World History I

Chapter 9: China: Imperial Unification and Perfecting the Moral Order
722 BCE-618 CE

41: Wed, Feb 4, 2026

Please post in the forum for the day a short essay in response to this question:

In Confucius' Analects, society can be orderly if obligations are met between:

• Parent and child
• Husband and wife
• Older and younger sibling
• Older and younger friend
• Ruler and ruled

Consider these relationships as you answer the following questions:

• Does this list in your view leave out any important relationships you see in early imperial China?
• When do these obligations come into conflict?
• Who decides which obligation is more important when obligations are in conflict?
• What happens when obligations in relationships are not met?
• How might a Daoist or a Legalist answer these questions differently from a Confucian? (You may also consider the perspectives of Yang Zhu or of Mo Di from the Against the Grain section of your chapter.)

Consider evidence from the Chapter 9 Sources as well as from the chapter text.

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