Shengren: Above Philosophy and Beyond Religion

The shengren is the single most important concept in Chinese history. Since the Europeans had not anything like it, but refused to hold the candle to China; instead they withheld the shengren and talked about some lesser versions of Greek ‘philosophers’ or Christian ‘holy men.’ The English soon found a slightly better translation; they called the shengren ‘sages.’ The Germans however, the descendants of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation, never had a concept for sages or sagehood. In their effort to christen China, the Germans called the shengren ‘saints.’ Few people realize how the fate of the shengren was inextricably linked to the German obsession with Holiness. The European imperialists soon engaged in a fierce battle over China's most valuable possessions: its names.