Qing 情 in Confucian Thought

Abstract

While the term qing is often translated as “emotions”, it differs from the contemporary notion of emotions in two respects. Its scope also includes such items as likes, dislikes and desires, and it is often used to refer not just to the actual responses of humans but also to the condition of the heart/mind that underlies such responses. The paper examines the evolvement of the term leading to this usage, and explores the different views of qing that evolved leading to the Song-Ming Confucian view of qing as a basic part of the human constitution that needs to be properly nourished.