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.The teachings also came to characterize theidea of becoming a chün tzu, the ultimate goal of the moralcultivation of the individual.To understand the character ofthis noble person is to understand the nature of the traits thatcompose that moral character.HumanenessJen, or humaneness, is probably the most commonly mentionedof Confucian virtues and the single most important teaching ofConfucianism.The term, often depicted as a very general virtuein Confucian writings, has been translated in a wide varietyof ways, in part reflecting the broad nature of the term, butalso the complexity of trying to render the concept into anotherlanguage.We can find jen translated as benevolence, compas-sion, altruism, goodness, human-heartedness, humanity, love, kindness, and humaneness the last being the termthat will be used here.What does the Chinese character jen actually mean? It iscomposed of two parts, each a meaningful element.One partmeans person, and the other part signifies the number 2. So, the word itself literally means something like person two-ed or person doubled. This definition suggests therelation of one person to another and not just any relation,but the proper relation between two individuals.In this way,jen begins to refer to the moral relation of one to another, andthus, a sense of humaneness.For all Confucians, jen is the most central teaching of the Confucian Teachings 47THE CLASSIC OF FILIAL PIETYThe Hsiao-ching, or Classic of Filial Piety, became one of the mostfundamental statements about the cardinal Confucian virtue ofhsiao, or filial piety.Though not one of the original Five Classics, inlater centuries it was added to an expanded canon of works calledthe Thirteen Classics.It is itself a product of the Han Dynasty,though tradition claims it was authored by a disciple of Confucius.There are a number of basic statements about the nature of filialpiety that recur within this text, and because of this, it has been heldin high respect through the centuries.The passage that follows is representative of the way in whichfilial piety is described.There is little doubt about the nature ofthe relation between children and parents in this passage.Withmodernization came a strong rejection of this type of statement,though it is also apparent that the sentiment expressed is a deeplyingrained part of the Confucian heritage.At the heart of the notionof filial piety is the idea that one s body is a gift from one sparents and, for this reason, should be harmed as little as possible.Inturn, the Hsiao-ching makes the virtue of filial piety the foundationfor all other virtues:Our body, skin and hair are all received from our parents; wedare not injure them.This is the first priority in filial piety.To establish oneself in the world and practice the Way; touphold one s good name for posterity and give glory to one sfather and mother this is the completion of filial piety.Thusfiliality begins with service to parents, continues in service tothe ruler, and ends with establishing oneself in the world(and becoming an exemplary person).Filiality is theordering principle of Heaven, the rightness of the Earth,and the norm of human conduct.This ordering of Heavenand Earth is what people should follow: illumined by thebrightness of Heaven and benefited by the resources of Earth,all-under-Heaven are thus harmonized.** William Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, comp., Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2nd ed.,vol.1, New York: Columbia University Press, 1999, pp.326 327. 48 CONFUCIANISMtradition.It defines the basic relationship between people in away that respects the moral integrity of the individual and hisor her relation to others.Confucius described jen as the singlethread that runs throughout his teachings.It is generallyassumed to be the main characteristic of the noble person.Forall later Confucians, it continues to play an essential role indefining the character of Confucian teachings and the ideal ofeither the noble person or the sage
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