This thesis aims to analyze Ren (Benevolence) in the Analects from the perspective of 'becoming process'. Ren, as an indispensable concept in Confucianism, has provoked an array of interpretations from scholars dealing with topics related to human virtues or possess interest in the most important and prestigious school of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and its 'Bible', the Analects. As the way its meaning has delivered, interpreting or digging into the concept of ren becomes the most challenging but popular job for researchers. With abundant pool of interpretations and definitions as a backdrop for my research, this thesis will try to deviate from the track of defining ren as 'love' or 'a full complex of virtues' so as to illustrate the mobile and coherent virtues-cultivating process...[ Read more ]

This thesis aims to analyze Ren (Benevolence) in the Analects from the perspective of 'becoming process'. Ren, as an indispensable concept in Confucianism, has provoked an array of interpretations from scholars dealing with topics related to human virtues or possess interest in the most important and prestigious school of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and its 'Bible', the Analects. As the way its meaning has delivered, interpreting or digging into the concept of ren becomes the most challenging but popular job for researchers. With abundant pool of interpretations and definitions as a backdrop for my research, this thesis will try to deviate from the track of defining ren as 'love' or 'a full complex of virtues' so as to illustrate the mobile and coherent virtues-cultivating process of individuals depicted in the Analects. By constructing this continuous and spontaneous self-cultivating 'virtues blueprint' through 3-stage interpreting schema, ample 'intension' of ren is manifested.