To Rectify the Names

Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn Annals

The quote above is from Tung Chung-Shu’s commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals by Confucius:

“With regard to his speech, the superior man does not take it lightly”

–Confucius [Analects, 13:3].

Dr. Anthony Daniels, Worldview

A small change in locution illustrates a change in the character and conceptions of a people…. One begins to see what Confucius meant when he said, 2,500 years ago, that the first thing to do to restore a state to health was to rectify the names – in other words, to call things by their right names rather than by euphemisms.

–Dr. Anthony Daniels [The Worldview that Makes the Underclass, (Imprimis, May-June 2014)].

 Wing-tsit Chan, Scriptures and the guidance of language

The Confucians place the highest priority on working toward an actual social harmony, which makes the pragmatically helpful aspect of guidance its most important aspect, but it should be noted that they are also very appreciative of the beautiful cognitive formation of li (rite, principle) and sagely models of excellence…. The sense of pragmatic religious guidance can be thought of as a gateway to expanded happiness….

The rectification of names was a common topic of discussion among ancient Chinese philosophical schools. Only in Hsün Tzu, however, did it develop into some sort of systematic logical theory. Whereas in other schools the interest is chiefly social or moral, in Hsün Tzu it is predominantly logical. In fact, this is the nearest approach to logic in ancient Chinese philosophy….

“Now the sage-kings are dead and the guarding of names has become lax, strange terms have arisen, and names and actualities have been confused. As the standard of right and wrong is not clear, even the guardians of law and the teachers of natural principles are in a state of confusion. Should a true king appear, he would certainly retain some old names and create new ones. This being the case, [1] the reason for having names, [2] the causes for the similarities and differences in names, and [3] the fundamental principles on which names are instituted, must be clearly understood.”

–Wing-Tsit Chan [A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy] p. 127 (The Hsün Tzu, Nature, On the Rectification of Names), p. 273 (Yin Yang Confucianism: Tung Chung-Shu)].