Li (Confucian)

Li (Confucian)

Li (禮 pinyin: Lĭ) is a classical Chinese word which finds its most extensive use in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy. Li encompasses not a definitive object but rather a somewhat abstract idea; as such, it is translated in a number of different ways. Most often, li is described using some form of the word 'ritual' (as in Burton Watson's 'rites', and Henry Rosemont and Roger Ames' 'ritual propriety'), but it has also been translated as 'customs', 'etiquette', 'morals', and 'rules of proper behavior', among other terms.