-look at Mencius' thoughts from the history of Qi Huan's bronze inscriptions.

Rites collapse, princes dispute, frequent wars, a hundred schools of thought contend. The wheel of history roared over dusty memories, and the dialogue beyond time and space led us to listen to the true meaning of the soul of the sage Mencius.

Mencius, a native of Zou, was born in that ancient and eventful era. It is a descendant of the noble stone of Lu. He degenerated into a scholar and was studied by Confucius' grandson. During the Warring States period, he inherited and spread Confucianism and carried it forward.

When Mencius lobbied for political views in various countries to be rejected, he did not covet fame and fortune and resolutely dismissed from office. He wrote a book, saying that he wanted to recruit disciples, pinned his ideals on the future, and then compiled his theory into a book with his disciples. This is Mencius. It ranks among the four books and has been passed down to this day.

The publication of Mencius is an epoch-making work of ancient Chinese, chapter by chapter. In this work, whether it is the reasoning of righteous words, the eloquent argument, or the humorous irony, it has a distinct and sharp style. Mencius' article is eloquent, magnificent and good at argumentation. From the standpoint of scholars, his political opinions, philosophical theories and educational programs are interspersed among them, which is quite enlightening and memorable.

Shallow knowledge, exposure to the essence of Mencius is only the tip of the iceberg. From the initial "weather is not as good as geography, geography is not as good as harmony with people" to "fish is what I want, and righteousness is what I want; You can't have both, and those who give up their lives are also righteous. " The concept of righteousness; As a result, "wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and power can't be bent. This is called a gentleman. " Mencius' outlook on life continues to this day and has penetrated into all aspects of life. But what impressed me the most was The History of Qi Huan Jinwen, which was selected as a high school Chinese textbook.

"Five acres of house, the tree is mulberry, and fifty people can wear clothes; Chicken, dolphin, dog and pig hamburgers are all timely, and 70 people can eat meat; One hundred acres of land, if you don't hurry, a family of eight can be hungry; I am willing to teach you order and apply it in the sense of filial piety. Those who teach white can't bear to wear it. " What a warm and peaceful picture is outlined in the article; What a simple and profound truth this book tells. In the era of fighting with each other, the vassal States "scrambled to kill people;" Fighting for the city, killing people to benefit the city ",the people are caught in the hot water of war, hungry and cold, and displaced. Social contradictions are becoming more and more acute: "You have fat, there are fat horses in the stable, hungry people and hungry roads." The broad masses of the lower classes are struggling in the cracks of war, poverty and hunger, but they are still unable to get rid of the exploitation of harsh policies and laws. "The people are no more haggard than those who abuse politics at this time." Therefore, Mencius put forward the viewpoint of "benevolent government", and the people-oriented thought has very important practical significance. In many chapters of the book, this "human nature" is highlighted. He can transcend the shackles of class, analyze interests from the standpoint of working people and plead for the people, which is the embodiment of Mencius' theoretical progress and won him a broad mass base.

"The people are precious, the country is second, and the monarch is light." Mencius believed that in order to maintain long-term stability, the rulers should first win the hearts of the people, conform to their wishes, share their worries and joys with the people, meet their needs, and give them sufficient means of production to live and work in peace and contentment. Because "if people, there is no constant production, because there is no perseverance." Without perseverance, you have done everything for yourself by letting go of evil. "Both big countries and small countries want to adapt to the development of the times and gain a foothold in the turbulent world. Everyone should "control people's property so that they can support their parents and bow down to their wives;" "Life is full of happiness, and death is avoided in a fierce year ... Old people eat meat, while Li people are not hungry or cold ..." Only in this way can they "rule the world". This theory of benevolent governance is based on the theory of "human nature is good" marked by benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom. The key to the implementation of benevolent government is that people pay attention to their own soul cultivation, "cultivate themselves", the monarch "runs the country by virtue" instead of "ruling the country by law", people live in harmony, love and help each other, the social order is natural and orderly, and the civilized atmosphere has become a common practice.

Benevolent politics and people-oriented development to a certain extent is king. Wang Dao is also the central concept of Mencius' philosophy. In this chapter, Mencius encouraged Qi Xuanwang to give up "hegemony" and create "king" step by step through the way of growing up, from near to far, and analyzed two different endings, namely: hegemony is bound to fail, and death to protect the people is bound to succeed. This idea of kingship also runs through other chapters of Mencius. For example, in the chapter "I am for the Picture", Mencius used pot calling the kettle black's vivid metaphor to persuade Liang to return to the essence of things, thus "hoping for more people". Mencius used the metaphor of Liang's kingship many times, and the famous "seeking fish from the edge of a tree" is a good example. Another example is "Zhang Qi's Master's Road" later in this chapter. Mencius first expressed his contempt for Sun Chou's overbearing attitude, which reflected the urgent call for reunification at that time. There is also a chapter in the song dynasty that "Wang Zheng" sympathizes with the people's suffering and does good things for them. Just like Yao Shun and Tang Yin, they have won the support of people all over the world. Even if the country is small, they are not afraid of the invasion of big countries. In addition, Zhang Chou in Qiyitian and Zhang Wenqing in Wang Qi have repeatedly mentioned the social scenes of "supporting the elderly", "not picking up relics" and "living with the people" after the implementation of imperial power, all of which directly or indirectly expressed their own kingly thoughts from various aspects.

Although it was unrealistic in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was out of touch with the trend. However, Wang Dao advocated "serving people with morality", "sincerely convinced" and "going to the world" but designed a more scientific and sober ruling road for the rulers. At that time, in order to alleviate class contradictions, it objectively reflected some demands of the people and played a great role in promoting the development of production and improving people's lives. This idea of inheriting Confucius' "benevolence" and ruling by virtue was alienated by Dong Zhongshu into "the feeling of heaven and man". As the mainstream of Confucianism, Li was used in the rule of feudal society, which had far-reaching influence.

But Wang Dao, like most Confucianism, is restricted by the times, but it also has certain class limitations and historical limitations. First, Wang Dao's thought unilaterally emphasizes "benevolence" and "worry", ignores the objective reality of society and ignores the role of law; Secondly, driven by the theory of "good nature", it pays too much attention to the integrity of human beings and emphasizes the exertion of human self-control and initiative, which has a certain tendency of subjective idealism; Third, the social background is moving from division to unity, and war is inevitable. Mencius' general opposition to all force is a bit too blind, not as scientific as Mozi's "non-attack" proposition; Fourth, in the era of social unrest, the "moral policy" and "moral influence" advocated by Confucianism are not conducive to effectively strengthening centralization and it is difficult to achieve national unity. The "Great Harmony Society" outlined by Mencius at that time can only be a simple and beautiful idea; Fifth, benevolent government and Confucianism are superstructures based on small-scale peasant economy and serving feudal society. The so-called benevolent government and loving the people is a kind of "small love" with class, unlike the "universal love" advocated by Mohism. The thought of "valuing the people but neglecting the monarch" is only a tool to maintain feudal rule.

"Take its essence and discard its dross" is still of great reference significance to some flash thoughts of Wang Daozhong in today's society. "If you don't go against the farming season, the valley can't take food; If you don't count, neither fish nor turtle can be eaten. Axe gold gets into the mountain in time, and mywood can't be used. Valley and fish turtles can't fight for food, and wood and wood can't fight for it, which makes people lose their lives and have no regrets. There is no regret in being born and dying, and the beginning of the king is also. " This includes the embryonic form of popular sustainable development thought, pointing out that it is necessary to control development and demand, grasp the complex relationship between man and nature, care for nature and protect ecology, not only to ensure the production and living needs of contemporary people, but also to leave some surviving materials for future generations. This is the forerunner of the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee, which put forward the idea of "adhering to people-oriented, establishing a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development concept, and promoting the all-round development of people in economic society", showing Mencius' extraordinary vision and amazing insight!

There is also the highest ideal society pursued by Mencius and Confucian scholars in previous dynasties-Datong society. When the main road, the "King Way", is put into practice, the world can be "fair", people can be "sincere and respectful, and each has his place", "the old man is old, the young man is young, and the young man is young", which is similar to the paradise expected by Tao Yuanming, a poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and to the "utopian socialism" prevailing in the West. However, at that time, social productive forces had not developed to this point. But after all, in the dark days when those people are miserable, they can give spiritual comfort to people who are suffering physically and mentally. It's different now. With the continuous development of society and the progress of the times, we have the confidence and ability to turn this ideal pursued for thousands of years into reality. In the context of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, we carry forward the spirit of "kingly way" and still emphasize social morality. However, this idea of ruling by virtue is based on strong social and economic strength and material wealth, with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as the guarantee and the rule of law as the general plan. As long as we work together in Qi Xin, persist in taking economic construction as the center, realize the grand blueprint of a well-off society in an all-round way and complete the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Building "democracy and the rule of law, fairness and justice, honesty and friendship, vitality, stability and order, and harmony between man and nature" is not an official document on paper!

"Different people have different opinions, and the wise see different wisdom", although it has been washed by history and tempered by time, the true essence will not fade because of the vicissitudes of time! "Bring forth the old and bring forth the new" let us learn to grasp the thoughts of saints, stand on the shoulders of predecessors, work hard and create tomorrow's glory!