Confucianism is only one component of a broader Sinic civilization

Evidence

All scholars recognize the existence of either a single distinct Chinese civilization dating back at least to 1500 B.C. and perhaps to a thousand years earlier, or of two Chinese civilizations one succeeding the other in the early centuries of the Christian epoch. In my Foreign Affairs article, I labeled this civilization Confucian. It is more accurate, however, to use the term Sinic. While Confucianism is a major component of Chinese civilization, Chinese civilization is more than Confucianism and also transcends China as a political entity. The term “Sinic,” which has been used by many scholars, appropriately describes the common culture of China and the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia and elsewhere outside of China as well as the related cultures of Vietnam and Korea. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 121

Categorization

• DEFINE: Justifies why Huntington renames Confucian to Sinic: the civilizational label must extend beyond a religion and beyond the core state’s borders.