Confucius transformed the concept of gentleman from a honorific title for aristocrats to that for virtuous men, which encouraged the newly arisen stratum in society to strive endlessly at the time.

• 摘要孔子把君子概念由对贵族的尊称转变为对有德之人的尊称，这种转变在当时起到了激励新兴阶层自强不息的作用。