What is Gentleman? What are the characteristics of the Gentleman? Is it possible to be the Gentleman? According to Confucius, the gentleman is a person who is respectful among all communities and respects others.

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The Gentleman

     “What is Gentleman? What are the characteristics of the Gentleman? Is it possible to be the Gentleman?”  According to Confucius, the gentleman is a person who is respectful among all communities and respects others. Moreover it is a person whom we should follow him and try to be as him. He is a person who knows what are morality, benevolence and rite.

     First definition of the “Gentleman” according to Confucius is to be moral. To prove it, I want to show one statement from “Analects”. ‘…For the gentleman it is morality that is supreme. Possessed of courage but devoid of morality, a gentleman will make trouble while small man will be a brigand’ [Book XVII.23, “Analects”]. It means that gentleman must consider morality and do things answering to questions “What is moral?”. Also the gentleman should concern not about having courage but about being moral and it is one of the knowledge that differ the Gentleman from others. He should not to think about his physical well-being but he should think mostly about spiritual well-being.

     Next quality of “the Gentleman” is benevolence. The best example is “A man must be strong and resolute, for his burden is heavy and the road is long. He takes benevolence as his burden…” [Book VIII.7, “Analects”]. It means that showing benevolence is hard for man, but the gentleman should achieve it. Also being benevolence for gentleman means being strong and it is one of the purposes of the gentleman. This quality of the Gentleman separates him from the animals. This idea was derived in my mind from the Book II.7 where was written about being filial. Confucius said there that even horse provides his family with food and the difference between horse and person is that person should show benevolence (reverence).

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     Another point that Confucius considered in the Gentleman is ‘rites’. “The Master said ‘The gentleman widely versed in culture but brought back to essentials by the rites can, I suppose, be relied upon not to turn against what he stood for.’ [Book VI.27, “Analects”]. From this statement I can easily say that the Gentleman is a person who must follow and consider rites. Even a person who knows what is moral and benevolent but does not attend on rites; he will never be the Gentleman. Therefore the Gentleman should know what is moral, shows the benevolence, should be ...

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