Those who have enough food and clothing know the honor and disgrace.
More than 2,600 years ago, Guan Zhong, the great statesman who assisted Duke Huan of Qi to become the number one overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period, once said this. He said: "The king regards the people as his heaven, and the people regard food as his heaven. He who can understand the heaven and the heaven is very good." Under the governance of Guan Zhong, the economy of Qi at that time achieved rapid development that was superior to other princes. It laid a solid foundation for Qi Huan's hegemony. "Food is the first priority for the people" has also become a famous saying that has been passed down through the ages. Especially in the era of famine, this famous saying has a strong practical significance. In the decades of reform and opening up, After that, hunger and poverty gradually left us, and the practical significance of "food is the first necessity for the people" also weakened.
Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty quoted another work of Guan Zhong when writing "Historical Records - Biography of Huo Shi". A passage: "A storehouse is practical and one knows etiquette; one who has enough food and clothing knows honor and disgrace." Under the current situation, Guan Zhong's discussion on economic development and spiritual civilization construction has once again attracted attention. Some people are faced with many strange phenomena that appear in society. In line with the bad customs, the exclamation "A warehouse may not know etiquette if it is solid, and one may not know honor and disgrace if it has enough food and clothing."
In the original text of "Guanzi - Herdsmen", this sentence is "A warehouse may know etiquette if it is solid, and one may know etiquette if it has enough food and clothing." "You will know honor and disgrace". "Historical Records" changed one word in the process of quoting: "ze" was changed to "er". The ancients cherished ink as gold and used words carefully. We should not underestimate this change. There is a lot in it.
In the era of Guan Zhong, the political order established by the Zhou royal family still existed, but it was declining, and the princes were ready to take action. It was still an orderly society at that time, and social conventions could still control the princes. The people of the country formed effective constraints. At that time, the ethics and moral values ??of the entire people had not yet been effectively challenged. For the various vassal states, the general environment of the "world" was similar, but the difference was the level of economic development of each country. Therefore, Guan Zhong used the word "ze" to explain the connection between "a solid storehouse, sufficient food and clothing" and "knowledge of etiquette, honor and disgrace". Guan Zhong's keen political sense allowed Qi to seize the opportunity to dominate the princes.
In the era of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty where Sima Qian lived, the environment was quite different. After experiencing the famous Wenjing rule in history, the level of economic development during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty reached an unprecedented height. However, there was something special in the fifth year of Yuan Shuo, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The imperial edict reflected the social situation at that time. The imperial edict said: "I have heard that the people should be guided by etiquette and the wind should be used for music. Now that etiquette is broken and music has collapsed, I am very Min Yan. Therefore, I will spread the detailed information to the people who heard it from all over the world and recommend it to all dynasties. . He ordered the ceremonial officials to encourage learning, hold discussions, and promote rituals, thinking that the world would be the first."
In the early Western Han Dynasty, there was a political structure of "one dynasty, two systems": that is, the "feudal feudalism" of the Zhou Dynasty The traditional feudal system of "land and land, establishing vassals" coexisted in the Han Dynasty with the centralization system pioneered by the Qin Dynasty. By the time of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, the upper echelons of society gradually recognized the centralization system, embarked on reforms, and triggered events such as the "Rebellion of the Seven Kings" Social turmoil. Although economic development has reached an unprecedented level of prosperity during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the old social order has been broken and a new order has not yet been established, and social contradictions are still prominent.
The talented and broad-minded Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che himself felt that it was still an era of "collapse of rituals and collapse of music." It is not difficult for us to understand the confusion encountered by social development during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty: the momentum of economic development was optimistic and gratifying, but the entire society always seemed very unhappy. Harmony, everything is wrong.
From this edict, we can know that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has realized that the connection between "a solid warehouse, adequate food and clothing" and "knowing etiquette, honor and disgrace" is not inevitable. In today's terms In other words, "having enough food and clothing" is a necessary condition for "knowing etiquette and honor and disgrace", but not a sufficient condition. In other words, "having enough food and clothing" is only a prerequisite.
When writing historical records, Sima Qian changed Guan Zhong's original words and used the word "er" to illustrate the connection between "a solid warehouse, sufficient food and clothing" and "knowledge of etiquette, honor and disgrace". From top to bottom, the supreme ruler and the historian The tacit understanding between them reflects a rare political consciousness formed by the top management at that time, creating an era that is still praised as glorious today.