Those familiar with Confucian thought know one of its primary concerns to be a topic that is at the root of both Chinese and Western philosophy: what constitutes a "moral" life and what does it mean to "be a moral person"? In this landmark work, noted sinologist and philosopher Roger Ames interprets how the classics of the Confucian canon portray the authentic, ethical human being. Ames first establishes an interpretive context for these ancient works by delving into their cosmological foundations through discussion of the Yijing, along with other works relating to traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese cosmology as a way of critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Confucian role ethics as articulated in the early canonical texts, discussing both its return to prominence and feasibility as a system of ethical conduct for the present day. Ames helps guide the reader with an etymological investigation of some of these key terms as he explores their earlier forms as bronze inscriptions and oracle bone carvings; with these, he seeks to explore some of their earlier nuances in meaning as well as linguistic and conceptual associations linking these terms, which were often lost as the characters became stylized and standardized over time.