Ancient People's Requirements for Grooming

China has a history of five thousand years of civilization, known as the "state of etiquette", the Chinese people are also known in the world for their polite and courteous appearance. As an important part of traditional Chinese culture, the civilization of etiquette has had a wide and far-reaching influence on the historical development of Chinese society, and its content is very rich. Etiquette covers a wide range of areas and permeated almost every aspect of ancient society.

Ancient Chinese rituals and ceremonies are actually two different concepts. Rites" is a system, rules and a kind of social consciousness concept; "ritual" is the specific expression of "rites", which is based on the provisions and contents of "rites", "rites" and "rituals", "rites" and "rituals". It is a systematic and complete program based on the provisions and contents of the "rites".

In ancient China, etiquette was derived from the clan system and the hierarchical relationship between the nobility and the inferiority in order to meet the needs of the society at that time, and thus it was characterized by the characteristics and limitations of the era in which it was created. Nowadays, modern etiquette is very different from that of the ancient times, so we must abandon those etiquette norms that serve the exploiting class, and focus on selecting the traditional civilized etiquette that is still of positive and universal significance today, such as respecting the elderly, honoring the virtuous, being appropriate in etiquette, treating people politely, and having a neat appearance, etc., and then transform and transmit them to the future. This is of modern value for cultivating good personal qualities, coordinating harmonious interpersonal relations, shaping a civilized social atmosphere, and building a socialist spiritual civilization.

It is described as follows:

I. Respect for the Elderly and the Virtuous

Since the primitive society to the feudal society in China, the political and ethical relationship between people are all linked by the blood relationship of the clan and the family, so they respect the ancestors in the family and respect the elders in the society. Since ancient Chinese society respected the rule of etiquette and benevolence, honoring the virtuous has become a historical requirement.

Meng Zi said, "If you honor the wise in old age, and if you have a handsome man in your position, you will have a celebration" (Note: "Meng Zi - Zhuo Zi Shi"). "Celebration" is a reward. In ancient times, this traditional etiquette played an important role in the formation of warm interpersonal relationships, as well as orderly and harmonious ethical relationships, both in the past and in modern times.

When it comes to honoring the elderly, this is a major feature of traditional Chinese culture. In ancient times, respect for the elderly did not remain only in ideology and preaching, nor did it stop at the lives of ordinary people. From the monarch, the scholarly class to the entire official and gentry class, they all practiced it and formed a set of rules and rituals to honor the elderly.

The Book of Rites records: "In the ancient way, fifty years of age were not to be used as a disciple, and the birds were to be given to the elders" (Note: Ritual Records - Sacrificial Rituals). That is to say, more than fifty years old people do not have to go hunting, but in the distribution of prey to get a generous share. Some ancient books also set clear requirements for the volume of voice when talking to elders. For example, the Yumeng Shiyuan (养蒙便读) says: "When serving one's relatives and elders, one's voice should be easy and solemn, and one should not shout and yell because of trivial matters" (Note: Yumeng Shiyuan (养蒙便读)). The Disciple's Rules also say: "It is not appropriate to be heard, but not to be heard".

All in all, from kings and aristocrats down to the common people, all must follow certain rules, and use various ways to express filial piety and respect for the elderly, as an important measure of a person's cultivation.

A society of any kind needs to respect the elderly. Not only because the old people have deep experience, wide knowledge, experience, long labor time, great contribution to society, deserve to be respected; at the same time, they are physically and mentally poor, need young people's thoughtfulness, care and help. As a courteous modern youth, the elderly and the elderly, should do: the road encounter active humility, take the initiative to give up their seats, in stores, theaters and other public **** place, should try to take into account for the elderly to create convenient conditions.

On honoring the virtuous, there is an allusion to the Three Kingdoms, called the "Three Gu Gu". It is said that Liu Bei admired Zhuge Liang's talent, to ask him to help themselves to fight the world, they are not tired of personally to Zhuge Liang living in the grass room to ask him to come out of the mountain. Again and again, Zhuge Liang agreed. From then on, Zhuge Liang's talent and strategy can be fully realized, for Liu Bei's cause "bowing to exhaustion, and dying".

Looking at the history of ancient China, most monarchs who have been successful have attached great importance to respecting and employing the wise, and regarded it as a decisive factor for the safety and security of the country. Usually do not respect the virtuous, to the emergency, virtuous talent will not share the worries of the country. It is not the case that the wise and talented do not think about the country, but the country is slow to recognize the wise and forgetful of the wise and talented, so that "the one who can survive through his country has never existed before" (Note: Mozi - Kissing the Scholarship).

Today we advocate the development of the ancient "respect for the gift of wisdom", must be given to the content of the new modern concept of talent, is to respect knowledge, respect for talent.

Today's society, all kinds of competition is getting more and more intense. All kinds of competition, in the final analysis is the competition for talent. As large as the country, small to the company's enterprises, to maintain an advantageous position in the fierce competition, we must have a strong talent team. Only from the ideological concepts to specific actions to respect and care for talent, so that society as a whole to form a respect for knowledge, respect for talent, the formation of a good environment, the formation of a strong enough talent team, in order to be invincible.

Second, the ceremony is appropriate

The Chinese people have always paid attention to the appropriate form, to express the richness of people's inner feelings. When it comes to major festivals and important events, there are many conventions and customary rules. For example, if you get a good harvest, you have to sing and celebrate; if you get a disaster, you have to pray to the gods for blessings. Over time, many festivals and rituals have been formed, such as the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chung Yeung Festival, and so on, and almost every festival has its own specific rituals and customs.

In ancient times, marriage, mourning and festivals and other activities are treated as a major event in the life of the community, the etiquette of the provisions of the extraordinarily detailed and thorough, from clothing, utensils to specifications, procedures and demeanor of the orientation, there are specific provisions.

Today, we have to maintain and carry forward the excellent etiquette civilization of the Chinese nation, the most important point is to be appropriate. That is, as Er Cheng advocated: " 奢自文生, 文过则为奢，不足则为俭"(Note: "二程集 "cheng's external book volume six). It can be seen that the scale of the ceremony lies in the appropriate, appropriate decoration is necessary, but excessive decoration will result in extravagance and waste, deviating from the requirements of the rules of etiquette; and too stingy, hindering the implementation of the ceremony is also inappropriate. This insight of the ancients is very insightful and has a guiding effect on the various ceremonies we hold today.

In today's social activities, the holding of various ceremonies is still indispensable. Company openings, children's marriages, various festivals and activities, there are different ceremonies. We have to grasp the scale of the various ceremonies, we must grasp the principle of moderation, to make the necessary rituals and modern civilization with the combination of the relevant activities are both grand, but not too flashy. We should especially oppose the kind of wedding and funeral celebrations to take the opportunity to do a lot of work, the phenomenon of wastefulness; against the kind of ceremony that the more grand the better, the more luxurious the more in line with the rules of etiquette practice. For example, many newlyweds today are trying to make their weddings grand enough, and they are comparing themselves with each other, incurring high debts and causing great wastage. Even some leading cadres, regardless of influence, for their children to use their power for personal gain, accepting large gifts, and promote the wind of extravagance. This is not in line with our fine traditions, but also not in line with our national conditions, people's conditions.

Three, politeness

Any civilized society, any civilized nation, people always pay great attention to civilization and politeness. Because politeness is one of the moral norms by which human society promotes friendly and harmonious interpersonal exchanges, and it is a bridge to build a harmonious relationship with others. It marks the civilized procedure of a society and reflects the spiritual outlook of a nation. The Chinese people have always attached great importance to following the rules of etiquette and treating others with courtesy. Many of these intriguing lessons have inspired people both in the past and in the present. Specifically, there are the following two main points:

(a) with people good

with people, for the good first. And this "good", should be from the heart of sincerity, is sincere in the shape of the outside, rather than rhetoric and vain form of red tape. According to the Book of Rites, "Rites are about humbling oneself and honoring others" (Note: "The Book of Rites - Qu Li Shang"). It is not enough to be respectful and warm on the outside but hypocritical on the inside, or to be respectful on the inside but without expression. It is necessary to be consistent with one another in order to fundamentally eliminate barriers and friction between people, and then to respect and love one another, and to live together amicably.

Respect for others, we must treat people equally, regardless of their rank, and treat them the same. If you offer your respect only to those in the upper echelons of society, if you take advantage of them with your wealth and make friends with them with your interests, you are in fact a villain. It is written in the Analects of Confucius in Zihan (《论语-子罕》), that Confucius saw people wearing mourning clothes, ceremonial hats and dresses, and blind people. When he met them, even though they were young, Confucius would definitely stand up. When he walked in front of others, he must walk quickly to show his respect.

The ancient method of honoring others is also worth learning from. First of all, we must respect the wishes of others, understand their needs and taboos, and not force them to do what they want. Do not force others to do what they can not do, do not force others to accept what they do not like. As the ancients said, "Do not blame others for what they cannot do, do not force others to do what they cannot do, and do not suffer others to do what they do not want to do" (Note: Wen Wen Zi - Wei Xiang). "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you (Note: "Analects of Confucius - Yan Yuan")", is the meaning of this. In dealing with others, humor and good-natured jokes often bring ease and pleasure, but never tease for fun. It is disrespectful to make fun of other people's names, or to give them unflattering nicknames. North and South Dynasty Yan Zhi push on such disrespectful anger: "the world's fools, so to play with each other. Or pointed to the name of the guinea pig and calf, have the knowledge of the bystanders, still want to cover the ears, let alone when the person is almost".

(ii) courtesy

Courtesy is an important criterion for treating people politely. That is to say, to accept the goodwill of others, must return the same courtesy. In this way, interpersonal exchanges can continue in a virtuous cycle of equality and friendship. Therefore, the Book of Rites says: "It is not polite to be polite to one another, nor is it polite to come and not come; nor is it polite to come and not come" (Note: "The Book of Rites - Qu Li Shang").

For those who are benefited, they should return the favor with a spring of water. In the eyes of the ancients, there is nothing more injurious to benevolence than ingratitude. Confucius said: "If you repay virtue with virtue, you will be persuaded by the people"; "If you repay virtue with grudge, you will be punished by the people (Note: "Rituals - Table Records"). It can be seen that "repaying virtue with virtue" and repaying kindness is the basic moral cultivation of treating others. Of course, gifts should be given in moderation. The original intention of giving gifts is to express respect and gratitude, so the so-called gifts are light in meaning, not the more the better. As "Zhuangzi - Mountain Wood" said: "Gentlemen's friendship is as light as water, the small man's friendship is sweet; Gentlemen light to pro, the small man Gan to the absolute. He has no reason to be together, then there is no reason to leave".

Four, the appearance of a whole

A person's instrumentation, grooming, is its cultivation, the degree of civilization performance. The ancients believed that a dignified demeanor, courteous, respectful and refined, not only can maintain personal dignity, but also help to promote virtue and cultivation. Ancient thinkers used to compare the fur of a beast with a person's demeanor. Without fur, a beast cannot be a beast; without demeanor, a person does not become a person.

The requirements of the ancients for grooming were too cumbersome. The most important of them are the following three.

(a) clothing and appearance: "Disciple's Rules" requires: "Crowns must be correct, buttons must be knotted, socks and shoes, all tightly cut". These norms, for modern people, are still necessary. Hat is correct knot, shoes and socks tight cut, is the instrument class view of the basic requirements. If a person is not neatly dressed and his shoes and socks are not correct, it will often make people feel disgusted or even nauseous, and who will be close to such a person. Of course, the dress code must be appropriate for one's occupation, age, physical characteristics, the environment and the living customs of the person with whom one is dealing, and must be chosen appropriately and generously. Heavy makeup, pretentious, will only be counterproductive.

(2) Behavior and demeanor: Confucius said: "If a gentleman is not heavy, he will not be powerful, and if he learns, he will not be solid" (Note: "Analects - Xue而")。 This is because only solemnity can have majesty. Otherwise, even if one learns, one cannot consolidate. Specifically, it is required to "stand like a pine, sit like a bell, walk like the wind, and lie like a bow", that is to say, stand upright, sit steadily, move well, and sleep on one's side. In public behavior can not be frivolous, can not be profane, should be solemn, cautious and calm, to do "nonpolite do not see, nonpolite do not listen, nonpolite do not speak, nonpolite do not move" (Note: "Analects of Confucius - Yanyuan"), everywhere in line with the norms of etiquette.

(3) rhetoric: language is a mirror of people's thoughts, feelings and cultural cultivation. The ancient so-called "rhetoric to establish its sincerity, so the residence of the industry" (Note: "Yi - Qianwen"). It is reasonable to regard the sincere rhetoric as the foundation of business. And "words must be trustworthy, and actions must be fruitful" (qi: "Lun yu - zi lu"). It is impossible to win the trust of others with clever words. Secondly, be careful with your words. The ancients said, on the natural man, on the tongue above and below the two rows of teeth closely surrounded, and outside the bread a thick layer of lips, that is, people must be careful with their words. Of course, the ancients did not ask people to speak less, but to speak according to the specific situation, when said when said, when silence is silent. Confucius said, "If you don't speak with them, you will lose them; if you don't speak with them, you will lose them. Those who know do not lose people, nor do they lose words" (Note: "Analects - Wei Ling Gong"). This is what is said.

The above aspects are the essence of our traditional etiquette. Although the times are different, but the ancients of the importance of grooming and neat grooming requirements, is worth borrowing from today's people. Outward appearance is a kind of silent language, which reflects a person's moral cultivation and conveys to people a person's inner attitude towards the whole life. With an elegant instrument, wherever he goes, he brings the spring breeze of civilization and gets people's respect.

There is no doubt that the civilization of traditional manners has had a positive influence on the historical development of our society. Generally speaking, the more civilized and polite people there are in a society, the more harmonious and stable that society will be. If every one of us is well educated, polite and courteous, our life will be more pleasant, and the country and society more orderly and civilized. From this point of view, etiquette plays a political and legal role in society.

For a long time, due to a large number of etiquette culture of the essence and the dregs of the state of seepage and coexistence, and due to the dregs of the culture of etiquette of the negative role can not be underestimated. We have neglected the traditional etiquette civilization as a valuable spiritual wealth. For a long time, society and schools did not pay enough attention to the education of etiquette, and many uncivilized behaviors continued unabated. In today's construction of socialist spiritual civilization, we should be based on absorbing the essence of national culture, so that the traditional civilization etiquette for the present, to rebuild a set of modern civilization etiquette.

Received: 1998-04-10

Luo Guojie, ed. Chinese Traditional Morality. Beijing: People's University of China Press, 1995