtuous, but he did claim unwearying
effort to learn and unflagging patience in teaching others.

Confucius believed that people were similar by nature but became different by
practice, and thus there are some one can join in study, others one can join in
progress along the way, others again beside whom one can take one's stand,
and finally some whom one can join in counsel.

Confucius believed that a strong military for defense of a country was

necessary, "Confucius said, Let a good man teach the people seven years, and
they may then likewise be employed in war. Confucius said, To lead an
uninstructed people to war, is to throw them away.
After Confucius, Mencius was an important Confucian teacher. By writing the
book called Mencius, he emerged as one of the most famous. It is said that he
was a disciple of Confucius' grandson. Like Confucius, scholars debate about
the date of his birth. He was born in Shandong about 30 kilometers away from
where Confucius was born. It is said that he was raised near a school and
began to imitate the students and teachers and gained a love of learning. He
was born in a turbulent era called the Warring States Period (475-221). Large
states were conquering other states, and Qin especially sought to conquer the
whole region. The court officials needed to have wisdom about what to do in
the dangerous times. A misstep might mean death or the loss of power. So it
was common for the rulers in the states to entertain or employ scholars and
philosophers as advisers and officials. Mencius is best known for writing a
book on Confucian philosophy that is also called Mencius. He worked as an
official in Qi that was one of the more powerful states. He taught his
interpretation of Confucian teachings and his political philosophy that was
more acceptable for government leaders than Confucius's own teachings, and
then he retired.
Mencius was perhaps the first most influential interpreter of Confucius who
very much developed upon the original teachings of the master. He not only
defined the central Confucian concept of ren/jen (humaneness), which
Confucius did not do, but also gave a systematic elaboration of what
constituted ethical human nature. The rise of Mencius was the result of the
political activities of the shi class (educated commoners) who, during the
Warring States Era , were often employed as advisers/administrators to the
newly risen dukes/kings who wanted to conquer the others and become the
emperor. As seen from the writings of Mencius, he himself often advised the
king of Qi, one of the hegemony contending for the leadership of China. The
ru/ju (Confucian), a group within the shi class, gained ascendancy, which
paved the way for the eventual establishment of Confucian learning as the
"state ethic" around the 2nd century A.D.
Mencius was very good at using allegories in clarifying his points. Many of
his allegories have become Chinese proverbs, such as the story of one who
tried to catch fish by climbing on a tree, meaning an impossible task.

Mencius detested war, he was a pacifist, "The benevolent man has no enemy
under heaven. When the prince the most benevolent was engaged against him
who was the most the opposite, how could the blood of the people have
flowed till it floated the pestles of the mortars?"'Mencius said, 'There are men
who say-- "I am skilful at marshalling troops, I am skilful at conducting a
battle!"-- They are great criminals."
Instead of focusing on war, Mencius advised the King of Qi, one of the nine
large states in China then, to focus on humaneness in his administration.
Mencius said to the king of Qi: a hegemony needs a large state, but a humane
king does not. A ruler just needs to take care of the people, acting like
parents. Then nobody would want to attack him.
Mencius, however, was no democrat. Like Confucius, Mencius distinguished
between ordinary people and gentlemen: while the latter would be able to
"have a constant mind despite being without a constant means of livelihood,"
the ordinary people, without a constant livelihood, would succumb to all kinds
of problems. The constancy of mind, meaning a mind not swayed by external
material things, was something Mencius cherished, and to him was achieved
through self-cultivation. On the other hand, because ordinary people did not
have such constancy of mind, their rulers must appeal to their material needs.
 2. What is ancestor worship? What role does it play in Confucianism? What are
the practices associated with it?

Although Confucians do not typically hold beliefs about the individual salvation or
damnation of persons beyond this life, ancestor worship is an important part of Confucian
faith and practice. Ancestor worship is among the oldest and most enduring Chinese
religious practices. Even though the cult of ancestors frequently has been described as
Confucian, devotees of nearly every religious tradition in China practice ancestor
worship. Confucian texts universally refer to ancestor worship approvingly and
commend it as a means of cultivating the virtue of filial piety (xiao) as well as instilling
harmonious relations in society. It is not always clear whether classical Confucian authors
maintained belief in the supernatural existence or power of ancestors, but their reverence
for ancestor worship as a core element in the spiritual life is unambiguous. What happens
to human beings after they die is less important to Confucian thinkers than how the living
fulfill their obligations to the dead.
Ancestor worship (also called ancestor veneration) is a ritual practice that is based on the
belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the
affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Early
forms of ancestor worship were deeply rooted and extensively developed by the Late
Neolithic Period in China. The goal of ancestor worship is to ensure the ancestors'
continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living and sometimes to ask for
special favors or assistance. The social or nonreligious function of ancestor worship is "to
cultivate kinship values like filial piety, family loyalty, and continuity of the family
lineage."
Rituals of ancestor worship most commonly consist of offerings to the deceased to
provide for their welfare in the afterlife, which is envisioned as being similar to the
earthly life. Ancestor worship begins at the deceased kin's funeral, at which necessities
like a toothbrush, comb, towel, shoes, water, or even a computer are placed in the coffin
or burned as a sacrifice.

After the funeral, daily or twice-daily offerings are made to ensure the family member
gets a good start in the afterlife. Necessities and luxuries, like the deceased's favorite
foods, wine, and small sums of money, are placed on the altar in bowls or burned in front
of the altar. The money is usually symbolic pieces of paper called "spirit money," not real
bills. Fruits and vegetables are the preferred foods for offerings; meats are avoided
because of their association with killing. Statues representing servants or other necessities
for the afterlife are also placed on or near the altar. Family members also bow in respect
before the altar.

After a family member's funeral, Chinese families set up a home altar for the purpose of
ancestor worship. The altar normally includes a portrait or photograph of the ancestor, a
commemorative plaque and cups for offerings. Altars are usually taken down after 49
days, the period during which the deceased is believed to be undergoing judgment. This
belief is influenced by the Mahayana Buddhist idea of the Bardo, an intermediate period
between death and rebirth. After the 49-day period, the deceased is worshipped along
with all the other ancestors of the family.
After the home altar is taken down, the ancestors are believed to dwell in commemorative
tablets. Ancestral tablets are pieces of wood inscribed with the name and dates of the
deceased. They are kept in a small shrine at home and in the clan ancestral temple.
Incense is lit before the tablets daily and offerings of food and prostrations are presented
twice a month.

Chinese weddings and funerals often include elaborate rituals honoring deceased family
members. Periodical rites are also performed at the family cemetery and ancestor worship
is central to the annual Ghost Festival and Tomb Sweeping Festival.

3. Why is ren important for Confucius? Do you think this value has importance
in the world today?

Kindheartedness ren - While the former ru had been experts in ritual matters, Confucius
transformed the content of their rituals into a social philosophy. For him, a ritual expert
could not be but a person of a high moral integrity. The two main concepts of him are
kindheartedness (ren - also translatable as humanity, kindness or charity) and ritual (li).
Kindheartedness is the expression of righteousness (yi , also translatable as generosity or
philanthropy), and it is the result of unselfishness (gong , as opposed to si-"selfishness").
The term ren refers to the interaction between two persons (the character is derived from
the character of "man and that of "two"). Relations between two interacting persons had
become all the more important as status had become less important than abilities. Ren
"kind interaction between persons" was therefore by Confucius raised to a status it never
had before among the class of the ru "ritual specialists". It almost seems as if Confucius
was the inventor of this term that only rarely appears in pre-Confucian times. In
contemporary writings like the histories Guoyu and Zuozhuan , ren means "to have
affections towards someone else" or "kind behavior". For Confucius, ren had many
different meanings, depending on the context. To be ren was, to be a human (ren zhe, ren
ye ). It meant "to have an affection towards others" (ai ren ), whoever it might be. A
kindhearted man thus had to overcome the difference between relatives and non-relatives
or between persons standing close in a social network and such standing afar. Confucius
surpassed the narrow frame of "being related [only] to relatives" (qin qin ) and
"venerating [only] the venerable" (zun zun ). Yet this did not mean that Confucius did not
lay stress on the respect for parents: filial piety played an important role in his ritual-
guided thinkingand it was "the root of kindness" (xiaodi zhe, qi wei ren zhi ben), but it
had to be expanded also to others. Confucius's most famous statement about benevolence
is that "what I dislike should not be done to others" (ji suo bu yu, wu shi yu ren), or, vice
versa, to erect or promote (i.e. support) others if one wants to erect or promote oneself (ji
yu li er li ren, ji yu da er da ren).The own feelings have to be transferred to others (tui
ji ji ren). Confucius provided a lot of examples how kindheartedness is used. A person
being ren does use straight and simple words, without adornment and skilled speech. He
"loves the mountains, quietness and longevity", i.e. something immoveable, reliable and
constant. A man displaying kindheartedness is respectful (gong), magnanimous (kuan),
truthful (xin), diligent (min) and gracious (hui). In all his conversations Confucius does
not adhere to one single theoretical definition of what ren is, but he provides dozens of
examples what kindheartedness can be in practice. Ren is a practical virtue, used in daily
life and easily to apply. Such virtues (de) are fully displayed by giving up the self (ke ji),
"not seeking one's own life" (wu qiu sheng), and by "killing one's own body" (sha shen).
It is good to know what ren is, it is yet better to like ren, and the best is to enjoy
kindheartedness displayed against others.
The way (dao) of the cultivated man is never inclined to one extreme side, but is directed
towards the "golden mean" (zhongyong, zhongxing "well-balanced behavior").
Confucius' grandson Zisi has therefore written the book Zhongyong "Doctrine of the
Mean".
Parents were to be served during their lifetime and to be venerated after their death. As
long as a father is alive, a son has to respect his will, and after his father's death, his way
of life has to be taken as an example (fu zai guan qi zhi, fu mo guan qi xing ). Filial piety
claimed not only to nourish the parents (something that animals do, too), but also to pay
them respect.
The term yi is often translated as "righteousness". Yet it must be understood as the
substance of all activities and as the right manner in which something is performed. It is a
kind of behavior "appropriate" (yi ) to the actual situation. While kindheartedness is
mainly reserved in the private sphere (father and son), appropriate behavior is applied in
the official sphere (lord and minister, husband and wife, younger and older, friend and
friend, the "five human relations" wulun ). The appropriate behavior of the perfect man of
virtue (junzi ) is often contrasted with selfishness and the search for profit (li ) by the
mean man (xiaoren g).
Kindheartedness begins at home with filial piety (xiao) towards the parents (shi qin "to
serve the parents") and love and respect towards older brothers (di, also ti). It is therefore
tied to family relationship and by no means equal to the Christian universal love.
Affection towards other persons (ai ren) ranks only in second place. In the official sphere,
kindheartedness is expressed in two different ways. The first is loyalty towards superiors
(zhong ), and the second respect towards others (shu ). Loyalty (zhong) towards superiors
(shi jun "to serve one's lord") is important for the functioning of a state, a smaller polity,
or even an enterprise in the widest sense. Filial piety is likewise a crucial constituent for a
well-functioning society. Without it, social disorder would erupt. Zeng Shen , a disciple
of Confucius, therefore compiled the small book Xiaojing "Classic on filial piety". A
ruler, faced with the loyalty of his own ministers and the people, had the duty to respond
this loyalty with benevolence. The kindhearted ruler grants to the people what it likes (yin
min zhi li er li zhi), lowers taxes and uses the penal law with caution. He leads the people
along the right way by force of his own virtue (ren zheng de zhi "kindhearted government
and rule by virtue") and makes it feel treated justly by applying the proper rituals (dao zhi
yi de, qi zhi yi li "He leads them by means of virtue and makes them equal by means of
rites."). The righteous ruler appoints competent and wise talents (ju xiancai) as his
advisors. While the ruler responds to the loyalty and respect (jing ) of his ministers with
kindheartedness (ren), the father answers the filial piety (xiao) of his son by generosity
(ci ). Comportment and behavior inside a family are so directly compared with the
situation in a state, and each family was seen as a basic cell of the whole empire. If there
was benevolence and kindness, filial piety and generosity inside each family, it would
also to be found on the level of a state's government. A generous father will incite filial
behavior in his son, and a decent and benevolent ruler will make his ministers most loyal
not because they are seeking for profit but because they are convinced to serve their lord
with their utmost sincerity. Kindheartedness can move other people and change their
inner heart. It has an educating and exemplary character that is able to move the hearts of
a whole people. In order to become an exemplary personality, constant cultivation of the
self is necessary (xiu shen, xiu ji , zheng shen ). In the eyes of Confucius everyone is able
to become kindhearted, if one only really wants it (wo yu ren, si ren zhi yi). The best way
to become a kindhearted person is to give up oneself and to go back to the proper rites (ke
ji fu li). To find the true form of kindheartedness is very easy because it has to be found
in oneself (wei ren you ji ).
REN is universal and crossed time. It is a value that is still important in the world today.
Ren, or benevolence, is a moral category with infinite meanings in ancient China. It
originally refers to endearment among people. Confucius regards "Ren" as the ultimate
moral principle, standard and level. One shall fulfill his obligations in the society, the
spirit of which is to love others, or "Ren"; one must be kindhearted towards others so as
to fulfill his social responsibilities.
The connotation of "Ren" manifests itself in the connected human feelings and
interrelated sufferings between human beings as well as between substances and spirit,
that is, the general sympathy and sense of justice in society. The foundation of "Ren" is
filial piety, which requires one person to love his parents, brothers and the whole family,
and then put himself in the place of another to love extensively the others.
The "Ren" advocated by Confucius was especially aimed at officials and men of honor.
He required the integration of morality, talent, salary and status and the complementary
functions of virtue and wisdom as well as internal benevolence and external beauty, thus
promoting the happiness of ordinary people and social stability.
Confucius regarded benevolence as the most important character of human beings, and
that it dwelled in the nature of everybody and could be reached by anyone who devoted
himself to it.

4. Is Confucianism a philosophy or religion? What are the arguments on each

side of this debate?

Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather

than a religion. In fact, Confucianism built on an ancient religious foundation to establish
the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society. The
founder of Confucianism, Master Kong (K'ung, Confucius) did not intend to found a new
religion, but to interpret and revive the unnamed religion of the Zhou (Chou) dynasty,
under which many people thought the ancient system of religious rule was bankrupt; why
couldn't the gods prevent the social upheavals? The burning issue of the day was: If it is
not the ancestral and nature spirits, what then is the basis of a stable, unified, and
enduring social order? The dominant view of the day, espoused by Realists and Legalists,
was that strict law and statecraft were the bases of sound policy. Confucius, however,
believed that the basis lay in Zhou religion, in its rituals (li). He interpreted these not as
sacrifices asking for the blessings of the gods, but as ceremonies performed by human
agents and embodying the civilized and cultured patterns of behavior developed through
generations of human wisdom. They embodied, for him, the ethical core of Chinese
society. Moreover, Confucius applied the term "ritual" to actions beyond the formal
sacrifices and religious ceremonies to include social rituals: courtesies and accepted
standards of behavior -- what we today call social mores. He saw these time-honored and
traditional rituals as the basis of human civilization, and he felt that only a civilized
society could have a stable, unified, and enduring social order.

Thus one side of Confucianism was the affirmation of accepted values and norms of
behavior in primary social institutions and basic human relationships. All human
relationships involved a set of defined roles and mutual obligations; each participant
should understand and conform to his/her proper role. Starting from individual and
family, people acting rightly could reform and perfect the society.
Confucius' ethical vision ran against the grain of the legalistic mind set of his day. Only
under the Han Emperor Wu did Confucianism become accepted as state ideology and
orthodoxy. From that time on the imperial state promoted Confucian values to maintain
law, order, and the status quo. In late traditional China, emperors sought to establish
village lectures on Confucian moral precepts and to give civic awards to filial sons and
chaste wives. The imperial family and other notables sponsored the publication of
morality books that encouraged the practice of Confucian values: respect for parents,
loyalty to government, and keeping to one's place in society -- farmers should remain
farmers, and practice the ethics of farming. This side of Confucianism was conservative,
and served to bolster established institutions and long-standing social divisions.

There was, however, another side to Confucianism. Confucius not only stressed social
rituals (li), but also humaneness (ren). Ren, sometimes translated love or kindness, is not
any one virtue, but the source of all virtues. The Chinese character literally represents the
relationship between "two persons," or co-humanity -- the potential to live together
humanely rather than scrapping like birds or beasts. Ren keeps ritual forms from
becoming hollow; a ritual performed with ren has not only form, but ethical content; it
nurtures the inner character of the person, furthers his/her ethical maturation. Thus if the
"outer" side of Confucianism was conformity and acceptance of social roles, the "inner"
side was cultivation of conscience and character. Cultivation involved broad education
and reflection on one's actions. It was a lifetime commitment to character building
carving and polishing the stone of one's character until it was a lustrous gem.
The idealist wing of Confucianism had a religious character. Its ideals were transcendent,
not in the sense that they were otherworldly (the Confucians were not interested in a far-
off heavenly realm), but in the sense of the transcendent ideal -- perfection. On the one
hand, Confucian values are so closely linked with everyday life that they sometimes seem
trivial. Everyday life is so familiar that we do not take its moral content seriously. We are
each a friend to someone, or a parent, or certainly the child of a parent. On the other
hand, Confucians remind us that the familiar ideals of friendship, parenthood, and filiality
are far from trivial; in real life we only rarely attain these ideals. We all too often just go
through the motions, too preoccupied to give our full attention to the relationship. If we
consistently and wholeheartedly realized our potential to be the very best friend, parent,
son, or daughter humanly possible, we would establish a level of caring, of moral
excellence, that would approach the utopian. This is Confucian transcendence: to take the
actions of everyday life seriously as the arena of moral and spiritual fulfillment.
Generally speaking, Confucianism is not considered a religion by Chinese or other East
Asian people. Part of this attitude may be explained by the stigma placed on many
"religions" as being superstitious, illogical, or unable to deal with modernity. Many
Buddhists state that Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy, and this is partially a
reaction to negative popular views of religion. Similarly, Confucians maintain that
Confucianism is not a religion, but rather a moral code or philosophic world view.

The question of whether Confucianism is a religion, or otherwise, is ultimately a

definitional problem. If the definition used is worship of supernatural entities, the answer
may be that Confucianism is not a religion. If, on the other hand, a religion is defined as
(for example) a belief system that includes moral stances, guides for daily life, systematic
views of humanity and its place in the universe, etc., then Confucianism most definitely
qualifies. As with many such important concepts, the definition of religion is quite
contentious. Herbert Fingarette's Confucius: The Secular as Sacred is a well-known
treatment of this issue.

I know that scholars in Ancient China even worshipped Confucius and that students
bowed to a painting of him in classrooms. Although Confucius had not intended to found
a religion, some people still worship him.

5. Describe one ritual or rite of passage that takes place in Confucianism.

Confucius considered life as a process of transformation that moves through different

developmental stages, with each stage having its own task and process. Confucius
reviewed his own life journey and suggested the following stages of life Confucians
created various rituals of Li (a proper behavior in a certain situation) that demands certain
behaviors to fulfill the expected performance. Li ranges from a bow to an elder, taking off
shoes before entering the house, being silent and respectful to elders, bringing a gift to
the host, and writing thank-you notes to a helper. Society considers a serious violation of
Li as a violation of the law. The original purpose of Li is to help the individual to express
proper ways of building and maintaining caring relationships.
Age of independence. At age thirty, with life established, a person should become an
independent professional and have his or her own family and career established. A
journey of self-searching is done between the ages of sixteen and thirty. During this stage,
it is important to outwardly express one's inner qualities to understand and develop the
self.

A wedding ceremony (Wedding Li) is given by both families to announce the

establishment of the new couple. During the wedding ceremony, both bride and groom
have to pay their honor to Heaven, Earth, their ancestors (at the symbolic shrine in the
family hall), and their parents, with family and friends as witnesses. The third day after
the wedding, another wedding party is held with the bride's family.