The system of Chinese astrology was elaborated during the Zhou dynasty ( 1046 – 256 BC ) and flourished during the Han Dynasty ( 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD ), during which all the familiar elements of traditional Chinese culture – the Yin-Yang philosophy, theory of the 5 elements, Heaven and Earth, Confucian morality – were brought together to formalise the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination, astrology and alchemy.

Rén is the basis of Confucian political theory: it presupposes an autocratic ruler, exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects.

Referred to variously as the Confucian hypothesis and as a debated component of the more all-encompassing Asian Development Model, there exists among political scientists and economists a theory that Confucianism plays a large latent role in the ostensibly non-Confucian cultures of modern-day East Asia, in the form of the rigorous work ethic it endowed those cultures with.

Jia Yi's essay, admired as a masterpiece of rhetoric and reasoning, was copied into two great Han histories and has had a far-reaching influence on Chinese political thought as a classic illustration of Confucian theory.

Despite its outcast status throughout the history of imperial China, Han Fei's political theory continued to heavily influence every dynasty afterwards, and the Confucian ideal of a rule without laws was never again realized.

He agreed with his teacher's theory of " virtueless by birth ", but instead of proposing an ideological scheme of steering man by Confucian education to achieve morality, so as to minimize competition and war, he pragmatically proposed to steer people by their own interest-driven nature, to actively engage in competition and war if necessary to improve society and develop the state.

Confucian family theory is still espoused in North Korea to justify their method of leadership succession.

Although there were some figures like Liu Chi, writing in his Lun Tian ( Discourse on the Heavens ) of 274 AD that supported Wang's theory by arguing the inferior Yin ( moon ) could never obstruct the superior Yang ( sun ), Liu was still outside of the mainstream accepted Confucian tradition.

Based on Marxist theory, Confucian tradition, and the Juche idea, North Korean human rights theory holds that rights are conditional rather than universal, that collective rights take priority over individual rights, and that welfare and subsistence rights are important.

Xiong Shili (, 1885 — May 23, 1968 ) was a modern Chinese philosopher whose major work A New Treatise on Consciousness-only ( 新唯識論, Xin Weishi Lun ) is a Confucian critique of the Buddhist " consciousness-only " theory popularized in China by the Tang Dynasty pilgrim Xuanzang.

In the process, he wrote widely in various fields including law, political theory, and the Korean Confucian classics.

According to William Scott Wilson, in his text " Ideals of the Samurai ": " In his theory of Shido ( a less radical theory than bushido ), Sokō defined the warrior as an example of Confucian purity to the other classes of society, and as punisher of those who would stray from its path.

Although Confucian ideas prevail in these areas, few people outside of academia identify themselves as Confucian, and instead see Confucian ethics as a complementary guideline for other ideologies and beliefs, including democracy, Marxism, capitalism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

Confucian ethics is characterized by the promotion of virtues, encompassed by the Five Constants, or the Wuchang ( 五常 ), extrapolated by Confucian scholars during the Han Dynasty.

He praised Confucian ethics and politics, portraying the sociopolitical hierarchy of China as a model for Europe.

Confucian ethics may be considered a type of virtue ethics.

Often overlooked in Confucian ethics are the virtues to the self: sincerity and the cultivation of knowledge.

In Taiwan, where the Nationalist Party ( Kuomintang ) strongly promoted Confucian beliefs in ethics and behavior, the tradition of the memorial ceremony of Confucius ( 祭孔 ) is supported by the government and has continued without interruption.

" The Hwarang studied taekkyeon, history, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, social skills and military tactics.

encoded an understanding of manners as an expression of the social hierarchy, ethics, and regulation concerning material life ; the corresponding social practices became idealized within Confucian ideology.

Although women were on a lower social tier than men ( according to Confucian ethics ), they enjoyed many social and legal privileges and wielded considerable power at home and in their own small businesses.

Under the banners of democracy and science, traditional Confucian ethics became the target of attack from New Youth.

Examples of this policy included the renaming of streets, use of Mandarin Chinese in schools and punishments for using other languages, and teaching students to revere Confucian ethics, develop Han Chinese nationalism, and believe Taiwan is part of China.

It taught classical Chinese writings and Confucian ethics.

Many codes of ethics consider the bond of kinship as creating obligations between the related persons stronger than those between strangers, as in Confucian filial piety.

The Confucian system differs very strongly from Kantian ethics in that there are rarely laws or principles which can be said to be true absolutely or universally.

* The Essentials of the Studies of the Sages ( hangul: 성학집요, hanja: 聖學輯要 )-Fundamentals of Confucian ethics, self-cultivation and statecraft.

Confucian ethics today: The Singapore challenge.

The late Joseon Dynasty, which patronized Neo-Confucianism as the state ideology, saw an increasing polarization between orthodox Confucian scholars and efforts by other Confucian scholars to revive social ethics and reform society.

Strongly influenced by Confucian political ethics, he was naturally opposed to his brother's exploitative policies.

Shen Kuo grieved for his father, and following Confucian ethics, remained inactive in a state of mourning for three years until 1054 ( or early 1055 ).

It was exemplified in the work of Han Yu 韓愈 ( 768 – 824 ), a master essayist and strong advocate of a return to Confucian orthodoxy ; Han Yu was later listed as one of the " Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.

Confucius ' concept of humaneness () is probably best expressed in the Confucian version of the ethic of reciprocity, or the Golden Rule: " Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.

Kang Sheng ( 康生 ) was born in Dataizhuang () ( administrated under Jiaonan County since 1946 ), Zhucheng County () to the northwest of Qingdao in Shandong Province to a landowning family, some of whom had been Confucian scholars.

In 1330, he awarded laudatory titles to several past Confucian sages and masters, and himself performed the suburban offerings () to Heaven, and thus became the first Yuan emperor to perform in person this important traditional Chinese state observance.

Liu Xiang () ( 79-8 BCE ), born Liu Gengsheng ( 劉更生 ), courtesy name Zizheng (), was a famous Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty.

The Dazu Rock Carvings () are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century AD, depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs.

A simple way to appreciate Confucian thought is to consider it as being based on varying levels of honesty, and a simple way to understand Confucian thought is to examine the world by using the logic of humanity.

Shaping the rituals in a way that leads to a content and healthy society, and to content and healthy people, is one purpose of Confucian philosophy.

It is particularly relevant for the social class to which most of Confucius ' students belonged, because the only way for an ambitious young scholar to make his way in the Confucian Chinese world was to enter a ruler's civil service.

Another key Confucian concept is that in order to govern others one must first govern oneself.

Although this is a relatively rare instance of a female Confucian voice, Ban Zhao almost entirely accepts the prevailing views concerning women's proper roles ; they should be silent, hard-working, and compliant.

The major Confucian concepts include rén ( humanity or humaneness ), zhèngmíng ( rectification of names ; e. g. a ruler who rules unjustly is no longer a ruler and may be dethroned ), zhōng ( loyalty ), xiào ( filial piety ), and lǐ ( ritual ).

The Confucian idea of " Rid of the two ends, take the middle " is a Chinese equivalent of Hegel's idea of " thesis, antithesis, and synthesis ", which is a way of reconciling opposites, arriving at some middle ground combining the best of both.

*** The Erya is a dictionary explaining the meaning and interpretation of words in the context of the Confucian Canon.

One meaning of the character 仁 is the Confucian concept of ren.

Since one is required by Confucian philosophy to show great reverence to one's parents and grandparents, children may also be required to kowtow to their elderly ancestors, particularly on special occasions.

Although meritocracy as a term is a relatively recent invention, the concept of a government based on standardized examinations originates from the works of Confucius, along with other Legalist and Confucian philosophers.

* Mencius: One of the most important thinkers in the Confucian school, he is the first theorist to make a coherent argument for an obligation of rulers to the ruled.

A strong preference for sons — who in Korea's traditional Confucian value system are expected to care for their parents in old age and carry on the family name — means that parents with only daughters usually continued to have children until a son is born.

There is today a balance between outside influences of Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Abrahamic, Hindu and secular beliefs.

A significant distinguishing feature of Vietnamese ancestor veneration is that women have traditionally been allowed to participate and co-officiate ancestral rites, unlike in Chinese Confucian doctrine, which allows only male descendants to perform such rites.