Keywords: Confucius? A gift? Clear your name? middle
First, the origin of the ceremony
Rite is the general name of the system in ancient hierarchical society, including all the etiquette of people's material and spiritual life. It is accompanied by the concept of "God". In ancient clan society, people worshipped nature, but when they encountered natural disasters, they could not objectively understand the causes of the disasters, so the concept of supernatural gods came into being. He believed that God was in charge of everything, so he offered sacrifices to God, asking God to bless him and avoid disaster. "Rite" was originally a ritual to worship the gods. Shuowen: "courtesy is also good, so there are blessings of ghosts and gods, from the obvious to the abundant; "It shows that the sky hangs like seeing good or ill luck, so it shows people, from two to three: the day, the month and the star. Observe astronomy to observe the changes of time. Show god also. " We can see that this is the primitive understanding of etiquette by primitive humans. With the development of society, the form of sacrificial ceremony was used by slave owners and rulers as a tool of autocratic rule.
By the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of Confucius' life, the system of rites and music in the Zhou Dynasty had been seriously damaged, and the phenomenon of "collapse of rites and music" appeared. The Zhou royal family has been unable to restore its rights and prestige, and the whole rule has existed in name only. In the Central Plains countries, either the political power falls into the hands of big doctors or they "accompany the ministers to carry out the life of the country" (mainly referring to the rebellion of Lu ministers and the intervention of tigers). There were six Qing Dynasties in the State of Jin, and then there were only four Qing Dynasties-Han, Zhao, Wei and Zhi Bo. Seeing the great social unrest, Confucius wanted to maintain social order with the traditional form and content of ceremony, but he could not solve the problem, so he adopted the form of ceremony and changed the content of ceremony. This is a ceremony used by slave owners and rulers in the Western Zhou Dynasty to maintain their autocratic rule and turn it into a ceremony to close ethical relations, improve social relations and adjust political relations. Therefore, Confucius' talk about "rites" is different from "rites of the week", but it is more in line with the objective reality at that time, but it should also be pointed out that Confucius' "rites" could not be implemented at that time.
Second, politeness principle.
Confucius advocated the principle of taking benevolence as the ritual. Confucius said, "If people are heartless, what is a gift" (The Analects of Confucius, Eight Shu)? He also said: "Liu Yun, Liu Yun, jade and silk are wonderful" (The Analects of Yang Huo). We can see that Confucius is benevolence-oriented. What's the use of a ceremony without benevolence? Is it just a ritual vessel like jade and silk? In other words, people should treat others according to the principle of "benevolence", and a clear conscience is the gift when offering sacrifices. Xia Zi asked Confucius, "I smiled cleverly and looked forward to it with beautiful eyes, so I thought it was gorgeous." What is it? "Confucius replied," Draw afterwards (this means drawing a white background first). "Xia Zi said," after the ceremony? "Confucius said," It's enough to talk about poetry with people who start business (business, you are such an inspiration, now I can discuss the Book of Songs with you). "(The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu) From Confucius' answer, it also shows that the foundation of Confucius' ceremony is benevolence.
Confucius believes that the general principles of etiquette are politeness, respect, harmony and frugality. A Confucius said, "Courtesy is near but shame is far away" (The Analects of Confucius, Learning and Thinking). Confucius believes that things that do not conform to etiquette must never be done, and it is not a "respectful" attitude to do so. This is the basic attitude towards people. Confucius opposed "no salute" and respected "harmony". It is a son who said, "The purpose of the ceremony is to make peace." Wang Zhidao comes first, and Sri Lanka is beautiful. Small and big, there are problems. It is not feasible to know peace but not courtesy. "People think that harmony is the most important thing in the implementation and application of etiquette. But it is not feasible to talk about harmony in everything, or to be harmonious for the sake of harmony and not be bound by etiquette. In other words, we must abide by the hierarchical differences stipulated by the ceremony, and there can be no discord between them. The essence of Fang Lin's politeness. Confucius said, "What a big problem! Ceremony, not luxury, is quite frugal; Sadness is greater than heart death. (Li, Ning Jian is not extravagant; Take the funeral for example. It is better to be truly sad from the heart than to be prepared easily. (The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu) It seems that Confucius didn't directly answer his question here, but after careful consideration, Confucius clearly answered the fundamental question of etiquette. That is, etiquette is just a form of expressing ceremony, but it is not in the form at all but in the heart. We can't just stay in the superficial ceremony, but more importantly, we should understand the essence of the ceremony from the heart and feelings to meet the requirements of the ceremony. This embodies the principle that Confucius advocated frugality and put an end to extravagance in ceremony.
Third, the main content of the ceremony
Confucius was honored as a saint in China's long-term feudal society, which shows that his thoughts have a progressive side, that is to say, Confucius' thoughts have ideas that meet the needs of feudal society. However, Confucius' thought also has a conservative and backward side. Let's briefly talk about the main contents of the ceremony.
(1) "Give yourself up for others"
Confucius advocated "self-denial and benevolence" (The Analects of Confucius Yan Yuan), that is to say, courtesy is the content, benevolence is the form, and benevolence is expressed by courtesy. Confucius is answering Zhang: "Do you know the tenth generation?" He said, "Yin gains and loses, because, so we can know; Obviously, Zhou's gains and losses are due to. Its successor, though immortal, can be known (Shang dynasty inherited the etiquette system of Xia dynasty, and what was added or subtracted, can be known; Zhou dynasty inherited the etiquette system of Shang dynasty, and the contents of abolition and addition can also be known. What will inherit the Zhou Dynasty in the future is a hundred years later, so we can know in advance) "("The Analects of Confucius for Politics "). This is the positive aspect of Confucius' "ceremony". Confucius put forward an important concept: profit and loss. It means to increase or decrease and promote leather. In other words, there is inheritance, no attack, reform and flexibility to the laws and etiquette norms of the previous generation. It can be seen that the ceremony advocated by Confucius is not a simple repetition of the ceremony in Zhou, but contains the content of feudalism. It can be seen that Confucius is not a stubborn conservative, and he does not have to return to the era of Zhou rites, nor does he oppose all reforms. Of course, his degree of profit and loss is limited, provided that the basic nature of Zhou Li is not changed.
To "reciprocate", you need to "self-denial". Confucius put forward the methods of "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" and "do what you want to do, and do what you want to achieve" (The Analects of Confucius, Yongye), so he said, "My Tao is consistent." Zeng Shen explained that "the way of a master is loyalty and forgiveness" ("The Analects of Confucius"). Of course, Confucius's "self-denial and courtesy" was aimed at all aspects of society at that time. For example, in the relationship between monarch and minister, the rulers at that time practiced the old decadent rule, and Confucius thought it was necessary to "self-denial and return the ceremony"; In the practice of "giving", Confucius thought: "If you have the beauty of Zhou Gong's talent, you will be arrogant and stingy, and the rest will be insufficient (even the monarch in the upper position has the beauty of Zhou Gong's talent, and if you are arrogant and stingy, other aspects will not be worth seeing)." Therefore, the nobility should actively help the poor, help them to promote their careers, and be "rich and courteous" ("The Analects of Confucius"). On the other hand, he thinks that when the poor can't get the promotion and help from the official position, they should not bury their grievances (The Analects of Confucius), but should "be greedy for perfection" (The Analects of Confucius), be content with their fate and obey it.
Confucius believes that "Tao is the government, punishment is the punishment, and the people are free from shame; Tao is virtue, courtesy, shame and dignity. " The Analects of Confucius means that moral education is much better than punishment, which can not only make people obey the rules, but also make people feel ashamed. And punishment can only make people avoid crime, but it can't make people understand that crime is shameful. In his view, people can be "ashamed" and then consciously abide by the rules.
Someone asked Confucius if Guan Zhong was frugal, and Confucius replied: "The monarch tree blocks the door, and the house also blocks the door; The monarch is the goodness of the two monarchs, and there are objections, as well as those of Guan Jia. Know the ceremony when you are in charge, but don't know the ceremony? " (The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu) Confucius thought that Guan Zhong paid attention to how to govern the country, but not to how to "self-denial and return the ceremony", so he criticized Guan Zhong for "not knowing the ceremony". Guan Zhong's behavior does not conform to Confucius' "courtesy", because he is a revolutionary faction of emerging feudal landlords, and Confucius is the representative of the political thoughts of feudal lords and feudal slave owners after the revolution, so his thoughts are conservative in this respect.
However, in Confucius' view, "complex ceremony" must be "self-denial". "Gram" means overcoming, and "self-denial" means using "courtesy" to overcome one's own desires. If a person can "self-denial", he will naturally "return the gift".
(2) the theory of "correcting names"
Confucius said, "If you don't have a correct name, you can't. If you don't succeed, you will be embarrassed. If you are embarrassed, you won't be punished. If the punishment is not correct, the people will be at a loss. Therefore, the name of a gentleman must be spoken, and words must be feasible. The words of a gentleman are nothing but nothing. " (The Analects of Confucius Lutz) So what is "correcting the name"? Correcting the name is to correct the improper use of words in etiquette and birthright, that is, to maintain "courtesy". Confucius believes that the reason why the etiquette system came into being is to ensure that everyone's thoughts and actions conform to their birthright, that is, "the name must be said and the words must be done", and the penalty is the punishment for violating the etiquette system. "Ill-defined names" will lead to "poor manners" and "no punishment", which will lead to "people are at a loss". Confucius said, "No, no, no! Hey! " (The Analects of Confucius Yongye) He thinks that a donkey can only be called a donkey if it has angular edges. If not, it is not a donkey. Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics. Confucius said, "Jun Jun, minister, father and son." Qi Jinggong said, "Good! I believe that there is no monarch, no minister, no father, no son. Although I have millet, I want to eat it. " (The Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan) "No monarch, no minister, no father and no son" is a portrayal of the destruction of Zhou rites. "Correcting the name" is to change this situation, restore the order of "Jun Jun, ministers, father and son" according to the requirements of etiquette, and achieve "see no evil, don't listen to indecent assault, don't speak indecent assault, don't move indecent assault" (The Analects of Yan Yuan).
(C) "China" theory
? "Hold on to it" (The Analects of Confucius Yao Yue) means that words and deeds are impartial, or just right, which is what Confucius meant by "zhong". The specific provision of "Zhong" is "Li". Zi Gong asked Confucius, "Which is better, a teacher or a businessman?" Confucius said, "A good teacher is not as good as a businessman." Zi Gong said, "But the more teachers there are?" Confucius said, "Too much is too late." (The Analects of Confucius Advanced) means that since Zhang Zi did too much, Xia Zi didn't do enough, and neither of them was good, Confucius' evaluation of them was "too much", and only "middle" was correct. Confucius regards "Li" as the specific provision of "Zhong", so "Zhong" is the theoretical basis of "Li".
Fourthly, the modern enlightenment of "Li"
Confucius said: "Being respectful and disrespectful is tiring, being cautious and disrespectful is embarrassing, being brave and disrespectful is chaotic, and being straight and disrespectful is twisted" (it is futile to be respectful and not guided by courtesy; Just being cautious and not guided by ceremony will make you cringe and stiff; If you are brave and not guided by courtesy, you will have sharp words ("The Analects of Confucius Taber"), saying that "kindness is not easy to learn, but it is also stupid; If you know well and don't learn well, your cover will waver; Honesty is not easy to learn, and its cover is also a thief; Straight board is difficult to learn, and the cover is distorted; If you are brave and study hard, your cover will be messy; It's hard to learn and crazy. "The Analects of Confucius Yang Huo talks about the importance of" ceremony ". Although Confucius' thought could not be adopted by the rulers at that time, it has been highly respected by the rulers since the establishment of Confucian orthodoxy. Therefore, Confucius' thought has influenced the culture of China for thousands of years, and the role of "courtesy" cannot be ignored.
For today, we should treat Confucius' "ceremony" with dialectical thinking. On the premise that the purpose of Confucius Rites is to maintain the feudal hierarchy and feudal ruling order, we should also see the positive and reasonable components and the negative and backward parts of Confucius Rites, so as to "take its essence and discard its dross" and better promote the development of society in a harmonious direction. We must never completely deny Confucius' ceremony, and "overthrow Confucius' shop". In short, the "ceremony" in Confucius' thought has many conservative and backward contents, which should be criticized; But there are many reasonable ideas and virtues that are suitable for the era of moral deficiency. We should treat the "ceremony" in Confucius' thought fairly.
China has always regarded itself as a "state of etiquette". It can be said that etiquette is one of the basic characteristics of China culture. Today in the 2 1 century, we should find a reasonable position for Confucius' etiquette thought in the real society, so that "etiquette" can better serve people and society, and it is also a development and expansion of the splendid culture of the Chinese nation.
References:
[1] The Essence System of Confucius by Du Renzhi, Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1985.
[2] Essays, Re-evaluation of Confucius and Confucius Thought, Jilin People's Publishing House, 1980.
[3] Voice of Jinling Radio, Confucius Thought and Modern Civilization, China Radio and Television Press, 1990.
Appendix:
1. A Confucius said, "Harmony is the most important thing, and ceremony is the most important thing. Wang Zhidao comes first, and Sri Lanka is beautiful. Small and big, there are problems. It is not feasible to know peace without courtesy. " ("The Analects of Confucius Learn 12")
2. A Confucius said, "A word can be repeated if it is true. Politeness is closer to politeness than shame. Because you don't lose your loved ones, you can still live in it. " ("The Analects of Confucius Learn 13")
3. Zi Gong said, "Poor without flattery, rich without arrogance. What is it? " Confucius said, "Yes. If you are not poor, you will be happy, and those who are rich and courteous will also be. " Zi Gong said, "Poetry is as it says, incisive as it talks, and it moistens things as silently as it grinds. What is it? " Confucius said, "If you give it, you can talk to poetry. Tell people who know the past. " ("The Analects of Confucius Learn 15")
4. Confucius said: "If the Tao is political, it will be punished, and the people will avoid it. It is shameless. Tao is virtue, courtesy, shame and dignity. " ("The Analects of Confucius Governing San")
5. Meng Wenxiao. Confucius said, "No violation." Yu. My son told me: "Sun Meng asked me about filial piety, and I didn't violate it." Fan Chi said, "What is it?" Confucius said, "People are born with courtesy; When you die, you will be buried and sacrificed. " ("The Analects of Confucius Governing Five")
6. Zhang Zi asked, "Do you know the tenth generation?" Confucius said: "Yin gains and loses, because, so you can know; Obviously, Zhou's gains and losses are due to. Its successor, though immortal, can be known. " ("The Analects of Confucius Governing Twenty-three")
7. Confucius scolded her family: "Dancing in court can be tolerated, not tolerated!" (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 1)
8. Three families use "courage". Confucius said, "Look at each other and see the crowd, and the son of heaven sees it." ("The Analects of Confucius, Ba Shu Er")
9. Confucius said, "If people are unkind, what is a gift? People are heartless, so what are you happy about? " (The Analects of Confucius Bashu III)
10. Fang Lin asked the essence of the ceremony. Confucius said, "What a big problem! Ceremony, not luxury, is quite frugal; It's easier to mourn than to grieve. " ("The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu Four")
1 1. Xia Zi asked, "I'm smart, with a smile and beautiful eyes, but I always thought it was gorgeous." What is it? Confucius said, "Painting is afterwards." Said, "After the ceremony? Confucius said, "If you give it to someone, you can talk to him about poetry." (The Analects of Confucius, Ba Shu Ba)
12. Confucius said, "I can talk about Xia Li, but I can't justify myself." Yin can talk, but Song is not smart enough. Lack of literature. That's enough, then we can collect it. "("The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu Nine ")
13. Confucius said: "Zhou Jian is the second generation, and I am depressed. I followed Zhou. " (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 14).
14. Zi entered the ancestral temple and asked everything. Or: "Who is the son of a man who knows manners? Go into the ancestral hall and ask everything. " Hearing this, Zi said, "This is a gift." (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 15).
15. Zigong wants to tell the sheep about the new moon. Confucius said, "Give it! I love my sheep and I love my ceremony. " (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 17).
16. Confucius said, "When you do everything, people think it's flattery." (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 18).
17. Ding Gong asked: "Does the monarch make an envoy, and the minister is a monarch?" Confucius said, "The monarch makes the minister polite, and the minister is loyal to the monarch." (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 19).
18. Confucius said, "Guan Zhong's instrument is small!" Or: "Is Guan Zhong frugal?" He said, "How can you be frugal if you are in charge of things three times and don't do your proper work?" "But Guan Zhong knows the ceremony?" Yue: "The monarch tree blocks the door, and the Guan family also blocks the door; There are contradictions between the good of the country and the good of the two monarchs, and there are also contradictions between the customs. Do you know the etiquette, don't you? " (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 22).
19. Confucius said: "It is more sad to be disrespectful to your family than to die in your heart. What do I think? " (The Analects of Confucius Bashu 26).
20. Confucius said, "What if comity is the country? What should I do if I can't be polite to my country? " (The Analects of Confucius Liren 13).
2 1. Confucius said: "A gentleman has knowledge and knowledge, and can make a gift or be a husband." ("The Analects of Confucius, Yongye XXVII")
22. When Chen Si was defeated, he asked Zhao Gong if he knew manners. Confucius said, "Know the courtesy." Confucius retreated from witchcraft and said, "I heard that a gentleman is not a party, but a gentleman is a party?" You took it from Wu, with the same surname, Wu Mencius. You know the ceremony, but you don't know the ceremony? "Oh mom period to inform. Confucius said, "Autumn is also fortunate. If there is, people will know. " (The Analects of Confucius Shuer31)
23. Confucius said: "Courtesy is tiring, prudence is embarrassing, courage is chaotic, and straightforwardness is twisting. If your son is loyal to his relatives, the people will prosper in benevolence; If you don't lose your old age, then the people won't steal. " ("The Analects of Confucius Taber II")
24. Confucius said, "Prosperity lies in poetry, courtesy lies in ceremony, and success lies in joy." ("The Analects of Confucius Taber Eight")
25. Confucius said: "Ma Mian, courtesy also; Today is also pure and frugal, I follow the crowd. Worship, courtesy also; Thank you today, Taiya. Although it is aimed at the public, I am from the bottom. " (The Analects of Confucius and Zi Han III)
26. Yan Yuan sighed: "The higher you climb, the harder you drill. You look forward, but suddenly you fall behind. The master coaxed me and wrote me articles, asking me to be polite and unable to stop. In other words, I will use up my talents if I make a difference. Although I want to follow it, I have no reason. " (The Analects of Zi Han 1 1).
27. Confucius said: "Rites and music are advanced, and savages are also; Finally, the gentleman also. If you use it, then I will be advanced. " Advanced Analects of Confucius 1.
28. Yan Yuan asked Ren. Confucius said, "Self-denial and courtesy are benevolence. A day of self-denial and self-denial, the world will return to benevolence. For benevolence, for yourself, for people? " Yan Yuan said, "What's the purpose?" Confucius said, "see no evil, don't listen to evil, don't say evil, and don't move if you are evil." Yan Yuan said, "Although I am not sensitive, please talk to me." ("The Analects of Confucius Yan Yuan")
29. Sima Niu said sadly, "Everyone has brothers, but I will die alone." Xia Zi said, "business has heard, life and death have life, wealth in the sky. A gentleman treats others with courtesy, and all men are brothers within the four seas. Why do gentlemen have no brothers? " ("The Analects of Confucius Yan Yuan V")
30. Confucius said: "If you know something, you can be a husband if you make a gift." (The Analects of Confucius Yan Yuan 15).
3 1. Luz said: "Wei Jun is in charge of his son, and his son should learn from him first?" Confucius said, "It must make sense." Lutz said, "Yes, I am. My son is pedantic. Qi Zheng Qi? " Confucius said, "Wild is wild. If a gentleman doesn't know, he can't be punished. If the name is irregular, the words are not smooth, and the words are not smooth. Words are not fluent, and happiness is not prosperous. If the joy is not prosperous, the punishment is not correct, and the people are helpless. Therefore, the name of a gentleman must be spoken, and words must be feasible. The words of a gentleman are nothing but nothing. " (The Analects of Confucius Lutz III)
32. Fan Chi invited him to learn about crops. Confucius said, "I am not as good as an old farmer." Please learn to be a nursery and say, "I am not as good as the old nursery." When Fan Chi came out, Confucius said, "I'm a villain, and so is Xu Fan. If you give a good gift, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; If you are just, then the people dare not refuse; If you keep the letter, people will not dare to be heartless. If the husband is like this, then people in all directions are tired of their children. How to use crops? " ("The Analects of Confucius Lutz IV")
33. Luz asked adults. Confucius said, "If Zang Wuzhong knows what people don't want, he can be an adult with the courage of frontier village and the skills of Ran Qiu." He said, "There is no need to be an adult today. See what is right, you can give your life. If you don't forget the words for a long time, you can become an adult. " (The Analects of Confucius 12).
34. Confucius said, "With good gifts, people will change hands." (The Analects of Confucius Xianwen 4 1)
35. Confucius said, "Li Liyun, jade and silk clouds? Music rhyme, bell and drum cloud? " (The Analects of Yang Huo 1 1).
36. Confucius said, "I don't know his life, but I don't think he is a gentleman." Don't understand the ceremony, can't stand it; You can't know people if you don't know what to say. "("The Analects of Confucius Yao Yue San ")
37. Confucius said: "A gentleman's righteousness is quality, courtesy is good, sun is good, and faith is good. Gentleman! " (The Analects of Confucius Wei Linggong 18).
38. Confucius said: "If you know it, you can't keep it. If you get it, you lose it. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it, and not doing it will be disrespectful to the people. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it, Zhuang can hand it over, and it is not polite to move it. " (The Analects of Confucius, Wei Linggong, Volume 33)