Among the Eight Confucianists, Han Feizi ranked Zhang Zi as the first. Tao Yuanming put the thoughts of the poor first. Yan refers to the person who respected Yan Hui and stayed in Qufu after the death of Confucius, and was also the editor of The Analects of Confucius. It can be seen that Zhang, the runaway son, Yuan Xian's educational method is more famous than Confucius. Therefore, the old Confucian can only be regarded as the third. From the World Heritage written by Han Fei and Zhuangzi, we can see that Zhang Zi and Zi Si had great academic influence at the end of the Warring States period, but they were in a minority position. The Remnants of the World praised the other six Confucian scholars, praising them in the order of poetry, calligraphy, ceremony, music, spring and autumn, and six arts, and mocking Zhang Zi and Zi Si respectively. It can be seen that by the end of the Warring States period, the five schools that were originally divided had tended to be unified, and the orthodox position of the school was recognized in Lu. Reward, no longer stubborn confrontation. It can be seen that only Zhang Zhiru, the son of Confucius, resisted to the end and became a traitor. Taoism is not ashamed. This is consistent with the publication records of The Analects of Confucius and the Records of the Arts and Literature of Han Dynasty, and it also shows that after the exclusive respect of the Han Dynasty, there were no school works such as Zhong and Le Zhengzi that opposed it. It is known that the original promise was not fulfilled, so Historical Records highly praised Ji Bu's promise, and he also kept his promise, secretly mocking Confucianism at that time.
Kang Youwei's textual research is very reasonable. First of all, Confucius was born in the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu (55 1 BC) and died in the 16th year (479 BC). Zisi was born in 483 BC, which means Zisi was born when Confucius was 68 years old. At this time, Confucius had just been sent back to Lu by Ji Kangzi, with a gift of defending the country, to recruit him as an official. Although Confucius was respected, Ji Kangzi's actions ran counter to Confucius' political thoughts, so he refused to be an official. Instead, he devoted all his energy in his later years to cultural undertakings, deleting poems and books, setting rituals and music, compiling Chunqiu as Yi Zhuan, and trying to collect and sort out ancient documents as teaching materials for his children. Therefore, in terms of time, Zisi's childhood enlightenment education is entirely possible to be influenced by Confucius. Secondly, Confucius himself really attached great importance to the cultivation and education of future generations. He once taught his son Apollo to study poetry and etiquette seriously, and warned him that "if you don't learn poetry, you can't say anything, and if you can't learn etiquette, you can't stand it". Confucius also placed high hopes on Sun Tzu's thoughts. In the Sixteen Classics of the Holy Gate, Confucius sighed in his later years, and Zisi asked him if he was worried that future generations would be ignorant and humiliated. Confucius was surprised and asked him how he knew. He replied, "It is unfilial for a father to chop firewood and a son not to carry it." I want to follow in my father's footsteps, so I will study very hard from now on and dare not relax. Confucius said with relief, "I don't have to worry anymore." "
I'm afraid the story recorded in the Sixteen Classics of the Holy Gate is not empty talk, and there are similar records in Confucius. Zisi probably accepted Confucianism for the first time under the education of his grandfather Confucius, and accepted Confucius' theory in his later years. Later, after the death of Confucius, Zisi learned a lot from Ceng Zi. Therefore, the Sixteen Classics of the Holy Gate says: "Zi Si learns from Ceng Zi, is honest and clean, and communicates with his heart. It is to describe the meaning of his teacher, the origin of his poor life, the great harmony between man and nature, and write the book The Doctrine of the Mean to show the afterlife. " Zisi also continued to learn the true biography of Confucius' thoughts from Ceng Zi, expounded Confucius' doctrine of the mean, and wrote the book The Doctrine of the Mean, which was included in the Book of Rites. Besides, Biao Ji, Ji Fang and Yi Li in The Book of Rites are also works of Zi Si. According to the Records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, Zisi wrote 23 works, but most of them were lost.
However, there have always been two different opinions about the author and the age of the book "The Doctrine of the Mean". One view holds that it was written by Zi Si in the mid-Warring States period, while the other holds that it was written after Qin unified the six countries, but disagrees with Zi Si's view that it was written by The Doctrine of the Mean.
The traditional view is that The Doctrine of the Mean was written by Zi Si. Sima Qian clearly pointed out in Historical Records Confucius Family: "Zi Si writes the doctrine of the mean." Annotators in the later Han and Tang Dynasties also followed this theory. For example, Zheng Xuan said, "Those who call it the golden mean should use it to neutralize it. Useless and useful. Confucius' grandson thinks this is to show the virtue of saints. " Lu Deming and Kong in the Tang Dynasty also agreed with this view. So did Cheng Er and Zhu in Song Dynasty. They all think that Zisi wrote The Mean. For example, Zhu clearly pointed out in The Mean: "What is the Mean? Zi Zisi is worried about the loss of Taoism. "He also said:" This article was taught by Confucius, and I was afraid that my thoughts would be poor after a long time, so I wrote it in a book that taught Mencius. "Some scholars in modern times also think that Zisi is the author of The Doctrine of the Mean. For example, Hu Shi believes that although some materials of later generations have been supplemented, the book is still Mencius' previous works in general. Because the development of Confucian philosophy of life from Confucius to Mencius should have a transitional stage, that is, the transition from extreme ethics, emphasizing monarchical power and extreme practical philosophy to respecting individuals, advocating civil rights and psychology. The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean reflect this process.
I don't agree with Zisi's opinion that the golden mean appeared late. They are based on the words in Chapter 28 of the Doctrine of the Mean: "Get off the train today, learn from the same books and be homotopy." It is believed that this is the remark made by Qin Shihuang after the unification of China, and it should not appear in the Warring States Period. "The Doctrine of the Mean" also said: "Although there is a position, there is no virtue, and I dare not be polite." I think this should be said after Qin's death.
In fact, Zisi should have no problem writing The Doctrine of the Mean. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Gu recorded two pieces of The Doctrine of the Mean, without mentioning the author. Confucianism, Zisi 23, notes: "Ming Miao, grandson of Confucius, teacher of Lumu." Whether there is a "golden mean" is not clear. In the category of rites in the Book of Rites of Han Dynasty, there is no independent item in the Book of Rites, only the Doctrine of the Mean is recorded in it, so Yan Shigu notes: "There is the Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites today, which is also an indecent classic, which covers this stream." It seems that The Doctrine of the Mean may be a book devoted to the study of the Doctrine of the Mean, just as The Theory of Poetry includes Lu Shi Shuo and Han Shi Shuo. This shows that The Doctrine of the Mean has been published separately in the world before, and it has considerable influence. As for the saying that "cars are on the same track, books are on the same track, and lines are on the same track", according to Mr. Li Xueqin, Confucius was born at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou Dynasty declined, and political culture tended to split, so there was no "cars on the same track; There is a reality that books are the same as books, and the word "today" in the golden mean sentence should be interpreted as "if". Many examples in ancient books cited in the classic interpretation are assumptions, and Confucius said assumptions, not facts at that time, so we can't doubt the writing age of The Doctrine of the Mean because of this passage.
Not only that, but Zisi's statement that he wrote The Doctrine of the Mean has also been confirmed by the latest materials. An article in Xunzi Feishizi once accused Zisi and Mencius of their "five elements" theory. There is a Confucian work "Five Elements" in the silk book unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb, which proves that "Xunzi Feishizi" criticizes Mencius' five elements, and finds traces of this theory in books such as The Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius, from which we can determine the golden mean.
According to the Records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, there are 23 pieces of Zi Si, which were edited into Zi Si Zi. Scholars have different opinions about whether this record is credible or not. 1in the winter of 993, a large number of bamboo slips were unearthed from a Chu tomb in Guodian, Jingmen, Hubei Province, which not only gave people a positive answer to this question, but also proved that the book The Doctrine of the Mean was indeed a work of Zi Si. Bamboo slips unearthed from this tomb have been compiled into Bamboo Slips of Chu Tomb in Guodian, which was published by Cultural Relics Publishing House on May 1998. Among them, there are Confucian academic works, which can be divided into two schools, one of which includes Yijing, Wuxing, Zunde Renyi, Sexual Pretending and Liu De. According to the textual research of the famous historian Mr. Li Xueqin, these Confucian books in Guodian Bamboo Slips belong to the Confucian school, and six articles, such as Yi, belong to Hanshu. At the same time, these bamboo slips Confucian books have a lot in common with the doctrine of the mean. For example, in The Doctrine of the Mean, the statement that "sex is faked, and fate falls from heaven" is consistent with the statement that "destiny is natural, and truth is straightforward", and the style of respecting morality and emphasizing righteousness is quite similar to that in The Doctrine of the Mean. Shen Yue once said that The Doctrine of the Mean was taken from Zi, and in bamboo slips there was "The Duke of Lumu asked Zi Si". Therefore, the Confucian books on these bamboo slips must be related to Zisi, which further proves that the book The Doctrine of the Mean was indeed written by Zisi.
In dealing with traditional culture, Zisi, like Confucius, attaches great importance to ceremony and practices it. Zisi wept bitterly in the Confucius Temple after learning that his father's ex-wife had died. His master said to him, "The mother of the common people is dead. Why are you crying in the Confucius Temple?" Zisi suddenly realized that it was his own fault and repeatedly admitted that he "cried in the room". Zisi, like many other famous Confucian scholars, also yearns for the moral education of the country and strives to realize his ambition. But he is different from Confucius. Confucius Zeng Shilu took part in politics in order to display his ambition, but ended up in Shandong. Confucius traveled around the world in an attempt to lobby the princes, but he ran into a wall everywhere and even got stuck in various countries. Zisi asked him to be the minister of the country, but Zisi declined politely and did not publicize his theory.
As an important representative of Confucianism in the Warring States period, Zisi had a great influence on later generations, mainly in his thoughts, especially his doctrine of the mean. The "golden mean" refers to treating people impartially, the "golden mean" refers to neutrality and integrity, and the "mediocrity" refers to constancy and steadfastness. The word "golden mean" first appeared in The Analects of Confucius, but it has a long history as a way of thinking. It is said that when Yao gave way to Shun, he emphasized "forbearance" in governing society. Duke Zhou also advocated "China and Germany", and he once emphasized that "justice" should be realized when using prison punishment. On the basis of ancient materials, Confucius further put forward the concept of "golden mean" as the highest moral standard. Later, Zisi wrote The Doctrine of the Mean, which systematically expounded Confucius' thought of the Doctrine of the Mean. Throughout the book, the "golden mean" is regarded as the highest moral and natural law, and the relationship between man and nature is described, which raises the "golden mean" from the methodology of "grasping with both hands" to the height of world outlook.
Zisi believes that when the emotions have not been vented, the heart is calm and impartial, which is called "zhong"; If emotions can be expressed in a moderate way, there is no excess or deficiency, which is called "harmony". "China" is the foundation of all things in the world, and "harmony" is the way of the world. If people can sum up the truth of "neutralization" and "harmony", then everything between heaven and earth has its own place and life. For example, Yan Hui can choose the golden mean, get a good, stick to it and never lose it again. Shun is a smart person, good at asking for other people's opinions, and likes to carefully examine those shallow words. Concealing others' mistakes and malicious opinions, publicizing others' good and kind opinions, compromising the excesses and shortcomings of public opinion, and taking the middle road for the people may be the reasons for the success.
But the golden mean is easier said than done, because smart people know too much and feel it is not enough, and clumsy people simply don't understand and don't know how to do it; A wise man goes too far, but a man without wisdom can't. It's like people don't drink or eat, but few people know what it tastes like. So, what should be done? First of all, it is not far from the golden mean to be able to push yourself and others as much as you can. Don't impose on others what you don't want to do. Secondly, a gentleman should do what he should do in his position, not what he should do outside his duties. If you are in the position of wealth, you should do what the position of wealth should do; If you are in a bad situation, do what you should do when you are in a bad situation; In Yidi's position, do what Yidi should do; If you are in trouble, do what you should do in trouble. A gentleman will be satisfied no matter where he is.
The superior does not bully the subordinate, and the subordinate does not depend on the superior. They correct themselves and don't ask others, so naturally there will be no resentment. I don't hate the paradise in the world, and I don't blame others in the next life. Therefore, a gentleman is content with being a civilian and waiting for fate to drive him, but a villain has to take risks and seek illegitimate interests.
The Book of Songs says, "Wear a colorful silk dress and a light coat outside." That I think the literary color of brocade is too obvious. Therefore, a gentleman's way of being a man is not revealed on the surface, but will gradually emerge naturally with the passage of time. On the surface, the villain's way of being human is vivid, and after a long time, it gradually fades.