Applying the Confucian Doctrine of Rectification of Names to Educate a Sense of Responsibility Among Students of the Chinese Studies Faculty, University of Foreign Language Studies – The University of Danang

Abstract

Traditional Chinese culture places a premium on personal responsibility and duty, requiring individuals to think and act in accordance with their social roles so that one’s responsibilities within social relationships are clearly recognized. In today’s context of globalization and a rapidly expanding market society, manifestations of “names not rectified” have become increasingly common, exerting negative effects that erode students’ ethics and undermine their study, training, and character development—including, as a specific case within that broader picture, students of the Faculty of Chinese, University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang. This article applies the Confucian doctrine of zhèngmíng (rectification of names) as a combined theoretical and practical framework for educating students’ sense of responsibility amid the concurrent pressures of digital transformation, international integration, and community engagement in higher education. Drawing on a mixed-methods design—student surveys and interviews with lecturers and Youth Union/Student Association officers—built around a set of indicators spanning four domains of responsibility (self, family, university–society, and nation), the study finds that values linked to family and the nation are relatively well internalized, whereas behaviors that require long-term self-regulation, digital citizenship, accountable teamwork, and proactive social impact still have room for improvement. Accordingly, the paper proposes a coherent package of interventions, from program design to implementation, tailored to the university’s educational conditions.