Editing Confucius (section)

===Ethics===
{{Main|Confucian ethics}}
[[File:Rongo Analects 02.jpg|thumb|left|The ''[[Analects]]'']]
One of the deepest teachings of Confucius may have been the superiority of personal exemplification over explicit rules of behavior. His moral teachings emphasized self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment rather than knowledge of rules. Confucian ethics may, therefore, be considered a type of [[virtue ethics]]. His teachings rarely rely on reasoned argument, and ethical ideals and methods are conveyed indirectly, through [[allusion]], [[innuendo]], and even [[tautology (rhetoric)|tautology]]. His teachings require examination and context to be understood. A good example is found in this famous anecdote:

{{blockquote|
{{lang|zh|廄焚。子退朝，曰：傷人乎？不問馬。| size = 110% }}

When the stables were burnt down, on returning from court Confucius said, "Was anyone hurt?" He did not ask about the horses.|''Analects'' X.11 (tr. [[Arthur Waley|Waley]]), 10–13 (tr. [[James Legge|Legge]]), or X-17 (tr. [[D.C. Lau|Lau]])}}

This remark was considered a strong manifestation of Confucius' advocacy in humanism.{{sfn|Chan|1969|p=36}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Confucius |author-link=Confucius |title=The analects: the Simon Leys translation, interpretations |date=2014 |publisher=W. W. Norton |isbn=978-0-393-91195-4 |editor-last=Nylan |editor-first=Michael |location=New York, NY |translator-last=Leys |translator-first=Simon|pages=Note to Chapter 10, Line 10.17}}</ref>

One of his teachings was a variant of the [[Golden Rule]], sometimes called the "[[Silver Rule]]" owing to its negative form:

{{blockquote|
{{lang|zh|子貢問曰：有一言而可以終身行之者乎？子曰：其恕乎！己所不欲、勿施於人。| size = 110% }}

Zi Gong [a disciple] asked: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?" The Master replied: "How about 'reciprocity'! Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."|''Analects'' XV.24, tr. David Hinton}}

Often overlooked in Confucian ethics are the virtues to the self: sincerity and the cultivation of knowledge. Virtuous action towards others begins with virtuous and sincere thought, which begins with knowledge. A virtuous disposition without knowledge is susceptible to corruption, and virtuous action without sincerity is not true righteousness. Cultivating knowledge and sincerity is also important for one's own sake; the superior person loves learning for the sake of learning and righteousness for the sake of righteousness.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The Confucian theory of ethics as exemplified in ''[[Li (Confucian)|lǐ]]'' ({{lang|zh|禮}}) is based on three important conceptual aspects of life: (a) ceremonies associated with sacrifice to ancestors and deities of various types, (b) social and political institutions, and (c) the etiquette of daily behavior. Some believed that ''lǐ'' originated from the heavens, but Confucius stressed the development of ''lǐ'' through the actions of sage leaders in human history. His discussions of ''lǐ'' seem to redefine the term to refer to all actions committed by a person to build the ideal society, rather than those conforming with canonical standards of ceremony.{{sfn|Gardner|2014|p=25-29}}

In the early Confucian tradition, ''lǐ'' was doing the proper thing at the proper time; balancing between maintaining existing norms to perpetuate an ethical social fabric, and violating them in order to accomplish ethical good. Training in the ''lǐ'' of past sages, cultivates virtues in people that include ethical judgment about when ''lǐ'' must be adapted in light of situational contexts.

In Confucianism, the concept of ''li'' is closely related to ''yì'' ({{lang|zh|義}}), which is based upon the idea of reciprocity. ''Yì'' can be translated as [[righteousness]], though it may mean what is ethically best to do in a certain context. The term contrasts with action done out of [[selfishness|self-interest]] or profitableness ({{lang|zh|利}}). While pursuing one's own self-interest is not necessarily bad, one would be a better, more righteous person if one's life was based upon following a path designed to enhance the greater good. Thus an outcome of ''yì'' is doing the right thing for its own sake, without regarding the material gains.{{sfn|Fung|1952|pp=74-76}}

Just as action according to ''[[Li (Confucian)|lǐ]]'' should be adapted to conform to the aspiration of adhering to ''yì'', so ''yì'' is linked to the core value of ''rén'' ({{lang|zh|仁}}). ''[[Ren (Confucianism)|Rén]]'' consists of five basic virtues: seriousness, generosity, sincerity, diligence, and kindness.<ref name="Bonevac09-40">{{Harvnb|Bonevac|Phillips|2009|loc=40}}.</ref> ''Rén'' is the virtue of perfectly fulfilling one's responsibilities toward others, most often translated as "benevolence", "humaneness", or "empathy"; translator [[Arthur Waley]] calls it "Goodness" (with a capital ''G''), and other translations that have been put forth include "authoritativeness" and "selflessness". Confucius's moral system was based upon [[empathy]] and understanding others, rather than divinely ordained rules. To develop one's spontaneous responses of ''rén'' so that these could guide action intuitively was even better than living by the rules of ''yì''. Confucius asserts that virtue is a mean between extremes. For example, the properly generous person gives the right amount – not too much and not too little.<ref name="Bonevac09-40" />