A Study of Ch''eng:-The Cosmo-ethical Principle in the Confucian Metaphysics of Morality-

Abstract

The efforts of some of the modern Confucian scholars seem to turn toward re-establishing Confucian order and harmony with creative enthusiasm. They declare that the contribution of Confucianism to the eternal hope of mankind toward realizing the true sense of culture and peace is not to be simply discarded, because the true spirit of Confucianism is nothing but a craving for order and harmony. What, then, is the motive to achieve the ideal of Confucianists in their craving for harmony? The answer given from the time of its initiator Confucius himself down to the present is invariably one: ch'eng (sincerity, truth, or absolute reality).