Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics
Confucian culture has always been the most glorious component of Chinese culture. Governing the mainstream world of China for more than two millennia, it has cast a profound and long-lasting influence on the way of thinking and cultural-psychological formation of the Chinese people. Confucianism emp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603344/full |
| _version_ | 1818456485065129984 |
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| author | Bo Hu Bo Hu Fugui Xing Fugui Xing Miaorong Fan Miaorong Fan Tingshao Zhu Tingshao Zhu |
| author_facet | Bo Hu Bo Hu Fugui Xing Fugui Xing Miaorong Fan Miaorong Fan Tingshao Zhu Tingshao Zhu |
| author_sort | Bo Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Confucian culture has always been the most glorious component of Chinese culture. Governing the mainstream world of China for more than two millennia, it has cast a profound and long-lasting influence on the way of thinking and cultural-psychological formation of the Chinese people. Confucianism emphasizes caring about others with benevolence and governing a state with ethics, reflecting the importance of moral principles for politics. “Ren” and “Li” are important parts of the core values of Confucianism, so analyzing the differences between them and their evolution is of great significance for further understanding Confucian culture. This paper selected 132 classic Confucian works from SikuQuanshu, a large collection of books compiled during the Qianlong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912), to calculate the use of frequency of “Ren” and “Li” in those books by means of big data. Then the data was analyzed to show the development trajectory of “Ren” and “Li” from the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) to the Qing Dynasty, providing a new perspective for the study of Confucian culture. The analysis result shows that from the Spring and Autumn period to the Qing Dynasty, both the frequencies of “Ren” and “Li” record a peak and a bottom: “Ren” has its peak in the Sui and Tang period (581–907) while “Li” reaches its climax in the Wei and Jin period (220–420); both “Ren” and “Li” hit their bottom during the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368). The average frequency of “Li” is higher than that of “Ren” during most of the time (eight dynasties and periods). In general, “Li” is more frequently referred to in classic Confucian works than “Ren,” especially in those of the pre-Sui and Tang era. The An-Shi Disturbances in the Tang Dynasty may mark an important turning point for the frequencies of “Ren” and “Li” in classic Confucian works. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:27:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c76378addeee4076a918c0c769605f3f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:27:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c76378addeee4076a918c0c769605f3f2022-12-21T22:45:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-04-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.603344603344Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian ClassicsBo Hu0Bo Hu1Fugui Xing2Fugui Xing3Miaorong Fan4Miaorong Fan5Tingshao Zhu6Tingshao Zhu7Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaConfucian culture has always been the most glorious component of Chinese culture. Governing the mainstream world of China for more than two millennia, it has cast a profound and long-lasting influence on the way of thinking and cultural-psychological formation of the Chinese people. Confucianism emphasizes caring about others with benevolence and governing a state with ethics, reflecting the importance of moral principles for politics. “Ren” and “Li” are important parts of the core values of Confucianism, so analyzing the differences between them and their evolution is of great significance for further understanding Confucian culture. This paper selected 132 classic Confucian works from SikuQuanshu, a large collection of books compiled during the Qianlong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912), to calculate the use of frequency of “Ren” and “Li” in those books by means of big data. Then the data was analyzed to show the development trajectory of “Ren” and “Li” from the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) to the Qing Dynasty, providing a new perspective for the study of Confucian culture. The analysis result shows that from the Spring and Autumn period to the Qing Dynasty, both the frequencies of “Ren” and “Li” record a peak and a bottom: “Ren” has its peak in the Sui and Tang period (581–907) while “Li” reaches its climax in the Wei and Jin period (220–420); both “Ren” and “Li” hit their bottom during the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368). The average frequency of “Li” is higher than that of “Ren” during most of the time (eight dynasties and periods). In general, “Li” is more frequently referred to in classic Confucian works than “Ren,” especially in those of the pre-Sui and Tang era. The An-Shi Disturbances in the Tang Dynasty may mark an important turning point for the frequencies of “Ren” and “Li” in classic Confucian works.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603344/fullbig datacultureConfucianRen (humaneness or benevolence)Li |
| spellingShingle | Bo Hu Bo Hu Fugui Xing Fugui Xing Miaorong Fan Miaorong Fan Tingshao Zhu Tingshao Zhu Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics Frontiers in Psychology big data culture Confucian Ren (humaneness or benevolence) Li |
| title | Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics |
| title_full | Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics |
| title_fullStr | Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics |
| title_short | Research on the Evolution of “Ren” and “Li” in SikuQuanshu Confucian Classics |
| title_sort | research on the evolution of ren and li in sikuquanshu confucian classics |
| topic | big data culture Confucian Ren (humaneness or benevolence) Li |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603344/full |
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