儒教文化における義理観の日中比較

Although part of the same Confucian culture, China and Japan differ in their conceptions of giri, which is the core of Confucian culture in both countries. Discussing the difference between Chinese and Japanese giri will aid analysis of the cultural reasons for the differences in the values of China and Japan. This paper examines semantic changes to Chinese and Japanese giri from a historical perspective and draws the following conclusions: Japanese giri has evolved into individualism, which is an important ethical norm in interpersonal relationships, but Chinese giri has maintained characteristics of universalism since ancient times and finally become the highest category of philosophical concepts. Understanding these differences aids general understanding of the major motivations behind the behavior of the populations in both countries.