onies to the proper way to lie in your bed when you sleep (Nivision, 81). The Book of Rites also regulates interpersonal relationships, civil behavior. According to Confucius ritual was important because it was what separated humans from animals. Showing proper behavior in relationships with others was also important because it reinforced the concept of universal order, the social hierarchy, and therefore the order of the state (Twitchett and Wright, 78).The Chun Chiu, the only work reputedly compiled by Confucius himself, is a chronicle of major historical events in feudal China from the eighth century B.C. to the time of Confuciuss death early in the fifth century B.C. The Chun Chiu book is commonly known as Spring and Autumn Annals. This is the classic most associated with Confucius. It consists of records of the events in Confucius' home state of Lu between the years of 782 BC and 481 BC. The authors were making use of praise and blame history. They imposed their values on the events they recorded (Chang 23).The Shih Shu or the Four Books are compilations of the sayings of Confucius and Menius and of commentaries by followers on their teachings. The Four Books consist of Lun Yu or Analects, Ta Hsueh or The Great Learning, the Chung Yung or The Doctrine of Mean, and the Menius or Book of Menius (Nivision, 55). The keynote of Confucian ethics is jen. Jen can be translated as love, goodness, humanity and human heartedness. Jen is a supreme virtue representing human qualities at their best (Twitchett and Wright, 9). In human relations, construed as those between one person and another, jen is manifested in Chung, or faithfulness to oneself and others, and shu, or unselfishness. This is best expressed in the Confucian golden rule, Do not do to others what you do not what done to yourself (Chang, 59). Other important Confucian virtues include righteousness, propriety, integrity, and filial piety. One who possesses all these virtues become...
