Mapping Confucian Virtues through Transitivity: A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach to Moral Ideology in Discourse

Abstract

Background and Aim: Language plays a central role in the construction and transmission of ideology through linguistic choices and discourse representation. Although Confucian ideology has been widely discussed from philosophical and cultural perspectives, limited attention has been paid to its linguistic realization through Systemic Functional Grammar. In particular, few studies have explored how Halliday’s transitivity system may provide a framework for interpreting Confucian moral values in discourse. Rather than conducting an empirical analysis of a specific corpus, this paper explores the applicability of transitivity analysis within Systemic Functional Grammar as a conceptual and theoretical framework for interpreting Confucian moral ideology in discourse.

Materials and Methods: This study adopts a qualitative and theoretical approach based on Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, particularly the transitivity system. The paper conceptually examines the relationship between different transitivity process types and core Confucian concepts, including Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (ritual propriety), Xin (trustworthiness), and Zhi (moral knowledge). The discussion draws on representative concepts and illustrative examples derived from classical Confucian texts, particularly the Analects, together with relevant literature on Confucian ethics and discourse studies. Relevant theories of Confucian ethics and discourse analysis were reviewed and integrated to develop a theoretical interpretation of how moral values may be represented through linguistic processes.

Results: The study proposes a systematic conceptual correspondence between transitivity process types and Confucian moral values. Material processes reflect moral action and social responsibility associated with Yi (righteousness), mental processes represent cognition, reflection, and self-cultivation related to Zhi (moral wisdom), while relational processes construct ethical identity and moral evaluation connected with Ren (benevolence). These patterns suggest that Confucian ideology can be interpreted through experiential meanings realized in discourse and provide a theoretical basis for future linguistic investigations of moral discourse.

Conclusion: This paper contributes to discourse studies by establishing a theoretical connection between Confucian ethics and transitivity analysis. It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding how moral ideology may be constructed through language and suggests that transitivity analysis can serve as a useful analytical tool for future empirical research on moral discourse across sociocultural contexts. However, the study is conceptual in nature and does not involve empirical corpus analysis; therefore, the proposed framework requires further validation through future data-driven research.