Ideas, Sentiment and Intellectualism: A Survey of Confucius Teaching Principles and Chinese Talents Selection System

Abstract

<p>This article tackled with Confucius teaching principles and Chinese talents selection system. Confucius thinking had deep influence on the traditional education circle as well as contemporary era. The author tried to draw three representative teaching principles from his scholarship. Firstly, based on the idea that human nature is good, the sage advocates teaching everyone without discrimination and abandoning nobody. Secondly, by adopting the flexible learning as philosophy of living, Confucius advocates teaching students according to their aptitude with unified objective but flexible methods. Thirdly, believed that “Knowing it is knowing, not knowing it is not knowing”, “When three walk together, there must be one who can teach me”, the sage encouraged that in order to become talented, literati should not feel ashamed to ask and learn from the inferior. The second part was followed by tracing the two thousand Chinese literati history. Three milestones of talents selection system was concluded. Firstly, during the reign of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wudi accepted Dong Zhongshu’s proposal and officially implemented the inspection and recommendation system. It broke the situation that ministers and their descendants monopolizing different ranks of central and local government officials. Secondly, in late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao advocated the Nine Rank System. He no longer selected talents on the basis of morality, but on the basis of merits. Talents were divided into nine ranks, and selection was based on rank. The third stage was the selection of talents by the civil examination from Sui and Tang Dynasties until the end of the Qing Dynasty in China. The author argued that was the significant development of “intellectual government” as candidates were qualified to participate in the civil service regardless of their family background. Its historical role, social transitional and modern value should not be underestimated just because of its final abolishment.<br></p>