體面 | Brief Considerations on Human Dignity in Classical Chinese Philosophy
I’m writing this as I conclude the joyful celebration of the grand Pu Du Festival-cum-family reunion (held once every 18 years) in our ancestral village in Jinjiang, Fujian.
Since I somewhat rarely use Mandarin in daily conversation with peers in the Philippines, being here and interacting with relatives who cannot speak any full sentence of English, I’ve become more aware of the urgent need to improve my Mandarin fluency and proficiency. I have been in the practice of daily reviewing some vocabulary in flash cards and in the process, I came across various definitions of “dignity” in the Chinese-English dictionary (yes, with lighthearted shame, I still rely on an English-based dictionary). Upon a quick search for the direct translations of “dignity” in the bilingual dictionary, the following terms float about: 尊嚴，身分，人格, and 體面.
尊嚴 and 人格 (roughly translated as “moral personality) are used more when referring to the Confucian equivalent of the explicitly Western idea of human dignity, but…
the word that captured my attention, and that I’d like to draw your attention to as well, is the term ‘體面.”
For centuries, thanks to the wisdom of ancient Confucianism, the Chinese have recognized human dignity as a composite normative concept. It is this understanding of fundamental truths about human life and their implications — the notion of “ought” — based on empirical observations of social interactions, helps explain why ancient China is regarded as one of the most influential civilizations in history.
The classical Confucian Gentleman is believed to be endowed with a set of innate virtues, “Heaven produced virtue in me,” says Confucius in his Analects. In Confucianism, everyone is bestowed with five beginnings of heart-mind — five cardinal virtues which are: humanity (仁) , righteousness (义) , propriety (礼), wisdom (智), faithfulness (信). Morality was highly regarded in society in those times, such that cultivating a balance of all these virtues conferred one the respectable title of a “gentleman,” or 君子. On the other hand, a person with low morals was called, “little man,” or 小人. Thus, the gentleman acts according to the mean of these five cardinal virtues, and a little man acts against the mean.
This concept implies the actualization of achieving the cultivation of one’s virtues, and thus grants the primacy of man as a rational being bestowed with knowledge and will. Albeit imperfect — and it is better than nihilistic materialism— the ancient Chinese had harnessed the power of a sort of positive humanism, which attaches to each person an irreducible worth because of this belief in human dignity. This human dignity does not lie in his material body — because he shares that with other animals — but exclusively in his moral and intellectual faculties embodied in the heart-mind.
Going back to the subject at hand, which is the word I had presented to you at the beginning of this essay, why is it then that 體 meaning “body,” and 面 meaning “face,” when put together, suggest the equivalent translation of “dignity”? Is not the conclusion such that dignity does not lie physically but rationally?
This usage of 體面 (tǐmiàn, lit. "body & face") may suggest a contradiction, but when analyzed further, it reveals a deeper understanding of ancient Confucian society. In this context, "body" and "face" do not refer to physical attributes alone but symbolize the external representation of one's inner moral state. "Face" (面) often represents one's social image or reputation, which is inherently tied to one's actions and virtues. Meanwhile, "body" (體) can be interpreted as the vessel through which moral and intellectual virtues are expressed.
Some concrete examples of this are, (1) that abstinence until marriage, and women’s virginity are considered to be of particular value in Confucianism. This emphasis on sexual morality reflects a broader belief in the importance of self-discipline and virtue in maintaining personal and familial honor. The preservation of virginity is seen as a symbol of moral integrity and respect for familial and social expectations.
(2) Mengzi refers to being husband and wife as “the greatest of human roles” (夫婦之道, fūfū zhī dào). Marital relationships were central to Confucian thought, and it emphasized the profound moral and social responsibilities that come with one’s role in marriage. Confucianism understood that family was the basic unit of society, and so the relationship between husband and wife is fundamental to achieving harmony and stability in the family and, by extension, the greater community.
Therefore, the combination of 體面, together with contextual norms, signifies that true dignity is not simply about outward appearance or material abundance but about embodying and reflecting one’s inner moral and intellectual qualities. It underscores the Confucian belief that dignity is achieved through the cultivation of virtue and ethical conduct, rather than through physical attributes alone.
The Catholic understanding of dignity is not so far off. As cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1700, “The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God; it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude. It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfillment. By his deliberate actions, the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience. Human beings make their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means of this growth. With the help of grace they grow in virtue, avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did the prodigal son to the mercy of our Father in heaven. In this way they attain to the perfection of charity.”
Notable similarities;
Confucianism — the person is bestowed virtues by Heaven, the purpose of life is to achieve the balance of all virtues towards human perfection and social harmony.
Catholicism — the person is bestowed with the image and likeness of God, and is bestowed a vocation to divine beatitude, hence the pursuit of virtue and the rejection of vice. Interior growth, towards the perfection of charity, to share in the divine glory of God as his children.
It is personally amazing to see how two seemingly polar opposite (by geographical origin, at least) schools of thought, such as Confucianism and Catholicism, can share such profound similarities in their understanding of the human being.
Sources
Analects, 7:22; see Wing-tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963), p. 32.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican Press, 1997.
Zhang, Jian. “Reconstruction of Confucianism.” Valparaiso University, July 2018. https://www.valpo.edu/christ-college/files/2018/07/Zhang.Reconstruction-of-Confucianism.pdf
