The light of benevolent government and kingship

----Looking at Mencius’ thoughts from "The Matters of Qi Huan and Jin Wen"

The collapse of rituals and music, the feuding of princes, and frequent wars, A hundred schools of thought contend. The wheels of history roar through the dusty memories, and the dialogue that transcends time and space leads us to listen to the true meaning of the soul of Yasheng Mencius.

Mencius, named Ke, was born in the state of Zou in that ancient and turbulent era. He is a descendant of the Meng Sun family, a nobleman of the Lu State. After declining as a scholar, he studied under the grandson of Confucius. He inherited and spread Confucianism during the Warring States Period and carried it forward.

When Mencius lobbied for political ideas in various countries and his political ideas were not adopted, he was not greedy for fame and position. He resigned from office resolutely, wrote books, recruited disciples, pinned his ideals on the future, and then communicated with his disciples. They compiled their theories into a book called Mencius. It ranks among the four books and has been passed down to this day.

The emergence of "Mencius" is an epoch-making work of classical prose from chapter to chapter. In this work, whether it is a righteous argument, an eloquent debate, or a humorous satire, they all have a clear and sharp style. Mencius's articles are fluent in reasoning, full of momentum and good at debate. From the standpoint of a scholar, his political opinions, philosophical theories, educational programs, etc. are interspersed in them. Reading them is enlightening and enlightening, which makes people benefit a lot and have endless aftertaste.

My knowledge is shallow, and my exposure to the essence of Mencius is just the tip of the iceberg. From the initial concept of military use that "the weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people" to "I want fish to be alive, and righteousness is also what I want; I cannot have both, and I want to sacrifice my life for righteousness." Mencius's outlook on life continues to this day and has penetrated into all aspects of life. But what impressed me the most was the article "The Story of Qi Huan and Jin Wen" which was selected into the high school Chinese textbook.

“For a five-acre house with mulberry trees, the fifty-year-old can wear silk; if the chickens, dolphins, dogs, and pigs are kept in their season, the seventy-year-old can eat meat. Don't take away the land at the right time, so that the family of eight can have no hunger; follow the teachings of Xiangxu, apply the meaning of filial piety and brotherhood, and give the white ones the right to live up to the road. "What a warm and peaceful scene is sketched in the article. picture; what a simple yet profound truth the book tells. In that era of war, the princes and countries "fighted for land and filled the fields with killings; fought for cities and filled the cities with killings." The people were trapped in the heat of war, starved of food and displaced. "Social contradictions are becoming increasingly acute: "There are fat meats in the kitchens, fat horses in the stables, hungry people, and hungry deaths on the roads. "The vast majority of the lower class people are struggling in the cracks of war, poverty, and hunger, but they still cannot escape the exploitation of harsh laws and regulations. "The people are haggard from the tyranny as much as now. "Therefore, Mencius put forward the viewpoint of "benevolent government" and the people-centered thought has very important practical significance. Many chapters in the book demonstrate this "people's nature". He was able to transcend class constraints and analyze from the standpoint of the working people. Stake and asking for orders for the people is a manifestation of the progressive nature of Mencius's theory, and it also won him a broad mass base.

"The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the king is the least." Mencius believes that if a ruler wants to be long-lasting and stable, he must first "win the hearts and minds of the people", "conform to the will of the people", "share the same worries", "share the joys", "share the likes" and "share the evils" with the people, and meet the needs of the people. , provide them with sufficient means of production so that they can live and work in peace and contentment, because "if you are a people, you will have no permanent property because you have no perseverance." If you don't have perseverance, you will do everything you can to ward off evil spirits. "Whether it is a big country or a small country, if it wants to adapt to the development of the times and gain a foothold in the turbulent and ever-changing world, it should "control the people's property, so that those who are proud can serve their parents and those who are humble can feed their wives; they will be full for life in happy years and avoid bad years. Only after death...the old man eats clothes and meat, and the people are neither hungry nor cold..." can he "rule the world". The basis of this theory of benevolent government is the "good nature" symbolized by the four virtues of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom" "Theory", the key to promoting benevolent government is that people pay attention to their own soul cultivation and "nurture the righteousness", the king "rules the country by virtue" rather than "rules the country by law", people live in harmony, love and help each other, then the social order will be natural With orderliness, civilization will become the norm!

When benevolent government and people-oriented development are achieved, the kingly way is also the central concept of Mencius’ philosophy. From near to far, it gradually encourages King Xuan of Qi to "hegemony" and seek "king", and analyzes two different endings in that striving for hegemony will inevitably lead to failure and protecting the people will lead to success.

This kind of kingly thought also runs through other chapters in "Mencius": For example, in "The Little Man As for Tu Ye Chapter", Mencius pointed out that King Hui of Liang was complacent about immigrating and moving millet, and used fifty steps to laugh at a hundred steps. A vivid metaphor, advising him to return to the essence of things and only by practicing the royal way can he "hope for more people." Mencius once used the metaphor of King Hui of Liang to implement the royal way many times. The well-known allusion of "seeking fish from trees" is a good example; another example is "The Master's Daughter" In "Road to Qi Zhang", following this chapter, Mencius first expressed his contempt for Gongsun Chou's domineering attitude, reflecting the people's urgent call for unification at that time; and "Song Xiaoguo Ye Zhang" pointed out that "king's government" means sympathy for the people's sufferings, Doing good things for the people will win the support of the people all over the world just like Yao, Shun and Yin Tang. No matter how small the country is, it will not be afraid of invasion by big powers. In addition, "Yi Qitian Chou Zhang" and "Qi Wang Wen Qing Zhang" mentioned many times that after the implementation of the royal government The harmonious social scene of "the elderly are provided for", "don't pick up things on the road", "the people and their belongings"... all directly and indirectly express his royal thoughts in all aspects.

Although in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when the jungle was strong and the strong fought for hegemony, it was somewhat unrealistic and out of touch with the trend. However, Wangdao's propositions of "conquering people with virtue", "conquering the center with joy and sincerity" and "returning to the world" have designed a more scientific and sober ruling path for rulers. At that time, in order to alleviate class contradictions, it objectively and tortuously reflected some of the people's demands, and played a great role in promoting the development of production and improving people's lives. This idea of ??"benevolence", which was first inherited from Confucius and governed by virtue, was later alienated by Dong Zhongshu into "influence between heaven and man". As the mainstream of Confucianism, it was used together with "ritual" in the rule of feudal society, which had far-reaching consequences. Influence.

However, like most Confucian thoughts, Wang Dao is restricted by the times, but it has certain class limitations and historical limitations. First, Wangdao thought one-sidedly emphasizes "benevolence" and "virtue", does not take into account the objective reality of society, and ignores the role of legal science; second, driven by the "theory of good nature", it places too much emphasis on people's own ethics. The emphasis on exerting people's self-control and initiative has a certain tendency of subjective idealism; thirdly, the social background is moving from division to unity, and war is inevitable. Mencius's general opposition to all force is a bit too blind, and is not as good as Mozi's "non-offensive" Fourth, in the era of social turmoil, the "moral governance" and "moral influence" advocated by Confucianism were not conducive to effectively strengthening centralization and achieving national unification. The "Great Harmony Society" outlined by Mencius at that time It can only become a simple and beautiful idea; fifthly, benevolent government and Confucianism are both superstructures serving the feudal society where the small-scale peasant economy is the basis. The so-called benevolent government and loving the people are a class-based "little love" and not like Mohism. The kind of "universal love" that is highly praised. The idea of ??"the people are more important than the monarch" is just a tool to maintain feudal rule.

"Take the essence and discard the dross" For today's society, some of the shining thoughts in Wangdao still have great reference value. "If it is not contrary to the farming season, the grain will not be enough to eat; if a few grains of grain are not entered into the pond, the fish and turtles will not be able to eat it; if the ax weighs a pound in the forest, the wood will not be able to use it. The grain, fish and turtles will not be able to eat it, and the wood will not be able to use it. , is to enable the people to maintain their health and die without regrets. To maintain their health and lose their lives without regrets is the beginning of the kingly way." This includes the embryonic form of the now popular idea of ??sustainable development, which points out that development and expropriation must be restrained, the complex relationship between man and nature must be grasped, nature must be cared for, and the ecology must be protected, not only to ensure the production and living needs of contemporary people, but also to It is necessary to leave certain survival materials for future generations for them to thrive. This is in line with the idea put forward by the Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to "adhere to people-oriented, establish a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development concept, and promote the all-round development of the economy, society and people." It shows Mencius' extraordinary foresight and astonishing Brilliant knowledge!

There is also the highest ideal society that Mencius and generations of Confucian scholars have diligently pursued—the society of great harmony. It is imaginatively imagined that when the Great Way, that is, the "King Way" is implemented, "the world will be for the common good", people will be able to "keep faith and practice harmony, and everyone will find their place", "the old will be like the old of others, the young will be like the young of others", It is similar to the paradise expected by Tao Yuanming, a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the "utopian socialism" prevalent in the West. However, at that time, when social productivity had not yet developed to the extent required by this social form, everything was just like a fairyland in Penglai. That’s all. But after all, in those dark days when people were in dire straits, it could more or less provide spiritual comfort to the people who were suffering physically and mentally.

But things are different now. With the continuous development of society and the advancement of the times, we have the confidence and ability to turn this ideal that has been pursued for thousands of years into a reality. In the context of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we will carry forward the spirit of "kingdom" and still emphasize social morality. However, this idea of ????governing affairs by virtue is based on strong social and economic strength and material wealth, realizing the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as a guarantee, and governing the country according to law. As long as we all work together and adhere to economic construction as the center, we can comprehensively realize the grand blueprint of a moderately prosperous society and complete the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Building a country of "democracy and the rule of law, fairness and justice, integrity and friendship, full of vitality, stability and order, and harmonious coexistence between man and nature" is not an official document on paper!

“The benevolent king’s will will last forever.” Although it has been washed by history and tempered by time, the true essence will not fade due to the vicissitudes of time! "Innovate with the old and bring forth the new with the old" let us learn to learn from the thoughts of the saints, stand on the shoulders of our predecessors, work hard and create tomorrow's glory!