The Emotional Life of Confucian Sages

This paper examines the emotional life of Confucian sages, drawing upon the Korean Confucian scholar Seongho Yi Ik’s 李瀷 (1681-1763) account of human emotions and the emotions of sages. While much scholarship has explored the cultivation process that leads to the exemplary life of sages, less attention has been given to their inner emotional experiences. To address this gap, I first outline the effortful life of ordinary people, who must remain vigilant in monitoring and regulating their emotions, distinguishing moral emotions from personal emotions and ensuring that the latter are properly guided by the former. I then turn to the effortless life of sages, whose actions are always appropriate and spontaneous. I make two key claims: 1) sages do not experience the Four Beginnings, and 2) sages experience only the Seven Emotions. This analysis reveals an overlooked dimension of Confucian ethics that extends beyond interpersonal relationships.