Individual, Human, Great Whole – Understanding of Terms in Chinese Culture

Abstract

In ancient China, there was no word for “individual” as understood in the West­ern sense; there was only “human”, who is an integral part of the “great whole”. A person as “something indivisible” is an atomic foundational substance for building society. In China, a person is always included in a comprehensive sys­tem of relationships and is impossible outside of it; therefore, he is not an indi­vidual in the true sense of the word. This is vividly illustrated in the naming of kinship relations, which define a person’s duties and obligations to others. Based on the principle of the “great whole”, a person must adhere to the rules of li when interacting with others, which requires a high level of morality from them. The “great whole” helps to understand the overall picture, emphasizing the need to consider problems from a macro-perspective, rather than just looking at their parts or focusing only on the details.