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The Development of Ren (仁) in Early Chinese Philosophy

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The Development of Ren (仁) in Early Chinese Philosophy THE DEVELOPMENT OF REN (仁) IN EARLY CHINESE PHILOSOPHY by ROBIN ELLIOTT CURTIS B.A., Middlebury College, 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2016 © Robin Elliott Curtis, 2016 Abstract This thesis describes the development of ren 仁 from its earliest recorded occurrences around 1000 BCE to its use in the Song dynasty around 1200 CE, asking the questions: 1) How did the meanings of ren change over time; and 2) How does quantitative textual analysis affect our understanding of ren? I argue that the earliest recorded meaning of ren was most likely “manliness” in the Western Zhou dynasty, that it later came to mean “Goodness,” followed by “benevolence” during the Warring States period, and that by the end of the Song dynasty, it meant transcendental “humanity.” Quantitative textual analysis affects our understanding of ren by supporting and qualifying existing theories, and also by illuminating new areas of research. ii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Robin Curtis. iii Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ...................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................vii Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Overview of Chapters ...................................................................................................... 3 Quantitative Methodology ............................................................................................... 5 Notes and Conventions .................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: The Origins of Ren .............................................................................................. 10 First Appearances .......................................................................................................... 10 Scholarly Interpretations ................................................................................................ 15 Quantitative Analysis .................................................................................................... 20 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter Two: The Establishment of Ren ................................................................................... 30 Analects ......................................................................................................................... 30 Mencius ......................................................................................................................... 42 Xunzi............................................................................................................................. 50 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter Three: The Evolution of Ren ........................................................................................ 57 Chunqiu Fanlu............................................................................................................... 57 Qianfulun ...................................................................................................................... 61 Yuan Dao ...................................................................................................................... 64 Zhu Xi ........................................................................................................................... 67 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter Four: Adaptations of Ren ............................................................................................. 79 Daodejing ...................................................................................................................... 80 Zhuangzi ....................................................................................................................... 83 Mozi .............................................................................................................................. 87 Hanfeizi ......................................................................................................................... 92 iv Taiping Jing .................................................................................................................. 96 Huashu ........................................................................................................................ 100 Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms ......................................................................... 104 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 108 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 109 References .............................................................................................................................. 117 Appendix A: Quantitative Analysis Methodological Guide ..................................................... 125 Appendix B: Digital Text Locations ........................................................................................ 127 Appendix C: Book of Documents Chapter Delineation ............................................................. 129 v List of Tables Table 1: The Book of Odes 詩經 ............................................................................................... 21 Table 2: The Book of Document 尚書 (“New Text” Only) ......................................................... 25 Table 3: Scholarly Interpretations of Ren in the Analects ........................................................... 39 Table 4: The Analects 論語 ....................................................................................................... 40 Table 5: The Mencius 孟子 ....................................................................................................... 48 Table 6: The Xunzi 荀子 ........................................................................................................... 54 Table 7: The Chunqiu Fanlu 春秋繁露 ..................................................................................... 60 Table 8: The Qianfu Lun 潛夫論 ............................................................................................... 63 Table 9: Yuan Dao 原道 ............................................................................................................ 66 Table 10: General Statistics for the Four Books and the Commentaries on the Four Books ........ 75 Table 11: Commentaries on the Four Books 四書章句集注 ...................................................... 76 Table 12: The Daodejing 道德經 .............................................................................................. 82 Table 13: The Zhuangzi 莊子 (Inner Chapters) .......................................................................... 86 Table 14: The Mozi 墨子 ........................................................................................................... 91 Table 15: The Hanfeizi 韓非子 ................................................................................................. 95 Table 16: The Taipingjing 太平經 ............................................................................................. 99 Table 17: The Huashu 化書 .................................................................................................... 103 Table 18: Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms ..................................................................... 107 vi Acknowledgements I received the greatest support in this project from my three committee members. During my first semester at the University of British Columbia, Leo Shin helped foster and direct my interest in the Analects. As time went on, he remained an excellent source of new ideas and perspective. In class, Bruce Rusk helped me develop the skills and confidence to interpret and analyze classical Chinese texts independently. Outside of class, his sharp attention to detail helped me focus and clarify my arguments. From start to finish, Edward Slingerland provided me with invaluable advice and encouragement. He helped facilitate so many new opportunities for me, and in so doing made my studies truly memorable and worthwhile. I am also thankful to my many other teachers and colleagues. I was fascinated and grateful to sit in on lab meetings with Ara Norenzayan, Joe Henrich, and Ben Purzycki, who helped me see things in a more scientific light, and supported my interdisciplinary interests
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