Journal of East China Normal University (Philosoph ›› 2012, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (3): 102-110.

• 中国哲学与文化 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

“To Learn and at Due Times to Apply What You Have Learnt”: The Beginning of the Analects

CHEN Bin   

  • Online:2012-06-01 Published:2012-09-01
  • Contact: CHEN Bin
  • About author: CHEN Bin

Abstract: The Bible begins with Genesis, God’s creation of the world, and leads man down the path of obedience to God’s will on the grounds of belief. On the contrary, at the outset of the Analects, Confucius advocates “to learn and at due times apply what one has learnt,” which instructs human beings to realize the propensities of nature (tianming) through selfcultivation. The first paragraph of the Analects actually tells us the three spiritual stages of Confucius, who is regarded as the spiritual symbol of Chinese culture.