Te(Power)
Teliterally means“power by which people are ruled.”For Confucius, it was power
that was properly employed for the betterment of everyone. He strongly believed
that to use power correctly,“leaders must be persons of character, sincerely devoted
to the common good and possessed of the character that compels respect.”^252Wen(The Arts)
Confucius had great reverence for the arts.Wendeals with an appreciation of the arts,
be they calligraphy, poetry, painting, or music. Confucius believed that all people
could create beautiful art. He saw the“arts as a means of peace and as an instrument
of moral education.”^253 You can further observe that veneration in the following quo-
tation attributed to Confucius:“By poetry the mind is aroused; from music the finish
is received. The odes quicken the mind. They induce self-contemplation. They teach
the art of sensibility. They help to restrain resentment. They bring home the duty of
serving one’s parents and one’s prince.”^254Confucianism and Communication
As is the case with all worldviews, Confucianism influences perception and commu-
nication in a variety of ways. Let us mention some of those ways that most directly
relate to intercultural communication. First, Confucianism teaches empathy,asit
encourages people to understand the feelings of others. Perhaps you noticed that
when we discussedjen, the word“empathy”appeared. What you learned is that
“Socialization in the Confucian tradition places ultimate emphasis on sensitivity to
human relations.”^255 Second, when communicating with someone who adheres to
the Confucian philosophy, you should be aware ofstatus and role relationships. As pre-
viously mentioned, one of the goals of Confucianism is to make social relationships
work without conflict or discord. To accomplish that goal, it is important that proper
status and role relationships be maintained. Chiu and Hong explain this key element,
noting that Confucianism“prescribes different obligatory requirements for different
role relationships; for example, loyalty of the ruled to their ruler, filial piety of sons
and daughters to their parents, respect for brothers, and trust for friends.”^256 Even
today, these different role behaviors influence such things as using language, displays
of respect, status relationships, how leaders are chosen, and seating arrangements in
business and educational environments.
Third, closely related to status and role relationships is the Confucian principle of
great concern forritual and protocol. In Confucianism, ritual and etiquette help deter-
mine one’s character. In the business context, ritual and protocol are manifested in
the fact that, when negotiating, the Chinese feel uncomfortable if there is not struc-
ture, form, and correct manners. They believe that these characteristics will preserve
harmony among the participants.
Finally, Confucius was concerned with thecorrect use of language. Schmidt and his
associates develop this important idea in the following:“Confucianism is alone among
the world’s great philosophies in emphasizing the careful and correct use of language.”^257
Part of that correct use focused on what is referred to as indirect instead of direct lan-
guage. In the United States, people often ask direct questions, are sometimes blunt,Confucianism and Communication 155Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).