Confucius advocated "everyone is equal" Jin Chi, editor-in-chief of "New Translation of The Analects of Confucius". From ancient times to the present, it has been spread that Confucius is the "theory of imperial power", "theory of hierarchy", "theory of superiority and inferiority", "theory of family" The author of "Theory". Was Confucius the creator of the "theory of imperial power", "theory of hierarchy", "theory of superiority and inferiority", and "theory of family"? Below, we use facts to unravel this mystery. As we all know, the theoretical foundations of "theory of imperial power", "theory of hierarchy", "theory of superiority and inferiority" and "theory of family" are based on the so-called "Three Cardinal Guidelines" proposed by Dong Zhongshu, namely "the father is the guideline for the son, the king is the guideline for the ministers, and the husband is the guideline for the ministers". Wife Gang". Under the misguidance of the "Three Cardinal Guidelines", feudal consciousness, feudal morality, and feudal preaching such as "the king has to die when his ministers are told to die, and the father to die and his sons must perish" are derived. Are these feudal things Confucius’ original intention? Take a look at the facts below and it will become clear. According to the record of "The Analects of Confucius·Bayi": "Dinggong asked: 'How should the king envoy his ministers, and the ministers serve the king with loyalty?' Confucius replied: 'The king envoys ministers with courtesy, and ministers serve the king with loyalty.'" It means " Duke Din of Lu asked: 'How do you use your ministers, and how do ministers serve you? ' Confucius replied: 'You should use your ministers according to propriety, and ministers should serve you with loyalty. '" The "propriety" mentioned here is fully reflected. The relationship between the emperor and his ministers is equal, but not as later generations said - even if the emperor is rude, the ministers must be loyal, so that it has developed into "foolish loyalty" regardless of right and wrong, and even "the emperor can't tell his ministers to die" "Immortal" is ridiculous. It can be seen that the "imperial power theory", "hierarchy theory" and "respect and inferiority theory" such as "the king orders his ministers to die and they must die" are not Confucius' thoughts. According to "The Analects of Confucius Xianwen": "Zilu asked about the king. Confucius said: 'Don't deceive him, but offend him.'" It means "Zilu asked how to serve the king. Confucius said: 'You cannot deceive him, but you can persuade him.'" He. '" It is correct for Confucius to advocate that in serving the monarch, one should "not deceive him", that is, "one cannot deceive him"; and that in advocating that one should serve the monarch "but to offend him", that is, "one can advise him" is also correct. Not only does it not contain the feudal dross of "the king orders his ministers to die, but they have to die", it instead shows Confucius's thought of daring and encouraging his disciples to put forward opinions to the monarch for the sake of justice and truth. According to the record of "The Analects of Confucius·Weizi": "The people of Qi returned to the female music, Ji Huanzi accepted it, and did not go to court for three days. Confucius went." It means "Qi State sent some singing and dancing beauties to Lu Jun, Ji Huanzi accepted them, and stayed there for many days. Confucius left the state of Lu without going to court." It is not difficult to see from the fact that Confucius abandoned his official position and left the state of Lu after discovering that the arrogant and lewd monarchs and officials were ignorant of government affairs. Instead of groveling and collaborating, he dared to despise the supreme ruler and walk away. Confucius' selfless and fearless spirit of not being afraid of powerful people, not confusing beautiful women, not admiring money, and wholeheartedly following the new path of moral governance is worthy of recognition and praise. This is Confucius' concrete action of not being vain, neither humble nor arrogant, and insisting on equality for everyone. After talking about state affairs, let’s talk about family affairs. According to "The Analects of Confucius: Li Ren": "Confucius said: 'When you serve your parents, you should not obey them when you see your will, but you should respect them without disobeying them, and work without complaining.'" It means "Confucius said: 'To serve your parents, you must persuade them tactfully. When you see that your parents do not obey their wishes, you should still be respectful to them without violating etiquette, and work for them without complaining. '" This shows that Confucius believed that children can persuade their parents tactfully. Euphemistic persuasion itself embodies an equal dialogue relationship. How can there be any overbearing style in this - "the father tells the son to die, the son must die"? Some people say: "The father tells his son to die and the son must die" is the dregs of Confucian "filial piety". In fact, this is not what Confucius meant by "filial piety" at all, nor is it what Confucius advocated at all, but the feudal dross nurtured by later generations of Confucians and concocted by rulers. Also, according to the record of "The Analects of Confucius·Xiangdang": "Confucius was as pessimistic in his hometown party as if he could not speak. In the ancestral temple and the court, he could speak freely and only be sincere." It means "Confucius was very gentle in his hometown. He is submissive and seems to be unable to speak. But on occasions such as sacrifices and court meetings, he is good at talking, but is more cautious. "It can be seen that he does not talk much in his hometown and gets along harmoniously with his fellow villagers; in formal occasions, such as In the ancestral temple or the imperial court, he was generous, cautious, and harmonious with everyone, which all reflected the benevolent demeanor of Confucius as an official. The "Analects of Confucius Xiangdang" chapter also records: "The villagers wear Nuo and stand on the steps in court clothes." This means "When the villagers hold ceremonies to welcome the gods and drive away plague ghosts, Confucius always wears court clothes and stands on the steps to the east. "It can be seen that Confucius, an affable teacher and an approachable official, never acted special or put on airs. He always got along with the villagers and practiced his own proposition of "everyone is equal." In this case, then, the "Three Cardinal Guidelines" - "The father is the guideline for the son, the king is the guideline for the ministers, and the husband is the guideline for the wife", and derived from the "Three Cardinal Guidelines", "The king must die when he tells his ministers to die, but the father cannot tell his son to die." Where did the "imperial power theory" and "hierarchy theory" and "the theory of superiority and inferiority" come from? According to research, it was concocted by the "Hongru" Dong Zhongshu and others in the Han Dynasty according to the needs of feudal rulers. Their tactics are: "Mingli". Conferring titles and promotions to Confucius, but secretly imposed feudal dregs on Confucius such as "the king commanded his ministers to die, and the ministers had to die, and the father commanded his son to die, and the son had to perish" and other feudal dregs were imposed on Confucius, and then used Confucius' reputation to sell his own feudal dregs, treating Confucius as Tools to fool the people and serve to maintain feudal rule. In fact, Confucius always advocated that "everyone is equal". In addition to the above evidence, Confucius also advocated the idea of ??"universal love for all" and "education without distinction". Evidence of equality.