Confucianism is generally associated with the ideology of governance and administration, of an intellectual’s participation in public service. However, there is an equally valid aspect of Confucianism, apparent already in the thought of Confucius and Mencius which justifies withdrawal from public life and official service under some conditions. To Confucius and Mencius it was clear that a man should serve when he could maintain and actively promote his principles, and that he should withdraw when the conditions of public service were degrading, or when his principles were threatened.1) This idea is accumulated in the often cited statement found in the Lunyu: “When right principles of government prevail in the kingdom, he will show himself; when they are prostrated, he will keep concealed.
Introduction: Confucian Eremitism in China Confucian Eremitism in Korea T'oegye's views on Ch'oe Ch'i‐wǒn T'oege's judgement on Yi Cha‐hyǒn's case Conclusion
