Classical East Asian Beliefs

Confucius, The Analects, 15:8

A superior man indeed is Ju Boyu! When good government prevails in his state, he is to be found in office. When bad government prevails, he can roll his principles up, and keep them in his pocket.

In which way was the divinity of Roman emperors in the first three centuries C.E. different from the Chinese concept of Mandate of Heaven?

• The Roman emperor’s legitimacy did not depend on his success as a ruler.

• Roman succession was based on the position of powerful family dynasties.

• Roman emperors did not seek popular approval of their policies.

• Roman emperors used control over the military to consolidate their rule.

Confucius, The Analects, 15:8

A superior man indeed is Ju Boyu! When good government prevails in his state, he is to be found in office. When bad government prevails, he can roll his principles up, and keep them in his pocket.

With which of the following Legalist viewpoints would Confucianists most disagree?

• Supreme power must reside in a powerful, centralized state.

• The emperor has been granted the power to rule by Heaven.

• It is human nature to misbehave, necessitating a strict legal code.

• The exemplary rulers of the past are a model to be revered and followed.

1 When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while.

2 But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them.

3 Work without complaining.

4 .

5

6 From The Analects of Confucius, Wikimedia Commons

What Confucian value is embraced in the quotation above?

• The Way of Virtue

• the Dynastic Cycle

• the Mandate of Heaven

• Filial Piety

1 When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while.

2 But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them.

3 Work without complaining.

4 .

5

6 From The Analects of Confucius, Wikimedia Commons

Which statement below best represents the kind of role Confucianism has played in Chinese society?

• Confucius developed the basic philosophical framework that were later incorporated into the ideas behind the Mandate of Heaven.

• The construction of monasteries in Tang China allowed men to leave their families and communities, and retreat from society, to meditate and pursue scholarship.

• Confucianism discouraged the toleration of dissent, as employed by the Qin Dynasty, with severe punishment for all lawbreakers.

• Founding principles of Confucianism served as the basis for the creation of a Civil Service Examination system used by the Han government.

1 When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while.

2 But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them.

3 Work without complaining.

4 .

5

6 From The Analects of Confucius, Wikimedia Commons

Which aspect of Chinese society is best associated with Daoist thought?

• The development of a paper currency during the Tang dynasty

• The unification of all the small warring states under Qin leadership

• Landscape prints from the Song dynasty that depict tiny humans dwarfed by large mountains

• The rise of systemic long-distance trade routes on the Silk Roads during the Han dynasty

1 When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while.

2 But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them.

3 Work without complaining.

4 .

5

6 From The Analects of Confucius, Wikimedia Commons

Which statement below best explains the relationship between Confucianism and Daoism on the issue of women and their status in society?

• Neither Daoism nor Confucianism addressed the issue of women and their place in society in any significant way.

• Daoists had a narrow view of women, seeing them as providing for their families, while Confucianists felt women could be in positions of power in family and government.

• Both belief systems promoted male and female equality, but neither system addressed this idea in any serious way.

• Men were considered superior to women in Confucianism while women were accorded greater ability to pursue individualistic goals in Daoism.

Xiaojing 10

"A filial son has five duties to perform to his parents: (1) He must venerate them in daily life. (2) He must try to make them happy in every possible way, especially when the meal is served. (3) He must take extra care of them when they are sick. (4) He ought to show great sorrow for them when they are dead. (5) He must offer sacrifices to his deceased parents with the utmost solemnity. If he fulfills these duties, then he can be considered as having done what ought to be done by a son."

A son ought not to feel proud of the high position he occupies, ought not to show dissatisfaction with his inferior position to that of others, and ought not to act against the natural feeling of the public. If he is proud and haughty when he is a high official, he will soon bring ruin upon himself and his family; if he feels dissatisfied with his lower position, he may be led to do illegal acts; and if he does anything contrary to the public feeling, he will probably be the object of attacks. Having thus wronged himself, he cannot be considered as a filial son, although he treats his parents every day to luxurious meals.

Based on your knowledge of world history, filial piety as explained in the passage above was most characteristic of which Chinese tradition?

• Daoism

• Indigenous Chinese polytheism

• Confucianism

• Buddhism

Xiaojing 10

"A filial son has five duties to perform to his parents: (1) He must venerate them in daily life. (2) He must try to make them happy in every possible way, especially when the meal is served. (3) He must take extra care of them when they are sick. (4) He ought to show great sorrow for them when they are dead. (5) He must offer sacrifices to his deceased parents with the utmost solemnity. If he fulfills these duties, then he can be considered as having done what ought to be done by a son."

A son ought not to feel proud of the high position he occupies, ought not to show dissatisfaction with his inferior position to that of others, and ought not to act against the natural feeling of the public. If he is proud and haughty when he is a high official, he will soon bring ruin upon himself and his family; if he feels dissatisfied with his lower position, he may be led to do illegal acts; and if he does anything contrary to the public feeling, he will probably be the object of attacks. Having thus wronged himself, he cannot be considered as a filial son, although he treats his parents every day to luxurious meals.

Based on your knowledge of world history, which of the following excerpts from other religions echoes the above passage in terms of filial piety?

• "" If a woman quarrel with her husband...the reasons for her prejudice must be presented. If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this woman, she shall take her dowry and go back to her father's house" (The Code of Hammurabi).

• "Honor thy father and thy mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Judaism).

• "In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent" (Hinduism).

• "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church" (Christianity).

Xiaojing 10

"A filial son has five duties to perform to his parents: (1) He must venerate them in daily life. (2) He must try to make them happy in every possible way, especially when the meal is served. (3) He must take extra care of them when they are sick. (4) He ought to show great sorrow for them when they are dead. (5) He must offer sacrifices to his deceased parents with the utmost solemnity. If he fulfills these duties, then he can be considered as having done what ought to be done by a son."

A son ought not to feel proud of the high position he occupies, ought not to show dissatisfaction with his inferior position to that of others, and ought not to act against the natural feeling of the public. If he is proud and haughty when he is a high official, he will soon bring ruin upon himself and his family; if he feels dissatisfied with his lower position, he may be led to do illegal acts; and if he does anything contrary to the public feeling, he will probably be the object of attacks. Having thus wronged himself, he cannot be considered as a filial son, although he treats his parents every day to luxurious meals.

Based on your knowledge of world history, how did the notion of filial piety most affect other traditions in China?

• Confucian scholars dominated the Chinese government for a thousand years.

• Daoism fell into obscurity, causing Buddhists to be the only rival to Confucians.

• Chinese Buddhism was redefined to function around filial piety.

• The influence of Buddhism receded, causing Daoists and Confucians to fight for dominance.

The map above depicts the various Silk Roads that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Based on the map and your knowledge of history, how did most people use these trade routes?

• Most people traveled great distances on these roads.

• Most people were missionaries that happened to also begin the silk trade.

• Most people used the Silk Roads to expose themselves to different cultures.

• Most people traveled back and forth between two nearby points on the roads.