# Junzi

The word junzi (Chinese: 君子; pinyin: jūn zǐ; lit. 'person of high stature' or "Son of the Vassal, or Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person," or "noble man." Since the characters are overtly gendered, the term is frequently translated as "gentleman"; gentry and distinguished/moral person are common gender-neutral translations. Junzi is employed in the "Classic of Changes" (易經, "I-ching"), attributed traditionally to the Duke Wen of Zhou, and by Confucius in his works to describe the ideal human being.

## Confucianism

In Confucianism, the ideal personality is the 聖 shèng, translated as saint or sage. However, as sagehood is impractical for most people, Confucius defined an archetype for a less demanding but still cultured and moral way of life and used the term junzi, originally used to refer to members of the nobility, to refer to anyone upholding that way of life, regardless of social status. Junzi act according to proper conduct (禮, lǐ or li) to bring about harmony (和, hé or he), which Confucianism maintains should rule the home, society, and the state. Li primarily has to do with social expectations, both in terms of the formal behavior and the execution of religious rites and imperial ceremonies also proper conduct in human relationships. Confucius considered a junzi to be someone who embodies humanity – one who possesses a totality of the highest human qualities. He elaborated that junzi embody the concept of ren (仁, rén, "humaneness") and outlined specific qualities they have, recorded by his disciples in the Analects. Many of these were used as Chinese proverbs (諺語, yàn yǔ). An example is "君子成人之美" (jūn zǐ chéng rén zhī měi), which roughly means "A junzi brings out the best in people". A junzi embodies moral superiority by adhering to the ritual code of the tradition, displaying respect and dignity towards others, and striving for virtues such as humility, sincerity, trustworthiness, righteousness, and compassion. Zhu Xi categorized the junzi as second only to the sage.
   Junzi have many characteristics. A junzi can live with poverty; a junzi does more and speaks less. A junzi is loyal, obedient and knowledgeable. A junzi disciplines himself. Among these, ren is at the core of a junzi.(in Chinese)

## Leadership

As the potential leader of a nation and country, the son of the ruler is raised to express superior ethical and moral positions while gaining inner peace through virtue. To Confucius, the junzi sustained the functions of government and social stratification through his ethical values. Despite its literal meaning, any righteous man willing to improve himself can become a junzi.
By contrast the xiaoren (小人, xiăorén, "scoundrel, small or petty person") does not grasp the value of virtues and seeks only immediate personal gain. The scoundrel, or petty person, is egotistic and does not consider the consequences of his/her actions. Should the ruler or state be surrounded by xiaoren as opposed to junzi, governance and the people will suffer due to their selfish small-mindness. Examples of such xiaoren individuals can range from those who indulge in self-satisfying sensual and emotional pleasures and gains to the career politician who is interested merely in power and fame rather than the long-term benefit of others. There are many expressions in Confucius' writings that contrast the two, for instance: "君子和而不同，小人同而不和." (jūn zǐ hé ér bù tóng , xiǎo rén tóng ér bù hé); "The junzi acts in harmony with others but does not seek to be like them; the xiaoren seeks to be like others and does not act in harmony."
The junzi rules by acting virtuously himself. It is thought that his pure virtue would lead others to follow his example. The ultimate goal is that government behaves much like family. Thus at all levels filial piety promotes harmony and the junzi acts as a beacon for this piety.