Qian Xun: Learning about character by reading the Analects

Among Chinese classics, no book is as well-known to us as *The Analects*. *The Analects* has been widely introduced and discussed in Korea, to the extent that the remark of an elementary school student who thought Confucius was Korean and *The Analects* was a Korean book no longer sounds like a mere joke. Nevertheless, the reason for presenting this classic to the world again is clear: it is to emphasize what it means to be human. This is based on the fact that while countless ages of dramatic change have passed and the ways in which people live have shifted, the attributes of humans living in the 21st century—when this book is read—and those living 2,500 years ago during Confucius's time remain remarkably the same. Then and now, the good and the evil, faith and distrust, righteousness and baseness exist just the same. However, through this book, we living today will be able to reflect on how long and rigorously historical judgment is enforced when one chooses the path of the evil, the path of distrust, and the path of baseness instead of the path of the good, the path of faith, and the path of justice. Furthermore, this book expounds on the necessity of personal and social cultivation efforts, such as self-discipline and consideration for others. People lament that human morality has hit rock bottom while introducing various heinous incidents and accidents. However, upon reflection, such situations existed even during the era when the pyramids were being built or in the time of Confucius. This implies that such things have always existed in the human world, transcending time. Therefore, this is not a problem of the times, but a problem of 'people'.

Korean title: 논어를 읽고 사람됨을 배우다

Korean author: 치엔쉰

Korean publisher: 민속원

ISBN-13: 9788928516629