Mencius
(approximately 372 BC to 289 BC) was a great thinker during the Warring States Period and one of the main representatives of Confucianism. Ming Ke, (English name: Mencius) was a native of Zou (now Zoucheng City, Shandong Province). He was born in about the fourth year of King Lie of Zhou and died in the twenty-sixth year of King Nan of Zhou. According to legend, Mencius was a descendant of the Meng Sun family, a nobleman of the Lu State. He lost his father when he was young and his family was poor. He was once a student of Zisi. After completing his studies, he lobbied the princes as a scholar in an attempt to promote his political ideas and went to Liang (Wei), Qi, Song, Teng and Lu. At that time, several big countries were committed to enriching the country and strengthening the military, striving to achieve unification through violent means. Mencius's theory of benevolent government was considered "far-flung and broad-minded" and had no chance of being implemented. Finally, he retired to give lectures, and together with his students, "prefaced the Poetry and the Book, described the meaning of Zhongni, and wrote seven chapters of Mencius."
When Mencius was a child, his mother found three places for him to give him a good learning environment. Later generations are called Meng's mother's three moves
In the era when Mencius lived, hundreds of schools of thought contended, and "the words of Yang Zhu and Mo Zhai filled the world." Mencius fiercely criticized it from the standpoint of Confucianism. Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thoughts and put forward a complete ideological system, which had a great influence on later generations and was revered as the "lesser sage" second only to Confucius.
Mencius inherited and developed Confucius’ thoughts on moral governance and developed it into the theory of benevolent government, which became the core of his political thought. He applied the principles of "kinship" and "longevity" to politics to ease class conflicts and safeguard the long-term interests of the feudal ruling class.
Mencius closely integrated ethics and politics and emphasized that moral cultivation is the foundation for doing good politics. He said: "The foundation of the world lies in the state, the foundation of the country is at home, and the foundation of the family is in the body." Later, "Xiu Qi Zhiping" proposed in "The Great Learning" was developed based on Mencius's thinking.
Mencius summarized moral norms into four types, namely benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. At the same time, he summarized the human relations into five types, namely, "father and son have kinship, monarch and ministers have righteousness, husband and wife have distinction, elder and young have order, and friends have trust".
The highest category of Mencius' philosophical thought is heaven. Mencius inherited Confucius's idea of ??destiny, eliminated the remaining meaning of personal God, and imagined heaven as a spiritual entity with moral attributes. He said: "Sincerity is the way of heaven." Mencius defined the moral concept of sincerity as the essential attribute of heaven, and believed that heaven is the origin of the inherent moral concepts of human nature.
The Second Sage---Meng Ke
Privately followed by Confucius
Meng Ke (about 372 BC to about 289 BC) was a thinker and educator during the Warring States Period in China . A native of Zou (now Zou County, Shandong Province). He was once a disciple of Zisi.
Meng Ke developed Confucius' thoughts of "rule by etiquette" and "virtuous governance", advocated "kingly ways" and advocated "benevolent governance", and used this to lobby in Qi, Liang, Lu, Zou, Song, Teng and other countries. princes.
The people are the most important, the country is the second most important, and the king is the most important.
The "kingly way" mentioned by Meng Ke is "to practice benevolence with virtue". Meng Ke believed: "If you are a king with benevolent government, you can't control it." In other words, no one can stop the unification of the world through "benevolent government". He believes that to implement "benevolent government", we must first win the "popular support", and rulers should treat the people with "benevolent heart". He also proposed that we should pay attention to the people. He said: "The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the king is the least." But at the same time, he also emphasized the unchangeable status of the rulers and the ruled. He said: "Those who work hard govern others, and those who work hard govern others; those who govern others eat others, and those who govern others eat others. Tongyi also."
Believe that human nature is inherently good
Meng Ke’s theory of the goodness of human nature is the basis of his theory of “benevolent government” and the basis of his educational theory. He believes that human nature is innate, and people are born with a "good nature", that is, a tendency to do good. These "good qualities" are innate and inherent in the heart. Therefore, it is also called "conscience".
Education is crucial
Mencius believed that although human nature has the "good qualities" of benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, and wisdom, moral cultivation must also be strengthened through education. Try to expand and develop these "good practices" as much as possible. He advocated that as long as people continue to explore the "goodness" in their hearts, they will achieve understanding of destiny through their understanding of human nature.
What Meng Ke emphasized most was inner moral cultivation; but at the same time, he did not deny the influence of acquired environment on human nature. He believes that the acquired environment can change the innate mind, and acquired bad habits can make people lose their good nature. Meng Ke believed that the role of education was more effective than that of politics.
He said: "Good government is not as good as good teaching to win the people. Good government will be feared by the people, good teaching will be loved by the people, good government will win the people's wealth, and good teaching will win the people's hearts." In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, he proposed that we should pay attention to cultivating gentlemen or men who "understand human ethics". He said: "Teaching human relations, father and son are related, monarch and ministers are righteous, husband and wife are distinguished, elders and young are orderly, and friends have trust" ("Teng Wengong 1").
This is a real man
The gentleman proposed by Meng Ke refers to a person who can implement "benevolent government" and "kingly way", who can "live in benevolence and justice", and It can be said that "wealth and honor cannot lead to sexual immorality, poverty and lowliness cannot move, and power cannot yield".
Key Points of Mencius’ Theory
The Theory of Human Nature
Good Nature and the Four Origins - The Origin of Moral Values
Mencius’ “Theory of Good Nature” , mainly develops Confucius' concept of "benevolence". "Benevolence" in Confucius lacks a theoretical basis and has not yet explained the problem of "the origin of moral values".
Therefore, Confucius wanted to establish "the consciousness of the origin of moral values" and believed that goodness is the basic consciousness of human beings. This consciousness is manifested in the four aspects of compassion, shame, resignation, and right and wrong. The "four ends" illustrate that the awareness of moral values ??is innate. This can supplement the shortcomings of Confucius' theory of "benevolence".
Discrimination between Righteousness and Benefit - Argument of Moral Values
Mencius believed that the "four ends" are inherent in the conscious mind and belong to the "essence" of human beings, which is the so-called "nature" of human beings. . Human nature must be different from that of animals. This kind of nature that is "different from animals" is "good". He pointed out that the reason why people are not good is that they are blinded by selfish desires. Therefore, people should give up personal interests in order to achieve social justice. The purpose is to establish good personal ethics.
Nursing Qi and cultivating virtue
Mencius proposed that we must rely on the cultivation and development of good nature to fully expand the "four ends" that exist in the heart. Mencius called it "exhausting nature" . The cultivation of "fulfilling one's nature" cultivates awe-inspiring aura, making people become "real men" who "cannot be immoral in wealth, cannot be moved by poverty, and cannot be subdued by force." Then, by "unifying one's mind and spirit" to control one's emotions, one can become virtuous.
Moral Heaven Mencius believed that the real world is a moral world, and the standard behind the source of morality is "Heaven", and "Heaven" is expressed in humans as "nature". If a person has enough cultivation, he can understand heaven and achieve "the unity of heaven and man." Political Thought People-centered Theory Mencius pointed out that "the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important." He believed that the government should protect the interests of the people, and the monarch should take care of the people as a prerequisite. Therefore, destiny lies in the hearts of the people and not in the monarch. If the monarch is unjust, the people can overthrow him; but if the monarch has a purpose, the people should stick to their posts. Mencius advocated benevolent government and must imitate the kingly rule of the previous kings (Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Chengwang, and Zhou Gong), so that benevolent government can be implemented in the world. Benevolent Government and Kingly Way Mencius advocated that to implement benevolent government, one must first have a benevolent heart and then implement benevolent government. Mencius believed that "people have an intolerable heart", which leads to "intolerable government". Benevolent government is a must-have condition for those who unify the world. The specific manifestation of benevolent government is to make the home provide the people with peace and happiness. We must implement the royal way and "respect the kidneys and enable them to function."
The Concept of Moral Governance Confucius’s “benevolence” is a conscious morality; Mencius’s “benevolence” also has the function of education. The monarch should cultivate virtue, which is a condition for implementing benevolent government, so it is advocated that "the virtuous rule". Opposing hegemony Mencius advocated benevolent government that convinced people with virtue and opposed hegemony that used force to convince people. The purpose was to alleviate the suffering of people's livelihood and ease social conflicts. Therefore, Mencius advocated "kingly politics" and opposed hegemony that used force to convince people. Restoring the Minefield System Mencius believed that the ideal economic system was the "Wellfield System." The "well field system" means that the land is publicly owned by the state, and the state grants the land to the people for farming. However, the people also have to help cultivate the public land and treat it as taxes. Therefore, the farmers have "permanent property" (a permanent and fixed land property), and the country will be stable.
Education advocates - implement them throughout
Mencius believed that "to obtain the world's talents and educate them", he advocated personality and moral education. He said: "I will respect the teachings of Xiangxu and apply the meaning of filial piety and brotherhood." Moreover, Mencius believed that self-cultivation is the basis of learning, but he also believed that people's good nature cannot be cultivated from the outside (education can only play a role in influencing), and it must ultimately be achieved by one's own thinking. In terms of self-cultivation methods, we advocate free development and take advantage of the situation.
In addition, Mencius also attached great importance to the learning environment. Only by placing students in a good environment and providing spontaneous education can they succeed. The influence of Mencius' theory on later generations inspired Mencius, who was not yet aware of Neo-Confucianism, to propose the "Learning of the Inner Sage" Pointing out that human nature is kind, as long as everyone expands their good nature, suppresses their materialistic nature, and reflects on themselves. This introspective cultivation method became the mainstream of Confucianism in later generations. Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Lu Jiuyuan, Wang Yangming and other Neo-Confucianists of the Song and Ming dynasties all inherited Mencius's teachings in this area.
Formating the concept of "Tao Tong", Mencius regarded Yao, Shun, Yu, Yu, King Wen, King Wu, Duke Zhou, Confucius, etc. as the "Tao Tong" of Confucianism (a knowledge system that continues in one continuous line). From then on, Confucian orthodoxy and Confucian thought became an inseparable whole. The influence of people-centered thought Mencius’ people-centered thoughts and benevolent government are all based on the support of the people as the criterion. This revolutionary theory became the original idea of ??traditional Chinese political theory. Although this theory lacked the spirit of modern democracy, it became the rational source of restraining monarchy in the traditional governance system.
Mencius's idea of ??"producing property for the people" has become the highest ideal of economic systems in the past dynasties, such as the land equalization system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Mencius’ famous saying
Without rules, it is impossible to build a square garden. . ("Mencius")
Those who have attained the Way will receive many help, while those who have lost the Way will receive little help. ("Mencius")
Wealth and honor cannot be lascivious, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot bend. (Mencius)
If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are rich, you will be good for the world. ("Mencius")
The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. ("Mencius")
If it is violent in one day and cold in ten days, no one can survive. ("Mencius")
Mencius said: "When I am an old man, I am as old as a man; as a young man, I am as young as a man." "Mencius: King Hui of Liang I"
Mencius said: "If you enjoy the happiness of the people, the people will also enjoy their happiness; if you worry about the worries of the people, the people will also worry about their worries. He is happy with the world and worried with the world, but he who is not a king does not exist." "Mencius Liang" "The Second King Hui"
Mencius said: "I know how to speak, and I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring spirit." "Mencius Gongsun Chou"
Mencius said: "Respecting the virtuous and entrusting the capable, the outstanding When he is in power, all the people in the world will be happy and willing to stand in his dynasty. " "Mencius Gongsun Chou"
Mencius said: "The weather is not as good as the right place, and the good place is not as good as the people." "Mencius: Gongsun Chou". "Chou Xia"
Mencius said: "Those who have attained the truth will be helped by many, and those who are unjust will be helped by little. When few help come, relatives will be with them; when much help comes, the world will obey." "Mencius·Gongsun Chou" "Down"
Mencius said: "Wealth and honor cannot be fornicated, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot bend. This is called a true man." "Mencius·Teng Wengong Down"
Mencius said: "No With the regular distance, it is impossible to form a square member (circle). Without the six rhythms, the five tones cannot be corrected. ""Mencius Li Lou Shang"
Mencius said: "A great man should not lose his innocence. "Mencius Li Lou Xia" Mencius said: "A gentleman's heart is based on benevolence, and his heart is based on courtesy. He who loves others will always love them, and he who respects others will always love them." "Mencius Li Lou Xia" Mencius said: "The fish is what I want, and the bear's paw is also what I want. I can't have both. I want to give up the fish and take the bear's paw." That’s right. Life is what I want, and righteousness is also what I want. You can’t have both, but you have to give up life to get righteousness.” Mencius said: "Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust a man with a great responsibility, he must first strain his mind and will, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, deplete his body, and confuse his actions. Therefore, tempting his heart and forbearance will benefit him where he cannot." "Mencius" ·Gao Zi Xia"
Mencius said: "The people are the most valuable, the country is second, and the king is the most important." "Mencius: Give your heart to the world"
Mencius said: "The things that exist are people. , Nothing is better than the eyes. If the chest is straight, the eyes will be dull; if the chest is not straight, the eyes will be dim. " "Mencius Li Lou Shang"