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27. The Morals of Confucius A Chinese Philosopher, Who flourished above Five Hundred Years before the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (London, 1691).
The great Chinese teacher Confucius (551 BC–479 BC) articulated a philosophy based on the concepts of ren (‘benevolence’ or ‘compassion’) and li (‘ritual’ or ‘propriety’). He hoped to create the ideal, superior man (junzi) and thereby facilitate a just society.
Confucius’s teachings were highly influential across China and large areas of east Asia for almost two millennia before this 1691 work offered English readers their first introduction to his philosophical approach. It provides an account of Confucius’s life and times, as well as 80 of his maxims.
This English-language text is based on a French-language edition published in 1688, which in turn relied on a Latin work of 1687 published in Paris.
This copy was purchased in December 1931 to replace a copy reported as missing in 1828.
Citation:
27. The Morals of Confucius A Chinese Philosopher, Who flourished above Five Hundred Years before the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (London, 1691).,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
accessed April 29, 2025,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/items/show/429
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