Analysis on the Similarities and Differences of "Benevolence" in Confucianism Abstract: Confucianism is the most dominant thought in China feudal society and a school that has the deepest influence on China people. "Benevolence" is the focus of early Confucianism. The change from Confucius' view of "benevolent love" to Mencius' view of "compassion" should be a development process from Confucius' "benevolence" to Mencius' "benevolent government". The similarities and differences between Confucius and Mencius' understanding of "benevolence" are mainly reflected in ethics and politics. Keywords: benevolence; Kindness; Compassion; Benevolent Confucius' "benevolence" opened the prelude of China Confucianism's exploration of "benevolence", which can be said to be the center of his theory. One hundred years after Mencius' death, he once again raised the banner of "benevolence" and put forward the concept of "compassion and benevolence". Mencius admired Confucius the most, and Sima Qian's Historical Records said, "Mencius prefaced the Book of Songs and stated the meaning of Zhong Ni." Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' theory by interpreting Confucius' benevolence, commenting on Confucius' deeds and praising Confucius, and established Confucius' status as a saint. At the same time, he also explored and expounded "benevolence" to a certain extent, and gradually became a unified statement. The connotation change of "benevolence" also reflects the theoretical development track from Confucius to Mencius, and reveals the deep relationship between Mencius' ideological theory and Confucius. As for the specific understanding of "benevolence", it belongs to the so-called "benevolence means that benevolent people have different opinions, and wise people have different opinions" (Yijing). Confucius's "benevolence" emphasizes the obligation of human relations and hopes that everyone will do his duty, that is, he advocates "benevolence" and pays attention to people's behavior and value; Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thought of "benevolence", which became the expression of deep sympathy and love for the people and developed into a policy agenda covering all aspects of ideological life. This is Mencius' thought of "benevolent governance". Confucius and Mencius have both similarities and differences in benevolence. Benevolence is an important concept of Confucianism, and Confucius regards it as the highest moral principle, standard and realm. He was the first to integrate the whole moral norms and formed an ethical ideological structure with "benevolence" as the core. Benevolence stands out from other virtues and is endowed with new connotations. In the Analects of Confucius, the expression and scope of application of benevolence are emphasized, and human ethics are emphasized. All the norms about "benevolence" and "happiness" are just a means of giving benevolence and a way to realize the ultimate principle of life, that is, "benevolence is the body, and righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith are all used"; Mencius, on the other hand, applied Confucius' thought of caring for the benevolent and his own theory of "nature is good" to the real political field, and introduced the theory of benevolence rooted in blood relationship to benevolence facing the society, that is, put forward the concept of "compassion". Mencius believed that people were born with the basic innate nature of * * *-"forbearance". Mencius raised the moral orientation to the essence of human beings, and put forward that the natural heart of "forbearance" is the beginning of "benevolence", that is, the necessary condition for the emergence of benevolence, which ideologically constructed the foundation of Mencius' thought of "benevolent government" Confucius and Mencius' different interpretations of "benevolence" are precisely the continuity and consistency between them; Although Confucius mentioned benevolence many times, he did not give a clear definition. Mencius defined benevolence, which is more or less a supplement and enrichment of Confucius' thought. Confucius said that "the benevolent loves others", and relatives are of course the primary object of his "benevolence" (filial piety is also the foundation of benevolence); Mencius' compassion, as an instinctive love of human beings, is of course reflected in his love for his loved ones (the most filial son is to respect his loved ones). Confucius and Mencius' different interpretations of "benevolence" have great overlap and complementarity in structure, that is, benevolence on the ethical level is a progressive and complementary relationship, while Confucius and Mencius' different interpretations of "benevolence" on the social and political level reflect the unique experience of two generations of saints in applying "benevolence" to the world. Mr. Mou Zongsan said that in China's traditional Confucian philosophy, there is only governance but no governance. The so-called governance is the truth of governance, that is, the methodological principle of effective social and political management. The so-called governance is the truth of political power, that is, the legitimacy of securities. Governance is helpful, and the right path is structured (Mou Zongsan Politics and Governance). I dare not understand Mr. Mou's reasoning (there may be problems such as shallow understanding skills and understanding deviation). I think the construction of the Confucian right path began with Confucius (there is no king of literature, but there is no king of literature) and Mencius (heaven descended on all peoples, taking the monarch as a teacher), and went all the way to Chen at the end of Qin Dynasty and Dong Zhongshu's Three Strategies for Heaven and Man and Divine Grant of Sovereignty in the Western Han Dynasty. The legitimacy of political power has always been the establishment of a dynasty. China's Confucian political thought has always paid attention to the inner sage and the outer king. I think Confucius' model should be "inner sage and outer king", which is a relationship of reflection and divergence. Mencius advocated "inner saints and outer kings", which is causal; Confucius believes that the best way to be a king is to be a saint, while Mencius believes that being a saint is a necessary condition to be a king. Only the inner sage can be given the right of the outer king, and the dominant genius will be given the right of the outer king. In the theory of learning from foreign countries, especially in the application of benevolence, Confucius emphasized benevolence and governing the country by courtesy, while Mencius highlighted his thought of "valuing the people and neglecting the monarch" and asked the monarch to "kiss the people, be kind to the people and love things". Confucius' theory of political benevolence is one of the thoughts of caring for the people from the monarch's point of view, while Mencius' theory of benevolent governance is based on the theory of "good nature", that is, he can't bear others, so Mencius' benevolent governance requires the monarch to thank and enjoy the people, and the monarch and the people are in a relationship of common interests, courtesy and music; Confucius and Mencius expounded how to implement the thought of "benevolence" in the governance of Taoism from different angles, which is an extension of the thought of "benevolence" and is understood and expounded from different angles and depths. Source: Qunwen Tiandi