In fact, "ceremony" is the core concept of Confucius' thought. Without understanding the meaning of "ceremony", it is difficult for us to really understand Confucius and his thoughts, and it is also difficult to really understand the Analects of Confucius.
Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty was not far from ancient times. Let's see how he explains the word "Li" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi: yes, so it is also a blessing to the gods. Xu Shen believes that "manifestation is also a matter of God", that is to say, prominent figures are related to sacrifices and ghosts and gods. The word "divination" originally refers to the ritual vessels used in ancient sacrifices. The word "Li" is followed by divination and echo. Xu Shen means that ritual is related to sacrifice and ghosts and gods, and seeks the blessing and protection of the gods by offering sacrifices to them. Xu Shen's explanation of "ceremony" has certain internal relations with Confucius' thought. According to sporadic records in the Book of Rites, Zuo Zhuan and other ancient books, the ceremony advocated by Confucius originated from heaven. The Book of Rites quoted Confucius as saying:? "Husband ceremony, the first king inherited the love of heaven to treat others, so the loser died and the winner lived." "Poetry" said:' Rats have bodies and people are rude; If you are rude, Hu will not die!' Therefore, the husband ceremony must be based on the sky, firmly rooted in the ground, and listed among the ghosts and gods, so as to achieve mourning, sacrifice, shooting, royal, crown, fainting, offering and hiring?
Li Yun, the Book of Rites, also recorded remarks similar to those of Confucius:? "Husband ceremony must be based on freshman"; A husband's gift must come from heaven and move from one place to another. A similar statement can also be found in fifteen years of Zuo Gong:? "Rites and heaven, heaven also? Confucius lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period, which was similar to human childhood in terms of the degree of civilization development. For children, there are always too many unknowns in the outside world, so children always like to ask questions that are childish and ridiculous to adults. When children ask questions, adults will certainly give clear answers to what they know, but for the ancestors in Confucius' time, many unknown things may not find the correct answers for a while, so people changed from curiosity to fear and awe of the unknown. People believe that in the dark, there is a god's behavior that determines everything. No matter the rich aristocrats or the poor and sick people at the bottom, they can't escape the cycle of birth, illness and death. At this point, all beings are equal. The fear of the unknown, the fear of death, and the powerlessness of individual destiny prompted people at that time to believe that there was an omnipotent God who ruled everything in the world.
Confucius put forward his own theory of managing the world according to the "heaven" that people feared most at that time. He believes that "heaven" is the supreme master in the world, and ceremony "falls from heaven". The former king should use it according to God's will, manage "human feelings" and restrain people's unreasonable desires. Without ceremony, saints can't govern society, and people all over the world are even at a loss. This shows what Confucius said.
Since "courtesy" is a code of conduct that conforms to the overall interests of rulers, what are its specific contents? As Confucius said:? "The position of the monarch and the minister, the position of the upper and lower, the position of the young and the old, the love between men and women, the love between father and son, and the love of brothers are all indistinguishable." ("Li? Remember? Mourn for the public ")? First of all, "ceremony" is a hierarchical system, and different people in society can define their position according to the requirements of ceremony. In this passage, without courtesy, there is no way to distinguish the status differences between the monarch and his subjects, the superiors and subordinates, the elders and the younger generation; Without politeness, there is no way to distinguish the kinship between men and women, between father and son, between brothers, between marriage and friendship. Some people may immediately think that it is this feudal ethical code that has caused many human tragedies. The love tragedy of "Liu Lanzhi" and "Jiao Zhongqing" is described in the Yuefu poem "Peacock Flying Southeast" in Han Dynasty. Liu Lanzhi was a well-read and polite lady before she got married. Thirteen learn weaving, fourteen learn tailoring, fifteen play the piano, sixteen recite poems ...? After marriage, observe the requirements of feudal ethics for women and work hard every day: work hard every night, and break five horses in three days ...? However, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when feudal ethics arose, such a smart, docile, virtuous, knowledgeable and polite five-star "daughter-in-law" was regarded by her mother-in-law as disobedient to "women's morality". What mistake did she make? It turned out that she had more opinions just because she was smart, but she ignored the concept of "rich husband and proud wife" because of love, and refused her brother to force her to marry "Goro" who was honored enough. Now, can her unforgivable "shortcomings" still be called shortcomings? Similar tragedies are numerous in China's long feudal society. But is it Confucius' fault? We know that any truth that leaves its applicable conditions and scope may become fallacy.
The fundamental purpose of "ceremony" advocated by Confucius is to reconcile the social contradictions at that time and play a neutralizing role, that is, to achieve a harmonious realm. A Confucius said, "Harmony is the most precious thing. Wang Zhidao should be the first to be beautiful, and the secondary should be the main reason. Doing something is not feasible, knowing peace and being disrespectful. " ? This passage points out the dialectical relationship between "courtesy" and "harmony". The Confucian concept of etiquette is to make people live in harmony on the premise of observing etiquette. On the one hand, it is advocated that "ceremony is precious" and "harmony" is the purpose of "ceremony"; On the other hand, it is also believed that it is impossible to "harmony" for the sake of "harmony" without being bound by "ceremony" To deal with interpersonal relationships with this idea, we should unite, family and everything, and make money harmoniously; We should also adhere to principles and refrain from vulgar harmony, boasting and patting. From these discussions, we can see that Confucius's "courtesy" is not the "ethics" alienated by the emperors and literati of later feudal dynasties. Confucius should not be asked to "pay" for those ethical tragedies. Mencius, as the successor of Confucius' thought, has begun to preach the dogma that "men and women are not close to each other", but Mencius still knows how to be flexible. In The First Book of Mencius Li Lou, there is a saying: "Sister-in-law drowning is a jackal. Men and women are not close to each other, and they are also polite; If my sister-in-law drowns, she has the right to save her? It means: Sister-in-law doesn't pull in the water, like a jackal. It is a rule of etiquette for men and women not to hand in things. Sister-in-law fell into the water and pulled it by hand, which is a modification of etiquette. In the era of Confucius, Confucius put forward "ceremony" which has certain positive significance. Confucius lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period, when slavery began to decline, feudalism began to rise, vassal states competed for land and wealth year after year, and people were oppressed. Sages of different classes began to look for good medicine to treat social chaos from different angles. As Sartre, an existentialist philosopher, said in his play intermission, "Others are hell." Sartre believes that we are often involuntarily in reality, and this obstacle is the gaze of "others". The gaze of "others" is terrible. It interferes with my choice unscrupulously, making me hesitate when I choose, and even being forced to make a choice I don't want. In other words, individuals in the crowd are always associated with certain social relations and will inevitably be restricted by others. The stronger the individual's desire, the more restrictions there are between people, especially in the era of Confucius, when the desires of princes and nobles expand, the more people's living space is squeezed. When the oppression reaches a certain limit and people's survival is difficult, there will be national chaos. It is against this background that Confucius put forward the idea of "ruling the country by courtesy", and the Book of Rites Interpretation also said: "It is impossible to rule the people without soldiers." Ceremony is in the right country, and balance is important. The rope ink is on the right, and the rules are square. "
"The Book of Rites, Zhong Ni Yan Ju" says: "There is no way to govern the country, but there is still more than prosperity! What does it matter? For example, if you want something to stay in a secluded room all night, what can you see if it is not a candle? " ? "Rite" is also a standard to measure a country's chaos. "The Analects of Confucius Ji" has: "Ritual is prosperous, and the people govern; If the ceremony is abolished, the people will be in chaos. " ?
"There is a way in the world, and the rites and music are conquered by the emperor. There is no way in the world, and the rites and music are conquered by the princes." ?
The starting point of Confucius' proposal of "ruling the country by courtesy" is to clearly see the root of social unrest and years of war at that time, that is, the emerging feudal class deviated from and subverted the traditional slavery system, and the traditional etiquette and music system collapsed, but the emerging system was very imperfect. In the slave age, the system of rites and music was balanced and restricted, and all social strata were relatively stable, which was suitable for the production level and civilization at that time. However, the intersection of the old and the new era is always accompanied by loopholes in the system. People's desires often swell and sprout at this time, and the strong are stronger and the weak are weaker until all living spaces are exploited, and finally they can only rise up and resist. This result is obviously not rational and does not conform to it.
In line with the objective laws of civilization and progress.
Confucius clearly saw the essence of the problem, but he could not expect Confucius to see further at that time. Confucius can only look for a prescription to save society from the existing social system. The courtesy of Zhou people is to maintain Zhou's rule. Within the rulers, rites of rites can prevent and adjust contradictions. For the lower class, the rites of Zhou are both noble and popular. It is precisely because of the great role of etiquette in governing the country and reassuring the people that Confucius regarded benevolence as. Politeness is also very important for individuals. At this time, "ceremony" is mainly manifested as "etiquette" formed by moral concepts and customs. Confucius believes that etiquette is the basis of a person's survival in society. He believes that "if you don't understand etiquette, you can't stand it." Confucius taught his son, Kong Li, "You can't stand without learning etiquette". He also educated his most proud disciple, Yan Yuan: "see no evil, don't listen if you are indecent, don't speak if you are indecent." "Book of Rites Quli Shang" said: "Parrots can speak without birds; Orangutans can talk without leaving animals. Today, people are rude Although they can talk, isn't this the heart of an animal? The husband is only rude to animals, so the father and son get together. Did a saint do it to teach people courtesy, make people polite and know that they are different from animals?
The Book of Rites Guan Yi says: "The reason why mortals are human is courtesy. The beginning of propriety lies in correct expression, neat colors and fluent language. " Confucius believes that the essential difference between humans and animals lies in whether they know "courtesy". For individuals, "ceremony" is a kind of cultivation, which includes both internal moral level and external etiquette. "The Analects of Confucius Doing Hard Work in the Rural Party": "Confucius is doing hard work in the Rural Party. If you talk to the doctor, you will be as good as you say. If you were here, you would be as good as you. You are as good as you are. " "If you stick to the Gui, you will be as good as you. If you are upward, you will be as good as you are given. If it is a war, it will be as powerful as you. " Eat without talking, sleep without talking? Villagers drink, those that stand out come out, and they come out? "When my friend died, he never came back and said,' I'm going to have a funeral'. "? " Be sure to stand up straight and be careful when driving. In the car, you ignore yourself, speak ill of yourself, and refer to yourself. "? " The stable is on fire. The son retired from the court and said,' Is it harmful? Don't ask the horse? These words record Confucius' self-image in detail from the aspects of speaking, sitting, standing, walking, riding, sleeping, eating, wearing, going abroad, receiving distinguished guests, communicating with friends and giving gifts. It can be seen that Confucius followed the etiquette and carried out the etiquette. It can be seen that Confucius' words and deeds are consistent, and he completely meets his own standards according to etiquette. Confucius advocated the revival of the ritual and music system in the Zhou Dynasty, but he did not completely copy it. He also injected the fresh blood of "benevolence" into "ceremony" and expounded the relationship between "benevolence" and "ceremony". Confucius said, "Are people unkind?" It can be seen that for an individual, the "ceremony" advocated by Confucius has incorporated the heart of kindness into the external code of conduct, that is, "benevolence" is the basis for the implementation of "ceremony".
In the feudal society of more than 2,000 years, after eating a dish for more than 2,000 years, there will always be a day of corruption and deterioration. The feudal emperors and literati of past dynasties were always eager to serve the political needs of their generation and add some spices to Confucius' "ceremony". By the end of the last feudal dynasty in China, the Manchu Dynasty, Mr. Lu Xun, in his novel Diary, had turned this road into a feudal code of ethics for more than 2,000 years through the mouth of a madman. I looked at the history and found that there was no age in this history, and the words' benevolence, righteousness and morality' were written on every page. I can't sleep anyway. I read it carefully in the middle of the night and saw the words through the gap. The book was full of the words "cannibalism"? During the May 4th Movement, the slogan of "Down with Confucius' Shop" and criticizing Confucius' way was put forward directly. Nearly a hundred years have passed. Under the background of China's reform and opening up and economic development, we look at our traditional culture from a broader perspective. When we mention Confucius' "ceremony" again, is it necessary to be as angry and rude as we were a hundred years ago? Indeed, the feudal ethics imposed on Confucianism by the ruling class in later generations in order to maintain imperial power, autocracy and feudal hierarchical order, such as the Three Cardinal Principles and the Five Permanent Principles, and the ignorance of loyalty and filial piety, should be abandoned like a pipe. We should get in touch with the real Confucius in the handed down literature, see the true face of Confucianism clearly, take its essence, and absorb the etiquette of all nationalities in the world at the same time, so as to standardize our manners and etiquette.