Journal Article

Bidirectional Transcendence in Confucianism: An Analysis Centered on the Concept of Jing

Zeng, Zhenyu, Sun, Yongyong

2026

Overview

This paper proposes a comparative model of “bidirectional transcendence” in Confucian thought by reading the concept of jing (敬) against two kinds of human finitude: “no-more” of being and “not-yet” of being. Drawing on philological analysis of classical lexemes, close readings of Song–Ming Neo-Confucian texts, and a comparison with Western accounts of religious and philosophical transcendence, I show that jing generates two complementary responses. The first is an outward, historicizing form of transcendence—embodied in “revering Heaven and following ancestors” (jingtian fazu 敬天法祖)—which secures communal meaning and a this-worldly continuity of ethical life in the face of the “no-more.” The second is an inward, realm-oriented transcendence—articulated in “being serious in order to straighten one’s inner life” (jing yi zhi nei 敬以直內)—realized through self-cultivation (gongfu 工夫) and the integration of mind and the principle of Heaven, and oriented toward the “not-yet.” This bidirectional framework reconciles readings that cast Confucianism as either purely ethical or essentially religious, clarifies recurring comparative and translational pitfalls, and offers a concise, textually grounded basis for Sino–Western dialogue about varieties of transcendence and ultimate concern.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Anxiety / Christianity / Comparative analysis / Confucianism / Death / finitude / jing yi zhi nei (being serious in order to straighten one’s inner life) / jingtian fazu (revering Heaven and following ancestors) / Morality / philosophical transcendence / Philosophy / Religion / religious transcendence / Secularism / Theology / Traditions / Transcendence / Transcendence (Philosophy)