ABSTRACT
The way that the conception of the competitive sport of archery and what it entails about ‘competition’ is understood from the viewpoint of the junzi is worth exploring in greater detail. A major focus in Confucianism is the cultivation of the junzi—one who embodies the virtuous capacity for friendship and harmony, a theme explicit in the Analects’ discussion of sporting archery. Further, sports, which archery is, is annexed with rituals, and is employed to educate persons toward such profound attributes. But sports have other educational elements besides the rituals. There is also the beauty in sports and of the sport setting, and this is true of ancient Chinese archery, which is worth exploring for educational relevance, insofar as the cultivation of harmony is concerned. Yet, although it might not be of too great a concern for linguistic and referential purposes, philosophically speaking, Confucius would have resisted such a way of naming an activity.
