Literary criticism ip final

1. Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Myth Yin and Yang
I – Objectives
At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:
1. Define Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese myth Yin and Yang.
2. Differentiate Confucianism and Taoism.
3. Appreciate the principles of Chinese myth Yin and Yang.
II – Pre-test
Direction: Arrange the following jumbled letters to its correct form.
1. MISINAICUFNOC- is an ethical and philosophical system, on occasion described
as a religion.
2. MSIOAT- is an indigenous Chinese religion often associated with the Daodejing
(Tao TeChing).
3. YCEHPORP -foretelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted
4. CHYRARHIE -organization of a group into higher and lower levels
5. TRIULA-ceremony that follows a set pattern
6. ZIOAL-The main Taoist work, the Tao TeChing.
7. NIY-is feminine, black, dark, north, water (transformation), passive, moon
(weakness and the goddess Changxi), earth, cold, old, even numbers, valleys,
poor, soft, and provides spirit to all things.
8. ANYG- is masculine, white, light, south, fire (creativity), active, sun.
9. HIZ- is the ability to see what is right and fair, or the converse, in the behaviors
exhibited by others
10. MSIOAD- Also known as Taoism.

2. III – Discussion
Confucianism
Confucianism is more of a philosophy than a true religion. It does not include
gods and never developed a mythology of its own. Confucianism is concerned primarily
with human affairs rather than with the spirit world or the afterlife. At the same time,
however, it emphasizes the importance of ritual and devotion to elders and ancestors.
Confucius. Confucianism sprang from the ideas of one man—Kongfuzi, or Confucius.
Born in 551 B. C. to a poor family of aristocratic background, Confucius began a
teaching career after working as a minor government official. For Confucius, the goal of
education and learning was self-knowledge and self-improvement, which would lead
one to right conduct. Although his method of education was aimed at ensuring the
smooth operation of a stable and well-ordered state, his teachings became a guide to
living wisely as well.
Confucius attracted many followers who spread his ideas after his death in 479 B .C . A
number of legends grew up about Confucius, including one in which dragons guarded
his mother when he was born. According to another story, a unicorn appeared at his
birth and spit out a piece of jade with a prophecy written on it, saying that the infant
would become "an uncrowned emperor." Considering the immense impact of Confucius
on Chinese culture, the prophecy came true.
prophecyforetelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted
hierarchyorganization of a group into higher and lower levels
ritualceremony that follows a set pattern
Confucian Principles.The basic aim of Confucianism is to live in harmony with the
"Way (Tao) of Heaven" by carrying out the duties and responsibilities appropriate to
one's position in society. Ancestor worship and reverence to family are fundamental
elements of Confucianism. Rituals to honor ancestors are extremely

3. Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is an ethical and philosophical system, on
occasion described as a religion,[note 1] developed from the teachings of the Chinese
philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE). Confucianism originated as an "ethical-
sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed
metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han Dynasty.[5] Following the official
abandonment of Legalism in China after the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the
official state ideology of the Han. Nonetheless, from the Han period onwards, most
Chinese emperors have used a mix of Legalism and Confucianism as their ruling
doctrine. The disintegration of the Han in the second century CE opened the way for the
soteriological doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism to dominate intellectual life at that
time.
A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty. In the late Tang,
Confucianism developed aspects on the model of Buddhism and Taoism and was
reformulated as Neo-Confucianism. This reinvigorated form was adopted as the basis of
the imperial exams and the core philosophy of the scholar official class in the Song
dynasty. The abolition of the examination system in 1905 marked the end of official
Confucianism. The New Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed
Confucianism for China's weaknesses. They searched for new doctrines to replace
Confucian teachings, some of these new ideologies include the "Three Principles of the
People" with the establishment of the Republic of China, and then Maoism under the
People's Republic of China. In the late twentieth century, some people credited
Confucianism with the rise of the East Asian economy and it enjoyed a rise in popularity
both in China and abroad.
The core of Confucianism is humanistic,[6] or what the philosopher Herbert
Fingarette calls "the secular as sacred". Confucianism focuses on the practical order
inscribed in a this-worldly awareness of the Tian and a proper respect of the gods
(shen),[7] with particular emphasis on the importance of the family, rather than on a
transcendent divine or a soteriology.[8] This stance rests on the belief that human beings
are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor
especially self-cultivation and self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation

4. of virtue and maintenance of ethics. Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and
practices include rén, yì, and lǐ, and zhì. Ren is an obligation of altruism and
humaneness for other individuals. Yi is the upholding of righteousness and the moral
disposition to do good. Li is a system of ritual norms and propriety that determines how
a person should properly act in everyday life. Zhi is the ability to see what is right and
fair, or the converse, in the behaviors exhibited by others. Confucianism holds one in
contempt, either passively or actively, for the failure of upholding the cardinal moral
values of ren and yi.
Historically, cultures and countries strongly influenced by Confucianism include
mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as
various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the
20th century, Confucianism’s influence has been greatly reduced. More recently, there
have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academia and the scholarly
community.[9][10]
Some say Confucianism is not a religion, since there are no Confucian deities
and no teachings about the afterlife. Confucius himself was a staunch supporter of
ritual, however, and for many centuries there were state rituals associated with
Confucianism. Most importantly, the Confucian tradition was instrumental in shaping
Chinese social relationships and moral thought. Thus even without deities and a vision
of salvation, Confucianism plays much the same role as religion does in other cultural
contexts. The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu (K'ungCh'iu), who was born
around 552 B.C.E. in the small state of Lu and died in 479 B.C.E. The Latinized name
Confucius, based on the honorific title Kong Fuzi (K'ung Fu-tzu), was created by 16th-
century Jesuit missionaries in China. Confucius was a teacher to sons of the nobility at
a time when formal education was just beginning in China. He traveled from region to
region with a small group of disciples, a number of whom would become important
government officials. Confucius was not particularly famous during his lifetime, and
even considered himself to be a failure. He longed to be the advisor to a powerful ruler,
and he believed that such a ruler, with the right advice, could bring about an ideal world.
Confucius said heaven and the afterlife were beyond human capacity to understand,

5. and one should therefore concentrate instead on doing the right thing in this life. The
earliest records from his students indicate that he did not provide many moral precepts;
rather he taught an attitude toward one's fellow humans of respect, particularly respect
for one's parents, teachers, and elders. He also encouraged his students to learn from
everyone they encountered and to honor others' cultural norms. Later, his teachings
would be translated by authoritarian political philosophers into strict guidelines, and for
much of Chinese history Confucianism would be associated with an immutable
hierarchy of authority and unquestioning obedience.
Taoism
Taoism, also known as Daoism, arose about the same time as Confucianism.
This religious tradition had its roots in the nature worship of the earliest Chinese people.
The word taomeans "way," and Taoist belief is based on the idea that there is a natural
order or a "way of heaven" that one can come to know by living in harmony with nature.
Through an understanding of natural laws, an individual can gain eternal life.
Laozi.The main Taoist work, the Tao TeChing, was supposedly written by Laozi,
a scholar at the Chinese royal court in the 500s B .C . Little is known about Laozi. The
main sources of information, written hundreds of years after he lived, are legendary in
nature. One of the most popular stories about Laozi concerns a voyage to the west,
during which he wrote the Tao TeChing. Other tales claim that Laozi met Confucius and
that he lived more than 200 years. Although the true story of Laozi will probably never
be known, he is widely respected in China. Confucianists consider him a great
philosopher, while Taoists regard him as the embodiment of the tao and honor him as a
saint or god.
The Tao.While Confucianists emphasize the practice of ritual and ancestor
worship, Taoists seek knowledge through an understanding of the natural world. An
important Taoist concept is that of yin and yang, two opposing and interacting forces of
nature. Yin is a feminine principle and represents such ideas as dark, negative, cold,
passive, softness, and earth. Yang, the masculine principle, represents light, positive,

6. heat, activity, hardness, and heaven. Yin and yang exist in a delicate balance, and the
harmony of the universe depends on maintaining that balance.
Originally a way of life, Taoism took on a more religious character after Buddhism
arrived in China. Taoism adopted the use of temples and rituals and promoted the belief
that all things have their own spirit. It also absorbed many mystical cults and created an
elaborate pantheon as well as a new mythology.
Taoist deities include nature spirits, ancient legendary heroes, humanized
planets and stars, humans who became immortal through Taoist practices, and
animals such as dragons, tigers, and snakes. All human activities—even such things as
drunkenness and robbery—are represented by deities as well. The highest deity, Yu
Huang-ti (the Jade Emperor), is associated with the ancient Chinese god Shang Di.
Other central figures in Taoist mythology are the Eight Immortals, humans who
achieved immortality in different ways.
• Taoism/Daoism valued speculative thought
• Questioned and often times repudiated Confucian values
• rejected all other “artificial devices” of civilization
• mocked ritual and propriety and decried group conventions
• pessimistic about society
• man is not capable of keeping order and safety in society
• social man is a misguided being
• sought nature as refuge from man’s world
• scorned government, feared progress and civilization
• wary of technical skills
• naturalism
Taoism, also known as Daoism, is an indigenous Chinese religion often
associated with the Daodejing (Tao TeChing), a philosophical and political text
purportedly written by Laozi (Lao Tzu) sometime in the 3rd or 4th centuries B.C.E. The
Daodejing focuses on dao as a "way" or "path" — that is, the appropriate way to behave

7. and to lead others — but the Daodejing also refers to Tao as something that existed
"before Heaven and Earth," a primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged.
Taoism did not exist as an organized religion until the Way of the Celestial Masters sect
was founded in 142 C.E. by Zhang Daoling, who based the sect on spiritual
communications from the deified Laozi. The Way of the Celestial Masters and other
later sects of Taoism engaged in complex ritual practices, including devotion to a wide
range of celestial divinities and immortals, and thousands of Taoist religious texts were
produced over the centuries. Taoists also engaged with Chinese politics in a variety of
ways throughout Chinese history. At one time, scholars in both China and the West
distinguished philosophical from religious Taoism, but more recently a continuity of
belief and practice between these has been recognized. In both, a harmonious
relationship between nature, humanity, and the divine is emphasized, and both are
concerned with appropriate behavior and ways of leading and governing others. The
term "Tao" has a number of meanings. Taoist religious sects were persecuted in China
during the 19th and 20th centuries, but are currently undergoing a revival. Western
interest in Taoism has, for the most part, been confined to the Daodejing, but in both the
West and in the East, there is considerable interest in practices which, while not "Taoist"
per se, are often associated with Taoism, ranging from fengshui to taijiquan to
acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Quick Fact Details:
 Formed: As with many ancient religious traditions, an exact date is impossible to
determine. Taoist ideas and early writings long precede any organizational
structure. The date given here (c. 550 B.C.E.) is generally the time period when a
variety of spiritual thinkers were putting their ideas into writing. These writings
were not collected as a composite teaching of the "Tao" until the 4th or 3rd
century B.C.E.
 Deity: While Taoists recognize a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses, they do
not acknowledge any that are omnipotent or eternal. All the gods, including
Laozi, are divine emanations of celestial energy.

8.  Headquarters: Taoism has no centralized authority and different sects have
different headquarters. However, the White Cloud Temple in Beijing is a key
center for training for priests and for administration.
Chinese Myth: Yin and Yang
The principle of Yin and Yang is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy
and culture in general dating from the third century BCE or even earlier. This principle is
that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example female-
male, dark-light and old-young. The two opposites attract and complement each other
and, as their symbol illustrates, each side has at its core an element of the other
(represented by the small dots). Neither pole is superior to the other nor, as an increase
in one brings a corresponding decrease in the other, a correct balance between the two
poles must be reached in order to achieve harmony.
The concept of yin and yang became popular with the work of the Chinese
school of Yinyang which studied philosophy and cosmology in the 3rd century BCE. The
principal proponent of the theory was the cosmologist Zou Yan (or Tsou Yen) who
believed that life went through five phases (wuxing) - fire, water, metal, wood, earth -
which continuously interchanged according to the principle of yin and yang.

9. Yin is feminine, black, dark, north, water (transformation), passive, moon (weakness
and the goddess Changxi), earth, cold, old, even numbers, valleys, poor, soft, and
provides spirit to all things. Yin reaches it’s height of influence with the winter solstice.
Yin may also be represented by the tiger, the colour orange and a broken line in the
trigrams of the I Ching (or Book of Changes).
Yang is masculine, white, light, south, fire (creativity), active, sun (strength and
the god Xihe), heaven, warm, young, odd numbers, mountains, rich, hard, and provides
form to all things. Yang reaches it’s height of influence with the summer solstice. Yang
may also be represented by the dragon, the color blue and a solid line trigram.
In the beginning there was nothing in the universe except a formless chaos. The
chaos began to coalesce into a cosmic egg for eighteen thousand years. Within it, the
perfectly opposed principles of yin and yang became balanced and Pangu, emerged
from the egg. Pangu set about the task of creating the world: he separated Yin from
Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth (dark Yin) and the Sky (bright
Yang). To keep them separated,Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky.
This took him eighteen thousand years as well, each day the sky grew ten feet higher,
the Earth ten feet wider, and Pangu ten feet taller. In this task Pangu was aided by the
four most prominent beasts, namely the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.
After the eighteen thousand years had elapsed, Pangu was laid to rest. His breath
became the wind; his voice the thunder; his left eye the sun and his right eye the moon;
his body became the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood formed rivers; his
muscles the fertile lands; his facial hair the stars and milky way; his fur the bushes and
forests; his bones the valuable minerals; his bone marrow sacred diamonds; his sweat
fell as rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became human beings all over
the world. The distance from Earth and Sky at the end of the 18,000 years would have
been 12,443 miles, or over 20,025 km.
In Chinese mythology yin and yang were born from chaos when the universe was first
created and they are believed to exist in harmony at the center of the Earth. During the
creation, their achievement of balance in the cosmic egg allowed for the birth of

10. Pangu(or P’anku), the first human. In addition, the first gods Fuxi, Nuwa and Shennong
were born from yin and yang. In Chinese religion, the Taoists favour yin whilst
Confucianistsfavour yang in keeping with the prime focus of their respective
philosophies. The Taoists emphasize reclusion whilst Confucianists believe in the
importance of engagement in life.
As expressed in the I Ching, the ever-changing relationship between the two poles is
responsible for the constant flux of the universe and life in general. When there is too
great an imbalance between yin and yang, catastrophes can occur such as floods,
droughts and plagues.
The yin-yang elements or energies are constantly moving and influencing each other.
The maximum effect of one quality will be followed by the transition toward the opposing
quality.
The yin-yang aspects are in dynamic equilibrium. As one aspect declines, the other
increases to an equal degree.
All forces in the universe can be classified as yin or yang.
Yin characteristics: passive, negative, darkness, earth, north slope, cloudy, water,
softness, female, moisture, night-time, downward seeking, slowness, consuming, cold,
odd numbers, and docile aspects of things.
Yang characteristics: active, positive, brightness, heaven, south slope, sunshine, fire,
hardness, male, dryness, day-time, upward seeking, restless, producing, hot, even
numbers, and dominant aspects of things.
The Yin - Yang Theory is an important principle in Taoism.
Yin and Yang are the basic idea from which the bagua (ba- eight, gua- area) and the
trigrams and hexagrams were developed.
Yin - Yang are divided into their respective Yin - Yang aspects, yielding four
combinations: Yin of the Yin, and Yang of the Yin, and Yin of the Yang, and Yang of the

11. Yang. This allows an almost endless scale of universally defined qualities, which is
foundational to classical Chinese thought.
Comparison chart
Confucianism Taoism
Place of origin China China
Place of
worship
Temple. Temple, shrine.
Founder Kong Qiu (Confucius) Lao Tzu
Practices
Visit to temples to pay homage to
Ti'en(God or Heaven), Confucius,
and ancestors; To practice ('Jing
zuo, ') or 'Quiet Sitting
Visit to shrines, to pay homage to
Taoist deities; Tai Chi, etc.
Goal of religion To have a structured society. To be one with nature.
Life after death To be worshipped as ancestors.
Taoists believe that the soul
survives after death and has the
ability to travel through space.
Status of
women
Socially inferior to men.
generally equal, spoken of highly
in the taoteching (oldest taoist
text) but varies among schools.
Scriptures
Analects of Confucius and
Mencius; I Ching; Doctrine of
Mean, etc.
Tao TeChing; I Ching
Human Nature
Humans should respect those who
are superior to them.
Humans should just follow the
Tao(or 'the Way').
Time of origin
Approx. 550 B.C.E.(Before
Common Era)
Approx. 550 B.C.E (before
common Era)
Principle
Confucianism all about the
brotherhood of humanity.
Taoists believe that life is good.
Taoism lays emphasis on the
body.

12. Confucianism Taoism
Concept of
Deity
Most believe in One God. Most believe in numerous deities.
View of the
Buddha
Buddha is followed by many
Confucianists.
Buddha is followed by many
Taoists.
Belief
Confucianism is both a religion and
a philosophy of China, and of Asia
as a whole. It stresses human
conduct over belief in God.
Taoism is both a religion and a
philosophy of China, and of Asia
as a whole. It stresses humanity's
relationship with nature.
Original
Language(s)
Mandarin or Cantonese Old Chinese
Concept of God One God. Numerous deities.
Belief of God
One God. Ancestors also
worshipped, though.
Most follow numerous deities.
Goal of
Philosophy
Social Harmony. To gain balance in life.
Views on other
religion
Sees no contraction in following
more than one religion.
Sees no contradiction in following
more than one religion.
Views on the
afterlife
To be worshipped by one's
descendants and their families.
The soul lives on.
Holy
days/Official
Holidays
Chinese New Year, Teacher Day,
Ancestor Day.
Chinese New Year, 3 Day
Festival of the Dead, Ancestor
Day.
View of other
Oriental
religions
Usually follows other Oriental
religions, especially Taoism.
Usually follows other Oriental
religions, especially
Confucianism.

13. IV – Post-test
Direction: Choose the correct letter to the following question.
1. Also known as Taoism.
a. Tao
b. Daoiom
c. Daoism
d. Yin
2. Concerned primarily with human affairs rather than with the spirit world or the
afterlife.
a. Confucianism
b. Chinese Myth
c. Yin
d. Yang
3. It is a feminine principle and represents such ideas as dark, negative, cold,
passive, softness, and earth.
a. Yang
b. Tao
c. Yin
d. Ritual
4. An organization of a group into higher and lower levels .
a. Hierarchy
b. Dynasty
c. Confucianism
d. Yang

14. 5. The basic aim of Confucianism is to live in harmony with the "Way (Tao) of
Heaven" by carrying out the duties and responsibilities appropriate to one's
position in society
a. Zhi
b. Tao
c. Prophecy
d. Confucian Principles
6. It is also refers to Tao.
a. Daozi
b. Yang
c. Yin
d. Monarchy
7. Another term of Confucianism.
a. Daoism
b. Roism
c. Methodology
d. Ruism
8. It is also refers to Tao as something that existed "before Heaven and Earth," a
primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged.
a. Daodejing
b. Tao
c. Laozi
d. Ritual
9. Chinese mythology yin and yang were born from ?
a. Chaos
b. China
c. Malaysia

15. d. Philippines
10. He separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth
(dark Yin) and the Sky (bright Yang).
a. Lao
b. Pangu
c. Confucius
d. Lao Tzu
V – Answers Key
Pre test:
1. Confucianism
2. Taoism
3. Prophecy
4. Hierarchy
5. Ritual
6. Laozi
7. Yin
8. Yang
9. Zhi
10.Daoism
Post-test:
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. A
5. D
6. A

16. 7. D
8. A
9. A
10. B
V – Reference
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Chinese+myth+yin+and+yang&client=firefox-
a&hs=CT5&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&e
i=fUN8VM7_Bsnz8gXKkoGIDQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=630
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Taoism&ie=utf-8&oe=utf
8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&client=firefoxa&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=aU58V
JT3KoSL8Qfs9oGwAQ
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Confucianism&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-
8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-
a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=uk98VMhYo4vxB9q0gLgH