Taoism, morality, benevolence, righteousness and propriety are integrated into one. Tao (the right way) is what people do (practice), what they gain from virtue (benefit people), what they love from benevolence, what they do with righteousness (convenience) and what they do with courtesy (good relationship). The ancient Book of Changes said: "There is no constant virtue and no tolerance." It means that if people can't maintain noble character forever, they can't stand on the world. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang said in "Advice to Herdsmen", "It is better to be poor for the public than to be rich for the private; It is better to give up on yourself and harm yourself, and not to compete for strength and win over others. " It means that I would rather be poor than get rich for my own selfish interests; It is better to be humble than to seek personal gain, and not to harm others for speculation. In the Analects of Confucius in the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius said: "Governing the country by virtue is like the North Star living in its place, and all the stars share it." It means that governing the country pays attention to moral quality, just like Polaris, it is poised in its own position and there will be many stars around it. Hong Yingming in the Ming Dynasty said in Caigen Tan: "The foundation of a virtuous person's career is that there is no one with a solid foundation, but a long-term building." Good moral character is the foundation of all undertakings, just like building a house. Without a solid foundation, it is impossible to build a strong and durable house.
In the 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation, millions of highly respected models have emerged. Historical Records is an excellent historical book written by Sima Qian, which describes in detail the brilliant achievements of Dayu in the Xia Dynasty in managing water, and sets an excellent example for future generations to devote themselves to managing water, manage water on the fourth day after marriage, and keep his wife from coming home after childbirth.
The Duke of Zhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty was noble in moral character and attached importance to the talent of governing the country. When he is in the shower, if someone visits, he often comes out with a wet braid in his hand to meet him. When eating, I also put down chopsticks many times, spit out the food in my mouth, and pay homage to the visiting sages. Cao Cao, a descendant, longed for talents to help build a foundation, and greatly praised the noble character of Duke Zhou. He wrote in the poem "Short Songs": "The mountain is not too high, the water is not too deep, and the Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world belongs to his heart." He spoke highly of Duke Zhou. History shows that the Duke of Zhou ruled the country by virtue, perfected the enfeoffment system and formulated laws and regulations. In the system of rites and music, there is a prosperous time of "melancholy literary talent".
According to the classic Zhenguan Politicians, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin advocated the rule of virtue, self-denial and dedication to public service, and Zhang Qian, the minister of joint governance, formulated and promulgated many imperial edicts and proclamations that conformed to the people's feelings and public opinions. He made great efforts to govern and enjoy the people, creating a famous "Zhenguan Shengshi" in history. He loves the people. In the second year of Zhenguan (628), locusts became a disaster. He swallowed some locusts and said, "The people live in the valley. If you eat it, you will eat my lungs and intestines." He left a legacy to future generations: "A husband can dress himself up with copper as a mirror; Taking history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall; Take people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses, and so on.
In the ancient history of our country, many dynasties attached great importance to the issue of official morality, regarded ideological and moral quality as the primary condition for selecting officials, and some even made laws to determine it. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the selection officials emphasized "Liu De", that is, "knowledge, benevolence, holiness, righteousness, neutrality" and "six lines", that is, "filial piety, friendship, harmony, marriage, responsibility and sadness" as the selection criteria. The selection of officials in the Han dynasty demanded that Gao De be innocent; Apply what you have learned, classic doctor; Mindful of the imperial edict, resolute and slightly; Advocate "four lines of generosity", that is, "simplicity, honesty, humility and frugality". The selection of officials in the Tang Dynasty was based on "four virtues and twenty-seven virtues", that is, "having a good sense of benevolence and righteousness, being prudent and honest, being fair and upright, and being diligent and diligent". These four virtues completely belong to the category of examining moral quality. The six inspection laws in Xuanzong period of Tang Dynasty put the moral quality first in the evaluation of officials, institutionalized and legalized the evaluation criteria of ability and political integrity when selecting officials, and promoted the prosperity of economy and culture in Tang Dynasty. In the system of selecting officials after the Tang Dynasty, they all absorbed the advanced experience and selection criteria of the Tang Dynasty, and always regarded moral quality as the first requirement for selecting officials.
"The sages stayed in Jamo, and later generations were reluctant to part." Many excellent ideas about moral self-discipline, virtue cultivation and value aggregation in ancient civilization have not gone far from us. To build a socialist country with China characteristics, we need to learn from these political wisdom.