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“Self-Cultivation as the Root of All” 77

these two purposes each with their four elements, it is clear that the “self-cultivation”
of the individual plays a major role in “expounding illustrious virtue,” through
“studying things, acquiring knowledge, being sincere in thought, and rectifying
one’s heart.” Here the individual is the key. The relationship between the self and
others does not appear until later with the purpose of “renewing the people” which
states: “Cultivating oneself, regulating one’s family affairs, governing the state well,
and ensuring peace to all under heaven.” This constitutes a process moving from
individuals to families, states, and all under heaven, where the goal of “renewing the
people” becomes increasingly collective, expands in scope with higher moral stan-
dards, and spreads more widely. Since the “eight principles” can thus be divided into
two sub-parts, it is reasonable to examine them separately in both progressive and
recursive order. By extension, it is also reasonable to examine carefully each of the
eight elements separately. That is why when taken all together, the “three cardinal
guides” and the “eight essential principles” can be divided into 11 separate parts.
Over the centuries, the separate longer “eight principles” have become more popular
than the “three guides” and are deeply rooted in Chinese intellectual history.
Taking together the “eight principles” form a complete and connected
narrative. However, throughout the history of Confucian thought, a large number
of separate and even fragmented structures have been derived from them because
of what Confucius himself said about the relationship between the individual’s
moral cultivation and both loyalty and filial piety. For example, Confucius says
“Each day I reflect on myself several times,”“It’s up to the individual to practice
benevolence and virtue,”“Fraternal duty and filial piety are the very foundation
for conducting oneself,” and “deliver extensive benefits to the people and relieve
the suffering of the poor,” each of which discusses the sociopolitical aims and
functions of different aspects of Confucian thought. However, he fails to present
his ideas in a systematic way. Mencius, a successor to Confucius, is aware of the
status and role of the family within the structure of the state when he says, “The
root of the state is in the family. The root of the family affairs is in the self.”
However, his discussion of the four initiators (四端) and the seven emotions (七情)
fails to clarify the relationship between self, family, state, and all under heaven.
The full discussion of Confucian ethics in The Great Learning is a systematic
overview of the earlier theories of Confucian ethics. According to Zhu Xi, a leading
Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty and founder of the School of Principle
(理学), the recursive structure of the “eight essential principles” highlights the
paramount importance of studying things and ensuring peace to all under heaven.
However, according to the Neo-Confucian School of Heart represented by Lu
Jiuyuan (陆九渊 1139–1193) and Wang Yangming, “the heart” becomes the most
important and determines the remaining seven steps, which results once again in