The notion that having a feeling of shame gives rise to courage comes from the saying that “to have a feeling of shame is to be near to having courage.” Having a feeling of shame means to be ashamed of one’s own mistakes as well as to hate the misbehavior of others. Mencius (372?-289 BC) believed this to be one of the basic things humans must do. In Confucian thought courage is one of three universal virtues along with wisdom and love for others. Linking shame and courage was meant to impel people to face their shortcomings squarely and work hard for improvement and perfection. The concept embodies the spirit of individuals, companies, organizations, ethnic groups, and the whole nation in achieving self-respect, self-motivation, and self-improvement.
The basic meaning of yong (勇) is courage, which is a virtue. When necessary, a courageous person is expected to fearlessly stop any act that violates ethical principles without giving any consideration to his own personal interests. Acts of courage must be based upon recognition and observance of ethical and social norms. Otherwise, such acts may become ruthless, brutal and risky, and cause social chaos.
The four initiators are buds of four virtues: ren (仁), yi (义), li (礼), and zhi (智), or roughly benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, which Mencius (372?-289 BC) believed were all rooted in man’s mind. Commiseration is the initiator of benevolence. Shame is the initiator of righteousness. Deference is the initiator of propriety and a sense of right and wrong is the initiator of wisdom. The four initiators are naturally possessed by man. They are fundamental features defining a human being. Man should fully cultivate and develop his inherent kindness, then he can accomplish the four virtues, and consequently become a man of virtue or even a sage.
Junzi (君子) was originally used to indicate a person’s social status, generally referring to a ruler or a member of the aristocracy. Beginning with Confucius(551-479 BC), the term acquired an additional moral dimension and came to mean someone of true virtue. The opposite of junzi is xiaoren (小人), which roughly means the “petty men.” In the Confucian tradition, junzi is someone who is above a scholar and below a sage in terms of moral influence. A man of virtue pursues and practices the ideal known as dao and regards dao as the fundamental meaning of life above power or gains.
This is a term used to describe someone of ideal moral quality. How much one achieves does not determine whether he can be called a great man. The criterion is whether or not a person can know and hold fast to Dao. Given that there are different interpretations of Dao, the specific requirements for a great man are also different. Mencius (372?-289 BC) stresses that a great man should have high aspirations to carry out Dao, adhere to moral integrity, stay upright, and his observation of Dao should not be influenced by external matters (as opposed to his inner world). Yet, another ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi believes that a great man should abandon ostentatious rites and norms, and return to the natural state through non-action.
The term is from The Analects. From the point of view of Confucius (551-479 BC),the cultivation of moral conduct is not only words and deeds in accordance with social norms, but more importantly one should have a sense of shame about personal inadequacies and violations of moral conduct. Moreover, stimulated by a sense of shame, one can correct and perfect self-conduct in accordance with moral and social norms. The establishment of a sense of shame is an important goal of Confucian teaching.