ABSTRACT
This chapter offers key elements and a theoretical framework to prepare readers for the chapters that follow. It begins with a conceptual articulation and clarification of Confucian harmony, particularly in relation to sameness and conflict, followed by a brief review and discussion of the importance that classic Confucian thinkers attributed to harmony as a social and moral ideal. The chapter also (re)establishes harmony as a central ideal in Confucianism by surveying its role in Confucian canons.
