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The Superior Man (Analects of Confucius)

7/27/2016

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Picture
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Tsze-lu asked what constituted the superior man. Confucius answered, “The cultivation of himself in reverential careful­ness.”
       “And is this all?”
       “He cultivates himself so as to give rest to others.”
       “And is this all?”
       “He cultivates himself so as to give rest to all the people.”

Confucius confessed, “The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.”

Tsze-kung also asked what constituted the superior man.  Confucius replied, “He acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.”

Defining Virtue, Wisdom, and Boldness
As a class or in groups, discuss a definition and your thoughts on the meaning of the following words: virtue, wisdom, and boldness. 

Discussion of Virtue, Wisdom, and Boldness

In groups or as a class, discuss the above quotes. What do you think of the quote. Do you like it or not? Why? Do you think the quote is true 100% of the time? When might it be true and when might it not be? 

Introductory Discussion Questions
If a man desires to be superior to other men, what actions should he take?
Is is better to seek betterment of oneself only, or to seek the betterment of others? Why? 
What should a person do about anxieties?
What should a person do about perplexities?
Which are more important, actions or words? Explain...


Synonym Matching
constituted                                                                   worries 
asked                                                                            panic
cultivation                                                                    made up of
cultivates                                                                      gardening
way                                                                               promotes
equal to it                                                                    path
anxieties                                                                      answered
fear                                                                               questioned
replied                                                                         able to do it

  
Antonym Matching
superior                                                                       simplicity 
carefulness                                                                 before
confessed                                                                   inferior 
free from                                                                     remains silent
perplexities                                                                 carelessness
bold                                                                              timid
acts                                                                               denied
speaks                                                                         enslaved by
afterwards                                                                  does nothing


Listening Blank Fill 


Tsze-lu asked __________ constituted the superior man. Confucius answered, “The cultivation ________ himself in reverential careful­ness.”
       “And is this all?”
       “_________ cultivates himself so as to give rest to ______________.”
       “And is this all?”
       “He cultivates himself so ___________ to give rest to all the people.”

Confucius _________________, “The way of the superior man is threefold, _____________ I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he ____________ free from anxieties; wise, he is free from ____________________; bold, he is free from fear.”

Tsze-kung also _______________ what constituted the superior man.  Confucius replied, “He ___________ before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to ________________ actions.”

Word Bank Fill in the Blank 


Tsze-lu asked what constituted the superior ____________. Confucius __________________, “The cultivation of himself in reverential careful­ness.”
       “And is this all?”
       “He _________________ himself so as to give rest to others.”
       “____________ is this all?”
       “He cultivates _____________ so as to give _____________ to all the people.”

Confucius _________________, “The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from ____________.”

Tsze-kung also ________________ what constituted the superior man.  Confucius replied, “He acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his ________________.”

confessed
rest
fear
asked
actions
himself
man
cultivates
answered
And


Pair Work Discussion Questions
A

What did Confucius believe would make a man superior. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Did Confucius feel that he was up to the task of being a superior man? 
Do you think it is possible to be free of perplexities? Why or why not? 
What does Confucius believe about the relationship between actions and words? 
What practical steps could we take to lessen stress in our lives? 
B
How do you think cultivating one's self would bring rest to others?
Do you think it is possible to be free of anxieties? Why or why not?
Is it possible to be free of fear? Why or why not? 
Do you think it is important to act before speaking? Why or why not? 
What practical steps could we take to lessen fear in our lives? Is fear ever a good thing? When? 

Writing
Write a letter or paper that encourages a friend or young person to cultivate virtue, wisdom, and boldness. The paper should include practical steps for promoting these three things. 

Homework
Find your favorite quotes about virtue, boldness, wisdom, and the relationship between actions and words. Translate them into English if necessary, and be prepared to share your favorites with the class. 


Exercise Answers
Synonym Matching: constituted-->made up of, asked-->questioned, cultivation-->gardening, cultivates-->promotes, way-->path, equal to it-->able to do it, anxieties-->fears, fear-->panic, replied-->answered.
Antonym Matching: superior-->inferior, carefulness-->carelessness, confessed-->denied, free from--> enslaved by, perplexities-->simplicity, bold-->timid, acts-->does nothing, speaks-->remains silent, afterwards-->before. 
Listening Blank Fill: what, of, He, others, as, answered, but, is, perplexities, asked, acts, his
Word Bank Fill in the Blank: man, answered, cultivates, And, himself, rest, confessed, fear, asked, actions.

Key Words and Sentence
Constituted 构成
Cultivation 养殖
Reverential Carefulness 
虔诚的细心
子曰:「君子道者三,我無能焉:仁者不憂,知者不惑,勇者不懼。」


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A Good Person (Galatians)

7/7/2016

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Picture
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.


If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (ESV).

Matching Fruit of the Spirit with Pictures
​Discuss which picture represents the following words: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, sefl-control. 

Introductory Discussion Questions
What is your favorite fruit?
What are the fruits of a good person, or what characteristics make a person good? 
What can help a person become good? 
What good characteristic do you wish you had more of? 
What things keep a person from being good? 

Synonym Matching

gratify                                                                   commandment
desires                                                                 against
law                                                                        satisfy
conceited                                                            wants
provoking                                                           jealous 
envying                                                               irritating 
opposed                                                              proud 

Antonym Matching 
love                                                                      unkind
joy                                                                        evil
peace                                                                   war
patience                                                             hate
kindness                                                             unfaithful 
goodness                                                           rough
faithfulness                                                       despair
gentleness                                                         impatience 
self-control                                                        indulgence 

Word Bank Fill in the Blank
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the ________ are against the Spirit, and the desires of the _________ are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to _____. ...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, ______________, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no ______.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and ___________.

_____ we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one _________, envying one another (ESV).

If
flesh
goodness
Spirit
do
law
desires
another

Listening Blank Fill
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and _______ will not gratify the desires of the flesh. _______ the desires of the flesh are against the __________, and the desires of the Spirit are against _______ flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to ________ you from doing the things you want to do. ...

_______ the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, _________, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things _________ is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus _______ crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.


_____ we live by the Spirit, let us also keep _____ step with the Spirit. Let us not become _____________, provoking one another, envying one another (ESV).

Pair Work Discussion Questions
A
What are the desires of the flesh?
Which fruit is the most important? Why?
Why is there no law against these fruits?
According to these words, who or what makes people good? 
Do you agree with the author? Why or why not? 
B
What is meant by the Spirit?
Which fruit is the least important? Why? 
What behaviors are there laws against?
According to the author, what is the chief danger to these fruits? 

Do you agree with the author? Who or what do you think makes people evil?

Fruits Ordering
In pairs or groups, discuss and order the fruits of the Spirit from most important to least important. 


Representing the Fruits with Pictures
Can you think of any other pictures or stories from your culture that may represent the fruits? 

Homework
Take one fruit of the Spirit and write a story demonstrating that fruit. It can be either true or from your imagination. In the next class, you can read the story, and other students can guess the fruit being demonstrated. 
​
Chinese Translation
我 说 , 你 们 当 顺 着 圣 灵 而 行 , 就 不 放 纵 肉 体 的 情 欲 了 。
因 为 情 欲 和 圣 灵 相 争 , 圣 灵 和 情 欲 相 争 , 这 两 个 是 彼 此 相 敌 , 使 你 们 不 能 做 所 愿 意 做 的 。

圣 灵 所 结 的 果 子 , 就 是 仁 爱 、 喜 乐 、 和 平 、 忍 耐 、 恩 慈 、 良 善 、 信 实 、
温 柔 、 节 制 。 这 样 的 事 没 有 律 法 禁 止 。
凡 属 基 督 耶 稣 的 人 , 是 已 经 把 肉 体 连 肉 体 的 邪 情 私 欲 同 钉 在 十 字 架 上 了 。

我 们 若 是 靠 圣 灵 得 生 , 就 当 靠 圣 灵 行 事 。

不 要 贪 图 虚 名 , 彼 此 惹 气 , 互 相 嫉 妒 (CUV)。

Exercise Answers: 

Picture Matching: love-->pic. 1, patience-->pic. 2, kindness-->pic. 3, self-control-->pic. 4, faithfulness-->pic. 5, joy-->pic. 6, gentleness-->pic. 7, peace-->pic. 8, goodness-->pic. 9. 
Synonym Matching: gratify-->satisfy, desires-->wants, law-->commandment, conceited-->proud, provoking-->irritating, envying-->jealous, opposed-->against. 
Antonym Matching: love-->hate, joy-->despair, peace-->war, patience-->impatience, kindness-->unkind, goodness-->evil, faithfulness-->unfaithful, gentleness-->rough, selfcontrol-->indulgence.
Word Bank Fill in the Blank: flesh, Spirit, do, goodness, law, desires, If, another. 
Listening Blank Fill: you, For, Spirit, the, keep, But, peace, there, have, If, in, conceited. 
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    My name is Paul. I am from Michigan, USA. I am a perpetual language learner and teacher, trading my time between two continents. I obtained my MA in TESOL from Cornerstone University. 

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