The Junzi as the Confucian Trustworthy Guardian: The Ultimate Aim of Self-Cultivation Xiushen 修身 in the Four Books
The Junzi as the Confucian Trustworthy Guardian: The Ultimate Aim of Self-Cultivation Xiushen 修身 in the Four Books

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the Confucian notions of self-cultivation (xiushen 修身) and the exemplary person (junzi 君子), as presented in the Four Books, through the lens of Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s concept of the trustworthy guardian. Kotarbiński’s ideal emphasizes a responsible, morally grounded individual who supports and protects others, often within an asymmetrical master–student relationship. The first part of the paper analyzes the process of Confucian self-cultivation and the ethical character of the junzi as someone who earns this title by cultivating altruistic (ren 仁) relations and embodying a relational ethos. The final section argues that the junzi, as a role model and moral carer motivated by selfless concern for others, aligns closely with Kotarbiński’s notion, and may be understood as a distinctly Confucian version of the trustworthy guardian. This interdisciplinary comparison reveals a shared human vocabulary of virtue grounded in responsibility, emotional attunement, and ethical care.

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