The philosophical thinking of a nation is the fundamental and most stable element in building its national spirit. The ancient Chinese had their own considerations and understandings of the universe, society and life in their long history and had established a complete ideological system full of China’s own characteristics, which affected the Chinese way of thinking and life.
Mencius (circa 372–289 BC), whose official name is Meng Ke, was a key Confucian figure in the Warring States Period. Mencius inherited and developed Confucius’s thought and became a Confucian master second only to Confucius. He has been regarded the Second Master to Confucius (Yasheng), and named together with Confucius as “Kong-Meng”.
Rites (礼, li) is one of the most important concepts in Confucianism. This can be traced back to the origin of Confucianism. The Chinese character for Confucianism is 儒 (ru). The etymological analysis suggests that it means a person taking a bath. Bathing and cleansing is the primary means before conducting ritual ceremonies. The original Confucians were actually persons who conducted ritual ceremonies as a profession. This is why in Confucianism, ritual ceremonies are very important.
The Chinese character for benevolence is 仁 (ren), which is a symbol of two people standing together in a friendly way. Confucius said, “a person with benevolence loves others.” To be benevolent is to care for others. If everyone loves others, and also feels the love of others, the world will be a much better place.
The character 道 (dao) literally means the road, the way or the path. Every thing has its own trajectory and development path, which must not be altered. The sun and the earth have their orbits; trees, flowers and plants grow according to a certain pattern. If their paths were altered, or the law of nature be violated, there would be chaos and disaster.
