On the Significance of “Fang” in the Analects

The character of Fang (“方”) appears fifteen times in the Analects.In some passages,the meaning of the character is interpreted in diverse ways.For instances,there are different interpretations of Fang as it refers to the meanings of “side by side”,“comparing”,and “the way” or “the means”.In other passages,the character is almost completely ignored when it refers to “four directions” and to “all directions”.No attention is paid to the “states” and “various states”,meanings closely related to the expressions of four directions or all directions.These expressions include three important and yet heretofore ignored meanings,namely subject,enemy and square.These ordinary meanings are significant for understanding the character of Fang in the Analects in particular and the features of Chinese civilization in general.