Four Books

¹ jūnzǐ 君子: “noble man”

“Junzi is a term for those who have attained virtue.” – Zhu Xi, The Discourses with Collected Commentaries 1:1, tr. Sol

² shèng 聖: “sage”

“The sage aspires to become Heaven, the worthy aspires to become a sage, and the gentleman aspires to become a worthy.” – Zhou Dunyi, Reflections on Things at Hand 2:1, tr. Chan

聖希天，賢希聖，士希賢。

³ xián 賢: “a worthy”

“Ordinary people can reach the level of sages and worthies.” – Cheng Yi, Reflections on Things at Hand 2:50, tr. Chan

⁴ shì 士: “an official, man of learning; gentleman”

“The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.” – Kongzi, Discourses 14:2, tr. Legge

⁵ rú 儒: “scholar, ritualist”

“You [Zixia], act as a noble ru; do not act as a petty ru. – Kongzi, Discourses 6:13, tr. Sol

⁶ jīng 經: “the Classics”

“The Way of the sage is as level as a highway. The trouble with students is that they do not know how to enter it. Are not the Classics the way by which to enter it?” – Cheng Yi, Reflections on Things at Hand 2:15, tr. Chan

⁷ daoxue 道學: “the Learning of the Way”

“What the sages and worthies have called the Learning of the Way is not a principle that is too obscure and difficult to investigate or any affair that is too lofty and difficult to practice.” – Chen Chun, Chen Chun’s Definition of Terms, Lecture at Yan Ling Academy, tr. Chan

⁸ lǐxué 理學: “School of [Nature’s] Principle”

This term is used nowhere in the Four Books with Collected Commentaries. However it is the modern Chinese term for Daoxue which has become popular across East Asia. Sometimes this Song Dynasty school of ‘Way Studies’ is also termed xinglixue 性理學 (“School of Nature and Principle”), because in their studies of the ancient classics they correctly discerned this as their foundation.