Junzi

Junzi
Junzi
Chinese name
Chinese	君子
Literal meaning	"Son of a Vassal". Later used to indicate someone who acts morally.
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	jūnzǐ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh	jiuntzyy
Wade–Giles	chün1tzu3
IPA	[tɕýn.tsɹ̩̀]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	gwan1zi2
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	quân tử
Chữ Hán	君子
Korean name
Hangul	군자
Hanja	君子
Revised Romanization
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	gunja
Japanese name
Kanji	君子
Kana	くんし
Romanization
Transcriptions
Romanization	kunshi

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",^[1] or "noble man".^[2] 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"),^[3] attributed traditionally to the Duke Wen of Zhou, and by Confucius in his works to describe the ideal human being.

^ Sometimes "exemplary person".Ames, Roger T.; Roesmonet, Jr., Henry (24 November 2010). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-77571-9. Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and later moral meaning. Cf. "Confucian Key Terms: Junzi Archived 2014-05-20 at the Wayback Machine".
^ Goldin, Paul (2020). The Art Of Chinese Philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691200811.
^ Yi Jing "Qian" quote: "天行健，君子以自強不息。" Bernado's translation Archived 2023-12-07 at the Wayback Machine: "Heaven action is strong and dynamic. Thus the junzi never ceases to strengthen himself."

[Ames2010-1] Sometimes "exemplary person".Ames, Roger T.; Roesmonet, Jr., Henry (24 November 2010). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-77571-9. Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and later moral meaning. Cf. "Confucian Key Terms: Junzi Archived 2014-05-20 at the Wayback Machine".

[2] Goldin, Paul (2020). The Art Of Chinese Philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691200811.

[3] Yi Jing "Qian" quote: "天行健，君子以自強不息。" Bernado's translation Archived 2023-12-07 at the Wayback Machine: "Heaven action is strong and dynamic. Thus the junzi never ceases to strengthen himself."

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