Confucianism And Taoism In Joy

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follow. He loved tradition, for he felt that it was, "a potential conduit- one that could funnel into the present behavior patterns that could have been perfected during a golden age in China's past," (Smith 168). For Confucius, there was no self without relationships, "the human self as a node, not an entity; it is a meeting place where lives converge," (Smith 180). The five basic principles of Confucianism are Jen, Chun tzu, Li, Te, and Wen. Jen is the perfect human relationship that we should all strive for by having respect, charity, empathy, faith, and diligence.
Chun tzu is the real person, one who obtains Jen, "is never at a loss of how to behave," (Smith 173). Li deals with moderation, the five types of human relationships, language, and respect for one's family and elders. Te is the ruling power or ruling by good example. Wen is the arts and culture, for one is only half human without them. These five characteristics form an intense form of guidelines, which are ...

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tone.
Ying-Ying St. Claire is the only character that isn't shown with her mother. Instead, her nursemaid, Amah, functions in the motherly role. She is first introduced as a child at the time of the Moon Lady ceremony. She questions the point of the ceremony and Amah tells her, "You do this and that, so the gods do not punish you�Light the incense, make an offering to the moon, bow your head, do not shame me," (Tan 66). The concept of being punished for bad acts is not Confucian, this is a theme of pop-religion in China. While the ceremony is neither Confucian nor Taoist, it serves as the cause of Ying-Ying's controlling fear of life being out balance, losing herself, and ...

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