What Does Confucius Mean To Be A Gentlemen

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Confucius believed anyone could be a gentleman. In his Analects he is documented in saying “when dealing with a man who is capable of understanding your teaching, if you do not teach him, you waste the man” (15.8). Confucius gave many qualifications to be a “gentlemen” but the top requirement was to be educated. He also stressed that anyone who was willing to learn could be taught. Some of the requirements to be a gentlemen listed in the analects are that a gentlemen was fair, kind (2.3), kept his word (2.13), was a good speaker (4.24), an avid studier (2.15), and thinks of the big picture (2.14). He also argued these gentlemen should run the government. Sima Qian makes many absolute statements in the Records of the Grand Historian. He claims