Early Confucian terms for ‘humility
The closest approximation to a single term translatable in many contexts as ‘humility’ in early Confucian texts is rang s⅛The concept of rang is much broader than that of humility, and in many cases rang does not have the sense of humility, but only comes close to it in certain contexts.
Rang most clearly indicates something like ‘deference’ or ‘yielding’, in the sense of allowing others (be they superiors or those with more knowledge) priority, whether in making decisions, initiating activity, or recognition of rank. Rang is most often used in the negative in connection with the individual, and often (but not always) aimed at another.The construction X rang Y, for example, can often be translated as something like ‘X yielded/gave up/refrained from Y’. Other constructions point to the individual or thing to which one yields—one can yield or defer to a king, a teacher, etc.While rang is a broad concept, a number of early Confucian uses of the term come very close to expressing a concept of humility. Consider the following passages from the Analects:Ziqin asked Zigong: ‘When the master comes to a state, he is always able to learn about its state of government. Does he ask for this, or do others give it to him?’ Zigong replied: ‘The master [Confucius] is warmhearted, upstanding, polite, temperate, and deferential (rang)—this is how he obtains information’.4
The Master [Confucius] said: ‘The exemplary person is not contentious. But does this extend even to archery? If one bows and yields (rang) to others before taking the stand, and drinks a toast on descending, then his contention is that of the exemplary person’.5
Here we see rang connected to not only characteristic actions, but also a particular kind of deferential attitude, aimed at undermining potential conflict, putting others at ease, and generating a sense of cooperation and community.
Where rang appears as a positive feature or virtue, it appears as the proper deference to others—deference in the sense of allowing others to take credit or enjoy visibility. This deference requires a respect for the abilities and values of others, and a moderated sense of one’s own comparative abilities and value. Deference is not possible without humility, in the sense of one’s ability to put oneself in perspective and to recognize the possibility of one’s error, subordination, or limitation. As such, deference is often connected to ritual (li ja) for the Confucians, where ritual can be understood as something like moral norms that involve situating oneself with respect to the community for the benefit of the community.6 In Analects 4.13, Confucius talks of the ability of a ruler to use ritual and deference (rang) for the benefit of the state. A passage from the Jiyi chapter of the Liji mentions the production of deference (rang) as one of the (intended) social effects of ritual, along with righteousness (yi ⅛), harmony in the use of resources (he yong ⅛M), and reverence toward the ghosts and spirits.7Another term that can in certain contexts be accurately translated as ‘humility’ is gong ⅛. Perhaps the closest English translation of the term in its broader sense is something like ‘respectfulness’ or ‘reverence’, but part of this respect is deference in a sense similar to that of rang discussed above. Gong in the Analects generally refers to a deferential respect involving a yielding and foregoing of one’s own individual interests in order to facilitate communal harmony.
This is why gong is close to ritual deference, according to Confucius (Analects 1.13).This ritual deference is itself linked to a certain kind of ‘turning away from the self' discussed in the section below—that is, with a particular kind of self-concern focused on adornment and selfaggrandizement, and opposed to communal harmony. As with all of the virtues discussed by the Confucians, gong must be tempered by ritual if it is to be effective in facilitating harmonious social interaction and further developing the individual. Gong is particularly important for the person with some level of responsibility in governing, according to the Confucians, as such a person will inevitably have greater influence on the character of the community than others.
The master, discussing Zichan, said: ‘he followed the four ways (dao) of an exemplary person. In his conduct, he was reverent (gong), in performing his responsibilities, he was respectful, in nourishing the people, he was compassionate, in ordering the people, he did what was appropriate'.8
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