Abstract
Gentlemen in the Spring and Autumn Period of approve of zhili, which refers to a person’s virtuous state of understanding of rite (li), in two senses: (1) managing a socio-political system through the performance of rites; (2) fulfilling others through the performance of rites. The two ideas develops, along with their interaction, to li (rite) and jen (benevolence) later in Confucius theory concerning virtuous conducts. The dissertation aims to examine how jen creatively keeps the primary status of concept in Confucius’ theory through the inevitable tension between jen and li. In a typical virtuous conduct, when we pay attention to the performance of rites, the agent’s inclination to the fulfilment of others becomes an implicit dimension of his act, and vice versa. But li and jen always refer and confront to each other in moral deliberation even if jen is primary in Confucius’ ethical system. This also provides a background for an adequate account of the relation of li to jen as the highest moral achievement.