On the General Meaning of the Sage

Abstract

From the Confucian perspective, a sage should possess three characteristics: a noble moral character; profound knowledge, and a remarkable ability to put his ideals into practice. Sages are born out of the circumstances of their times, they are the inheritors and promulgators of worthy traditions; in short, they are the ‘divine workers’ in human history. Sages understand ‘the Way’ (Dao) and ‘the divine’, however, from their own perspective. The Way or the divine is nothing but a highly developed and refined way of life. This is ‘culture’. This means that humans must consciously transform their qualities to make their human nature more perfect. Seen in this light, sages are ‘models’ of progression in the self-consciousness of human beings.