DBQ 5 – Personal behavior and the Family in China

Nicholas Gilman

1. What are Virtue and Meritorious Deeds? Why do you need to congratulate someone for
accomplishing both.

According to the Lu family compact “virtue” means being sure to act upon seeing the good and being
sure to reform upon hearing of faults; to be able to govern oneself and one’s family; to be able to serve
father and elder brothers; to be able to instruct sons and younger brothers; to be able to maintain
integrity; to be able to extend kindness and relieve distress; to be able to decide right and wrong and
promote the beneficial and abolish the harmful. “Meritorious deeds” refers to serving one’s father and
elder brothers, instructing one’s children and younger brothers, managing one’s house. Outside it refers
to serving one’s superiors, entertaining friends, instructing students, and managing servants. To read
books, overseeing the fields, managing the household, helping creatures, and favoring the practice of
rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing and arithmetic. It is important to congratulate someone for
accomplishing these deeds because it emboldens Zhu’s conviction that social harmony is better
achieved through joint participation in proper rites and community functions to promote the general
welfare of the community. Basically, people are more likely to continue to emulate behaviors that they
receive praise or reward for participating in. (word count 196)

2. What personal behaviors are considered faults and are thus condemned? In your opinion are
these faults still examples of bad personal behavior today?

Personal behaviors that are considered faults include: being rude to those of virtue or age; to bully men
impose on people by relying on one’s superior strength; to know of a fault and not change; to not be
trustworthy, making false accusations and slander; managing things to one’s own advantage. Mixing
with men not of the right kind (the wicked and loafing); rambling, playing around, and idling (not
participating in one’s proper occupation or managing family affairs, being sloppy; being rude or
disrespectful and speaking when it is unfit. I generally agree with the list of faults still representing
unbecoming behavior in today’s society. The compact’s wording has an implication the personal
behavior was held to a higher standard that we do today and that there exists a community
responsibility to hold other members of the community to a higher standard. While I believe most
examples listed are good examples of bad behavior, much of the population today, specifically in the
United States, would not accept a standard of communal responsibility to uphold these standards under
a self-serving guise that dictating their “proper” behavior violates their freedom as Americans. (word
count 189)

3. Why would it be important for the family to meet periodically in order to go over everyone’s
behavior, good or bad, and enter that information into a book?

As a manner of upholding the standards set in the compact, praise, admonishment, and record keeping
are part of a process of accountability to ensure the family or community feel responsible to participate
in these standards. The process described by Zhu is the same concept used today of “praise in public,
reprimand in private” with the caveat of public reprimanding for significant offenses. This is the same
system is utilized in the military (under good leadership) and I found to be a very effective way of
promoting good behavior and stifling the bad. People are more likely to practice proper behaviors when
they receive praise and acknowledgment. Just as likely, people will refrain from behavior that results in
reprimand and to an even greater extent when the reprimand is a public event. Recording these deeds
and faults into a book creates a record, which is another part of a system of accountability for both good
and bad behavior. This way the community members are not immediately absolved of their faults and
can be held accountable for repeat offenses and their good deeds are not forgotten.