Confucianism: The Tale Of A Chinese Weaver

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Confucianism is distinguished as a system of moral philosophy rather than a religion, and it plays an imperative part in the Chinese society and culture. Confucian beliefs primarily address ethical principles and propagate the ideals of a virtuous community. In the Tale of a Chinese Weaver, a Chinese scholar narrates an interaction she had with a weaver, who worked in a merchant workshop. Even though the primary source reflects a short moral story, it gives an insight to how Confucian values dominated the Chinese society in 1400 CE. The Tale of a Chinese Weaver emphasizes the principles of Confucianism: attaining contentment, prioritizing family, and maintaining social order.
Despite the popular belief that to attain contentment one must …show more content…

Confucianism addressed that family should be a priority for every member in the society. Confucius taught that there are mutual obligations between social relationships in a family, and each individual has the responsibility to contribute to the function of the family. Proper conductions of relationships between the members of the family serve as a basis for an effective society. In the short moral story, the Chinese weaver said that he “uses my [his] wages to support my [his] parents, wife, and children” (235). The fact that he goes through the hardships of his job for a meager salary to support his family, exemplifies Confucius’s etiquette for the social structure of a family. The weaver’s, the Man of the house, responsibility is to provide for his family despite the adversities he has to overcome. The weaver said, “We are far from having delicious food, yet neither are we suffering from hunger or cold” (235). The weaver used the pronoun “we” to describe his style of living, it exhibits how he considers his family to be united even through poverty. The Chinese weaver considers that the family functions as a single unit and they support and be thankful for each other. Confucius instilled family values into the Chinese society that developed a positive and harmonious community. Moreover, Confucius believed a society built on strong household will influence the society to uphold communal

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