The study of Mencious’ “Knowing Words” and “Nourishing Ch’i ”:“Benefitting Others” as the starting viewpoint
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Hsu, Tzu-Wen
Abstract
Abstract
Chapter Two of Mencius has been much discussed by scholars throughout history, and “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i” are two important concepts in it. After I collected related theses and chose three representative ones, written by Xia Shihua, Chen Lixiang, and Chen Lixiang, to analyze, I discovered that these explanations are limited to the spiritual side. Therefore, I looked over the overall chapter again in order to give a more comprehensive explanation of “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i”. I retranslated the former as “benefitting oneself” and the latter as “benefitting others”.
Mr. Xia thought “knowing words” meant to look after one’s conduct by self-examination, which is the foundation of “nourishing ch’i”. Both “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i” are linked to cultivating the “heart”. Mrs. Wang thought of “nourishing ch’i” as a kind of moral realization. The criterion of “knowing words” is from the heart. To be able to “know words”, one must first “nourish ch’i”. Mr. Chen thought that both “knowing words” or “nourishing ch’i” are rooted in the conscience. “Nourishing ch’i” means nourishing braveness by conscience. “Knowing words” is powered by and based on conscience. The three researchers all focus on “heart”.
Although “heart” is an important topic, “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i” are not just limited to the spiritual side of things. Mencius said he was good at “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i” and that “knowing words” was knowing others’ words and “nourishing ch’i” was nourishing “awe-inspiring, righteous ch’i”. Both proceed not only from the cultivation of “heart” but also from the process of influence of a subject onto an object. The concept of “benefitting others” includes the spiritual side, “heart”, and the substantiated side, “material”, and can give a comprehensive explanation of “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i”.
My thesis is that “benefitting others” should be the starting point for reviewing two important concepts in Mencius, “knowing words” and “nourishing ch’i”.
Keywords: Mencius, knowing words, nourishing ch’i, benefitting others
Subjects
Mencius
knowing words
nourishing ch’i
benefitting others
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-101-R97124007-1.pdf
Size
23.54 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):4e12167045453b62905c624b70b11d6f