Abstract
This paper will use an analysis of the question-answer format of the Analects to explore the connection between this format and two important ideas, namely the relation between words and actions, and humaneness (ren); and will then use this as a basis for extending discussion to the meaning and characteristics of ethics in the Analects. The first section will analyze and confirm that the question-answer format in the Analects is one composed of one question, one answer, and no further discussion. The second section will argue that this question-answer format makes prominent Confucius's moral authority, and analyze the characteristics of this authority. The third section will analyze the relation between words and actions which the Analects emphasizes, and use this to explain the reasons behind the question-answer format. The fourth section will discuss how through the question-answer passages Confucius realizes the humaneness to which he attaches such great importance, and make clear how the question-answer passages in the Analects concretely demonstrate the meaning of humaneness. The fifth section will make use of the subjects and discussion of the previous sections to further discuss the possible ethical significance of the question-answer format in the Analects, and make a brief comparison of this with the ethical styles of other Confucians. The sixth section will draw conclusions from the above.