Changes

Human beings are considered to be fundamentally good in Confucianism, a "heavenly principle" (C: ''tiānlǐ'') possessed by all people since birth. However, while the cosmic principle ''[[li (principle)|lǐ]]'' is eternal, perfect, and incorruptible, the "material nature" of human beings, the ''[[qi]]'' from which our bodies are composed, can become imbalanced or turbid, thus causing anger, violence, and other negative emotions and behavior. Confucius taught that one must continually aspire (立志, C: ''lìzhì'', J: ''risshi'') towards becoming a better person, and must actively work to pursue that goal, through personal cultivation (修養, C: ''xiūyǎng'', J: ''shûyô'') and study (学問, C: ''xuéwèn'', J: ''gakumon'').<ref>Watanabe Hiroshi, ''A History of Japanese Political Thought, 1600-1901'', International House of Japan (2012), 111-112. </ref>

Human beings are considered to be fundamentally good in Confucianism, a "heavenly principle" (C: ''tiānlǐ'') possessed by all people since birth. However, while the cosmic principle ''[[li (principle)|lǐ]]'' is eternal, perfect, and incorruptible, the "material nature" of human beings, the ''[[qi]]'' from which our bodies are composed, can become imbalanced or turbid, thus causing anger, violence, and other negative emotions and behavior. Confucius taught that one must continually aspire (立志, C: ''lìzhì'', J: ''risshi'') towards becoming a better person, and must actively work to pursue that goal, through personal cultivation (修養, C: ''xiūyǎng'', J: ''shûyô'') and study (学問, C: ''xuéwèn'', J: ''gakumon'').<ref>Watanabe Hiroshi, ''A History of Japanese Political Thought, 1600-1901'', International House of Japan (2012), 111-112. </ref>

==Confucianism in China Today==

==Confucianism in China Today==