Confucian - Juka

The name of the school of thought established by Confucius (Kōshi) around 500 BC in China. Along with the Mohist and Taoist schools, it is one of the nine schools (the Hundred Schools of Thought are classified into nine schools). After Confucius, Confucianism was in conflict with these schools, but at the same time, it incorporated their leaders and organized its teachings. During that time, it produced outstanding figures such as Mencius (Meng Ke) and Xunzi, and gradually developed. In 136 BC (5th year of Jianyuan) under Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, it succeeded in suppressing other schools and making it the state religion. With the establishment of a system in which Confucianism was the sole religion, the awareness of Confucianism as a school of thought faded, but even after that, the concept of Confucianism as one of the nine schools remained in the catalogues of books of the past, and in the Song Dynasty's Neo-Confucianism, the awareness of Confucianism as a school of thought in terms of the two religions of Buddhism and Taoism was revived.

The origin of the name 'Ryu' is unclear. One leading theory is that 'Ryu' means 'indecisive', and that it was originally a derogatory term given to Confucians because their teachings were roundabout and ineffective in times of turmoil. Another theory is that it generally meant 'scholars.' In any case, examples of this term being used to refer to one's own school appear in the 'Mencius,' and its origins are ancient.

[Haruki Kusuyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国で紀元前500年ごろ孔子(こうし)（孔丘）によって始められた学派の名。墨家(ぼくか)、道家(どうか)などと並んで九流（諸子百家(ひゃっか)を類別して九家とする）の一つ。孔子以後の儒家はこれらの諸学派と対立しつつ、同時にその長を取り入れて教学を整え、またその間に孟子(もうし)（孟軻(もうか)）、荀子(じゅんし)のごとき傑出した人材を出してしだいに発展を遂げ、前漢(ぜんかん)武帝の前136年（建元5）には他学派を抑えて国教化に成功した。かくて儒教一尊の体勢が確立したことにより、学派としての意識は薄れるが、しかしその後も歴代の書籍目録においては九流の一つとしての儒家の概念が残っており、宋(そう)代の朱子学では、仏道二教に対する意味での学派意識が復活している。

　儒という名称の起源は明らかでない。有力な一説に、儒とは優柔不断を意味し、その教説が迂遠(うえん)で乱世には実効に乏しいことから、本来は外から名づけられた蔑称(べっしょう)であったとするが、また別に、広く学者の意であったともいう。いずれにせよ、これを自派の称とする用例は『孟子』にみえ、その由来は古い。

［楠山春樹］

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