A genealogical survey of the values and practices of confucian courage from ancient China to the contemporary world

Lisheng Chen

pp. 391-411

in: Xinzhong Yao (ed), Reconceptualizing Confucian philosophy in the 21st century, Berlin, Springer, 2017

Abstract

According to the Shuo Wen 說文, the character 勇 yong ("courage") has two etymological origins. One is 勈, which emphasizes muscular strength, and the other is 恿, which emphasizes mental power. Xu Kai's explanation is that "in ancient characters, 心 xin ("mind") plus 甬 ("budding") forms 勇 ("courage"), which implies acting from righteousness.