The Confucian thought of ruling by virtue played an important role in the feudal society of China, and it still has certain reference significance to the practice of governing the country in contemporary China. The connotation of Confucian thought of ruling by virtue can be discussed from four aspects: moral system, moral politics, moral education and social ideal.
Keywords: Confucianism governing the country by virtue
Chinese civilization gave birth to the Confucian thought of ruling by virtue, which in turn promoted the development of Chinese civilization. Confucian thought of rule by virtue was born in slave society, and after many twists and turns, it finally became the orthodox thought of China feudal society, ruling China for more than two thousand years. Confucian thought of ruling by virtue played an important role in China feudal society, which is contemporary. Confucian thought of ruling by virtue is rich in connotation. This paper discusses from four main aspects: rule by virtue, politics by virtue, education by virtue and social ideal.
First of all, the German system
Confucianism implements the general plan of governing the country by virtue and establishes a system to ensure the smooth implementation of its thought of governing the country by virtue. Let's call this system the German system. What is the specific performance of the German system? A gift? . Is the Book of Rites Confucian? Five classics? One. Li, the shape of Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a vessel with two strings of jade. The ancients used to serve God with jade vessels as gifts to God. Ritual originated from sacrificial activities, and its original meaning is religious sacrifice. In the Shang Dynasty, offering sacrifices to gods was a part of theocracy, so the ritual of offering sacrifices to gods was not only religious but also political. People with different social status have different qualifications when offering sacrifices to gods, and gradually evolved a hierarchical order with strong political color and its corresponding code of conduct. In this way, etiquette is not only the etiquette of daily life, but also the political strategy and means to safeguard theocracy. As the core noumenon of China's political culture in the slavery era, the Yin and Zhou rites were formed, perfected and spread. With the development of society, rituals with political significance derived from ancient sacrificial activities have gradually evolved into a set of political laws and ethical norms that regulate people's behavior.
Rites originated from governing the country. The ancients had different views on the origin of rites. Some describe the origin of the ceremony as the arrangement of providence, while others describe the ceremony as the primitive nature of human beings. Xunzi, a master of Confucianism, once established a complete etiquette system. He's right. A gift? His exposition is more accurate and has a great influence on later generations. Xunzi said that? A gift? The origin of:? Where does the ceremony begin? Yue: People are born with desires; You can't have it if you want it; It is an indisputable fact to seek the boundary without measuring it; Struggle is chaos, and chaos is poverty. The late king hated the chaos, so he divided the courtesy and righteousness to nurture people's desires and give them desires. If you want something, you will never be poor, and things will never yield to your desires. The two are at loggerheads It's polite. ? [1] Xunzi believes that people are born with desires. If people's desires are not satisfied, there will be competition, which will lead to social chaos and poverty. Therefore, the rulers made? A gift? . Xunzi said again:? Therefore, polite people will be cultivated. ? [2] Meaning? A gift? It is used to adjust people's desires and meet people's needs. Xunzi believed that the ceremony originated from the saint's adjustment of human desires, and the ceremony was not born, but formed the day after tomorrow, that is? Sages turn into fakes, fakes are born with courtesy, and rituals are born with law. ? [3] ? People who are polite and righteous are born in the vanity of saints, not in human nature. ? [4]
Ceremony is a system for rulers to maintain social order. Xunzi believes that the purpose of making gifts is to? Mingfen? , that is, to distinguish between the rich and the poor, so that people are different. Xunzi said:? Even the points are not biased, the potential is uneven, and the public is not. One day, the land will be different from top to bottom, and the Ming king will be based on the state-owned system. Two expensive husbands don't deserve it, and two cheap husbands don't deserve it. This is a matter of days. If you are in the same position, but you want to do evil and things can't be mixed, you go for it. It's messy when you fight. If you mess up, you will be poor. The former king hated the chaos, so it is necessary to divide the etiquette and justice, let the poor and the rich be expensive and the cheap, and be close to each other, which is the foundation of raising the world. The book says:? Vezi, Fizzi. ? This is also called. ? [5] Xunzi disapproves of equality of all people, because equality of all people will inevitably lead to no one can subdue anyone, which will lead to chaos and social unrest. To this end, we must use etiquette to standardize everyone's responsibilities and maintain the hierarchical boundaries between the rich and the poor. It's called. Vizi Fizi？ . ? Vizi Fizi？ From Shangshu? Zhou Shu? Luxing is mainly to distinguish the relationship between similarities and differences. If you want the same thing, you have to be different. If you want to be neat, you have to be uneven. Xunzi's original intention is to explain that in order to maintain the order of the country, there must be an equal division between the rich and the poor, and etiquette is used to regulate the behavior norms of this division. ? Integral? As the essence of ceremony, it mainly has two meanings: one is? Distinguish? Divide is to divide people into different grades through rituals; And second? Duty? Division is to stipulate people's duties and responsibilities through etiquette. Dividing people into different grades means that each has its own responsibilities to stick to; People can stick to their duties, in fact, there are differences between people, and this difference is reasonable. Xunzi's exposition on the essence of etiquette actually focuses on the distribution and determination of people's political power and property treatment under the patriarchal clan system, which shows the role that everyone plays in social and political life and economic life, that is, human identity, and this identity is based on the patriarchal clan blood relationship. The secular function of ceremony is mainly based on this patriarchal blood relationship. What is this called? Jun Jun, minister, father, son. ? As the saying goes:? Your majesty, your superiors and subordinates, your father and son, your brother, are you indecent? [6]。 ? Out of politeness, the husband decided to be intimate and suspicious, while the other was different and distinguished between right and wrong. ? [7] Xunzi said:? In the case of the former king, the distinction between propriety and righteousness, even the difference between the old and the young, the difference between ignorance and ability, is to let people carry their own things and go their own way, and then call them as thick as they are. This is also the way for husbands to live in groups. ? [8] Dong Zhongshu said:? Rites, following heaven and earth, are yin and yang, but be cautious about the subject and object, and those who are far and near inside and outside are also poor. ? (Spring and Autumn Stories) Is the hierarchy Xunzi? A gift? The core content of. Xunzi clearly pointed out that the owner? There is the equality of aristocratic rank, the distinction between young and old, and the name of rich and poor. ? [9] ? A gift? There are grades and clear and strict standards of right and wrong. The golden mean: Etiquette 300, dignity 3000. ? Xunzi? It says:? What is more important than ceremony? . Like this? A gift? That is, such a hierarchy is actually a social order. ? A gift? In fact, it is a system for rulers to maintain social order.
Ceremony is the foundation of governing the country. The Book of Rites says:? Don't be in a hurry to treat people. ? Xunzi said:? The life of the people is in the sky, and the life of the country is in the ceremony. ? [10] think? A gift? Is it about the fate of the country again? People are not born if they are rude, things are not rude, and countries are uneasy if they are rude. ? [1 1] points out that we must rely on people to run the country? A gift? . ? It is wrong for a country to be rude. The reason why the ceremony is right for the country, such as weighing, putting ink on merit and rules on the side, is wrong, and people can't falsely accuse. ? [12] thinks that a country can't be well governed without etiquette, and since the etiquette standards for governing the country are determined, no one can cheat. Xunzi thinks? A gift? It is the foundation of raising the people and enriching the people. Xunzi offered to use it? Polite? Morality controls people's desires, so as to achieve the ultimate goal of raising the people and enriching the people, he said? An old friend, living cheaply, is also happy; Therefore, those who keep healthy and happy are extremely humble. ? [13] During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the strategy of governing the country basically followed the political ideas of Confucianism, with Zhu as the most typical representative. Zhu has always advocated the rule of virtue. He seriously discussed the relationship between political punishment and morality, etiquette and law, and thought that morality and etiquette were the foundation of governing the country, and political punishment was the tool of governing the country. He said: politicians are tools of governance, and punishing their people is a way to assist governance; Virtue is the foundation of governing the country, and virtue is the foundation of etiquette; This is the end, although it can't be neglected, but political punishment can keep people away from crime. The function of virtue and etiquette is to make people unconsciously move towards goodness. Therefore, we should not aim at governing the people, but also explore its root causes. Zhu Zhide refers to the ethical and moral concepts of father and son being close, the monarch and the minister being righteous, the husband and wife being different, the young and the old being orderly, and friends being trustworthy. Rulers run the country by virtue, that is, they influence people through Xiu De. But pure moral influence can't make people achieve complete perfection, which requires courtesy. The ceremony here can be regarded as an external code of conduct for maintaining morality. Ceremony is the guarantee of virtue, and it can coordinate the monarch, minister and father and son.