The evolution of Confucian traditional view

The evolution of Confucian traditional view

Confucius has a strong sense of cultural inheritance, but his attitude towards tradition is relatively open and rational. Mencius seldom turned to tradition, but his argument about Wang Ba opened the way for seeking unity of thought. Xunzi's theory of evil nature led Wang Ba's theory to rely on the tradition of ritual fork. Dong Zhongshu finally made the Confucian traditional view become an authoritative traditional view.

Keywords: tradition; Great unification; Ideological identity; authority

The Western Enlightenment seeks an ideal society and an ideal way of life in the name of truth, and develops western modern ethics in the name of objectivity and universality, while tradition is only an obstacle to reaching truth. Hermeneutics initiated by Gadamer criticizes the whole enlightenment movement from Nietzsche to Heidegger and even the whole post-modernist philosophical trend of thought, and regards tradition as an insurmountable foundation and creative source for the development of human thought. This background provides us with a new opportunity to reevaluate Confucian ethics. China's ethical thought never developed in the name of universal truth, but in the name of traditional authority. Mencius' theory of human nature, even if it affirms the universality of human nature, is often overwhelmed by the sense of authority. Both Confucius and Dong Zhongshu regard themselves as inheritors of cultural traditions, and they don't feel the need to ask about the rationality of traditions. At the same time, they are all traditional reformers to some extent, injecting new factors into tradition. Comparing their traditional views is helpful for us to better understand Confucian ethics.

First, Cofucius's awareness of cultural heritage

Confucius claimed that he didn't say enough, and he consciously claimed to be the successor of the etiquette and music culture of the Zhou Dynasty. ? Confucius said: for the second generation, I am extremely depressed, and I follow the week. . Confucius often expressed strong anger and dissatisfaction with the behavior of governors destroying rites and music. What about Ji's family? Is it tolerable to dance in court with eight girls? Why not? ! Confucius said that Luz should be removed like an abandoned sheep. I love its sheep and its ceremony? . In an era of bad manners and poor music, people often regard Confucius as a cultural conservative. But Confucius is obviously not only a defender of tradition, but also an innovator of traditional rites and music. His teaching activities were a denial of the hereditary system of nobility and the tradition of official learning in the Zhou Dynasty. Most of his civilian disciples take politics as their career ideal, and bluntly say that so-and-so can be a king, such as? Harmony can also make the south? This ideal of governing the country by sages is obviously a rebellion against the rites and music of the Zhou Dynasty. All these evidences show that Confucius has a strong sense of the times and change, rather than blindly conservative tradition, but why does he always appear as a traditional successor?

A detailed interpretation of Confucius' cultural view may give a more satisfactory explanation. ? Words? It is a word with high frequency in the Analects of Confucius, which is roughly equivalent to what we call culture today. Words? Show great respect and will be passed down? Words? Tradition is their mission. ? The day will lose its gentleness, and the deceased can't be gentle. What will the Kuang people do if the sky does not lose Sven? ! Liu Baonan noted? The way of civil and military affairs is in the book. Master traveled around the world and followed the classics he acquired. So what does this mean? . Liu Baonan believes that Sven refers to the ancient books of the Zhou Dynasty, which belongs to the narrow spiritual and cultural category. Whenever encountering difficulties, Confucius always shares his own destiny. Words? This is not accidental, it shows that Confucius consciously inherited cultural traditions. Looking at the Analects of Confucius, literature has two meanings. One is spiritual and cultural products, namely articles and classics. ? Zi teaches four things: writing, action, loyalty and faith? . Notes? Does the text refer to poetry, books, rituals and music? . Two-finger literature Yi Da Chuan? Observe astronomy, observe the changes of time, observe human nature and turn it into the world? . (Historical paper) On the dialogue between humanities and astronomy, this paper generally refers to people's ritual and music culture. Confucius said? Quality is better than literature, literature is better than history, gentle, and then a gentleman? . The opposition between literature and quality refers to the external form of quality, that is, the external behavior and etiquette of gentlemen. ? Spine into a child: the quality of a gentleman is just enough, so why write? Zi Gong said: The teacher said that gentlemen are clumsy, and I'm sorry. The quality of words is still good, and the quality is still good. Is it a tiger leopard stirrup or a dog sheep stirrup? . Animal hair is a text as well as a literary text. So what? Words? It can refer to all decorations and external behaviors. Confucius clearly distinguished between internal virtue and external etiquette. Li Liyun, Jade Cloud, Music Cloud, Bell and Drum Cloud? . Benevolence is an inherent virtue and the basis of etiquette. Salute with benevolence and defend with courtesy. External etiquette is essential and can only be passed down through culture.

Although Confucius has a strong sense of cultural inheritance, his understanding of Zhou culture and rites and music is open rather than closed, and can be developed and revised. ? Yin is due to Xia Li, and its gains and losses are known. Zhou is due to the yin ceremony, and its gains and losses are known. Do you know that its successor or successor is immortal? . The rites and music of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties inherited each other, so there were gains and losses. Those that do not meet the requirements of the times should be abandoned. The task facing Confucius is to rebuild the etiquette tradition and inject new vitality into the ancient etiquette on the verge of disintegration as the basis of social identity and social reorganization. As we all know, Confucius not only emphasized the function of etiquette, but also emphasized that the etiquette and music should be based on benevolence, which is the fundamental principle for Confucius to rebuild the etiquette tradition. For example, Confucius did not arbitrarily think that the tradition of three-year mourning could not be changed, but emphasized the psychological basis of three-year mourning, which was based on the love between father and son. If you change three years of mourning to one year, you can feel at ease and have a year of mourning. This example is typical. It shows that Confucius doesn't want to keep the tradition blindly, and the attitude of his disciples to traditional etiquette also shows that Confucius didn't ask his disciples to keep the traditional etiquette blindly. It depends on whether everyone agrees or not. Confucius said? Courtesy is better than luxury. Not easy? . The practice of etiquette is not rigid, inner sincerity is the essence of etiquette behavior, and external behavior is regulated by inner benevolence, so it is meaningless to stick to external etiquette.

Throughout The Analects, the task of reorganizing society can only be accomplished through traditional etiquette, but traditional etiquette is the etiquette of Confucius' reform, and tradition is also the tradition of reform, aiming at realizing social identity and social reorganization in the name of tradition under the new historical conditions. ? If it works for me, I'm Dong Zhou. ? This is Kong Yu's clear statement that he is not simply trying to restore the rites and music of the Zhou Dynasty.

After the myth of modernity was shattered, we rediscovered the rationality of Confucius' thought to some extent by investigating Confucius' strategy of treating tradition. Tradition is the foundation of social identity. Tradition established in the name of truth or authority is only tradition after all, that is, it is only a kind of social identity, and truth is only one of the many forms of tradition. Rorty, a new pragmatist, said? The pre-pragmatic tradition holds that human beings are getting closer to the truth and the correct representation of physical and moral reality, while we pragmatists believe that human beings (or at least those who entered the border of the European Enlightenment and developed some ideological and political freedom) are just getting more and more free, so they are getting happier? . Rorty, like all post-modern philosophies, denies the absolute truth and moral reality of the whole, and the rationality of human behavior is only different in degree, just the difference between better and worse. Confucius' efforts to rebuild traditional etiquette are based on the benevolent ideal that all people live and work in peace and contentment. As far as Confucius is concerned, yes? Old people are safe, strong people believe, and young people are pregnant? The ideal of harmony is to make everyone live a better life.

Confucius' reconstruction of tradition shows us the wisdom of a philosopher. It is indeed easier for people to rebuild social order in the name of tradition, but after all, they lack a critical understanding of tradition. Although Confucius himself made a critical choice of tradition, it did not become a dominant factor, or even an obvious factor. The inheritance of traditional etiquette is dominant, the traditional feudal hierarchy is simply replaced by the virtue hierarchy, the hierarchical differences of traditional etiquette are preserved, and the ethical differences between people make universal ethics impossible. In the social hierarchy, people's different responsibilities and obligations are fixed and become a major feature of Confucian ethics. The practice of etiquette has different requirements for people with different identities. Whether the behavior conforms to etiquette depends on everyone's status. Every level of the relationship between monarch and minister, father and son, husband and wife and brothers has its own etiquette behavior, and its own ethical responsibilities are different, so any etiquette behavior is not universal. Therefore, the traditional view of Confucius opens the possibility of the traditional authoritative view.

Second, the significance of the need for unity to the formation of authority consciousness.

Needless to say, Confucianism has a certain degree of authority consciousness from Confucius. The rites and music of the Zhou Dynasty he defended are quite sacred in his mind, but he obviously did not blindly accept and believe in the traditional culture of rites and music. In fact, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period is a process of gradual liberation from the patriarchal society of the Zhou Dynasty, and the development of Confucianism can just be regarded as an increasingly open process. This trend is very obvious from Confucius to Mencius. Confucius was also saddened by the fact that the ceremony collapsed and the music was bad, and he was tired of the deviant behavior of the princes, but Mencius did not show special respect for the nobles. On the contrary, Mencius stood on the position of the common people, and sought to compete with the aristocratic groups by respecting morality and affirming self-worth. If the monarch wants to summon him, he can make an excuse and not hide it. When the monarch asked him to go to court, he went to Dongguo's house to offer his condolences. The monarch sent someone to stop him on the way to the palace, but he hid in the Yasukuni shrine. (See Mencius? Mencius insisted that virtuous people should be respected, so the common people are no worse than the monarch, and there is no need to obey the monarch unconditionally. Respect and inferiority are relative.

The ceremony that Mencius talked about is particularly unique. It is no longer a tool to maintain the hierarchical order, but a means for ordinary intellectuals to seek self-esteem. Therefore, Mencius' ceremony focuses on ceremony, which is a way for civilians to gain self-esteem and self-confidence when dealing with aristocratic rulers, such as treating rulers as gifts. Mencius is a symbol and a typical example of the real awakening of civilian consciousness. Nevertheless, the seeds of authority consciousness were planted in Mencius' thought, and the most obvious embodiment was Wang Daoguan, which he strongly advocated.

Perhaps Mencius was the first to be preserved to emphasize Wang Ba's resources, and more importantly, his Wang Daoguan, which is based on benevolent policies and is of fundamental significance to his theory, and Wang Daoguan is the basic theoretical basis of China's reunification, and can even be traced back to Confucius' debate on Yi Xia, Confucius said? It is better to die in summer than to have a gentleman. It proves that Confucius' cultural consciousness is directly related to the foundation of ruling the world, that is, the ritual and music culture in the summer of three generations, but Confucius' sense of great unity is not particularly strong. On the other hand, Mencius expressed his deep sympathy for the people's suffering. The people's haggard is no worse than at this time. And blame this kind of suffering on the endless war between governors. The solution is to hope that benevolent people will rise up and conduct benevolent government to realize the unification of the world. The basic basis that Mencius used to convince the rulers was that as long as the rulers were benevolent, it would be a piece of cake to become the king who unified the world. If we only conquer by force, we will never achieve the goal of unifying the world. Researchers in all previous dynasties only analyzed Mencius' benevolent government thought, and seemed to ignore the importance of his ideal of unifying the whole country to his theory.

Mencius' consciousness of great unity is reflected in many aspects, and the most important dimension is his great narrative about three generations of kings. This narrative can be seen everywhere in Mencius' books. Here are two examples:

? Mencius said: whoever bullies the weak will have a big country. The king of Deren, the king is not big, the soup is 70 miles, and the king of Wen is 100 miles. ?

? Mencius said to him: I heard that seventy miles is the rule of the world, and so is soup. Never heard of people who are afraid of thousands of miles. The book says: Tang Yizheng, since Ge began, has been believed by the world, levied in the east, resented in the west, levied in the south, resented in the north and ridiculed in the back. People's expectations, such as the cloudy drought, are also the same. Not only those who return to the city, but also the cultivators remain the same. If it rains, people will be very happy. ?

Although the vassal States were independent, traditionally, all the major vassal States were subordinate to the Zhou Emperor, although the Zhou Emperor declined. Nominally, the vassal state is still a vassal state. In people's minds, the vassal States are one, and it is logical to return to reunification. All countries also seek to unify the whole country. The uniqueness of Mencius lies in his classic exposition of the way to unify the world, and at the same time, it is also an argument for the rationality of unifying the world. Mencius mentioned it many times? Celestial officer? It is believed that only Tianguan can conquer the country and bring people to unify the country, otherwise it will not work. For example, taking swallows together will backfire and be besieged by vassal States. Mencius' statement that three generations have won the world is also a demonstration of benevolent governance as a way of governing the country. This way is the way of benevolence and righteousness, that is, the way of Confucius, that is, the way to win and rule the world. This is an extremely important step to establish the authority of Tao.

Not only Mencius, but also thinkers in the Warring States period are seeking ways to unify the world, except perhaps Taoism. An extremely important part of the unified world is the unified theoretical basis. Mencius provided such a foundation through benevolent governance, and other factions also put forward their own understanding, but one thing is the same, that is, they all think that ideological recognition is necessary to unify the world. The extreme example is Mozi? Shang Tong's idea. It believes that the reason why the world struggles endlessly is because people have different views on right and wrong. Gage said: People in the world have different meanings. One person is right, ten people are right, and a hundred people are right. There are many people, and there are also many so-called just people. Is it because people are just, not inhuman, so it is different? . So what? Therefore, we should choose people who are talented, wise, knowledgeable and wise in the world, and think that they are the sons of heaven, so that we can make sense of the world? . The son of heaven achieved the goal of justice in the world through officials, demanding that all people in the world should be superior, everyone is right, everyone is wrong, and everyone is wrong. The viewpoint put forward by Mohism in the later period was originally a theory of realizing social identity based entirely on authority, which was quite different from Mozi's own viewpoint, but it did conform to the general trend of social hope for reunification at the end of the Warring States Period.

Xunzi was born on the eve of the unification of Qin and Han dynasties, and the unification of the world has become the general trend. How to unify the world has become one of the central themes of thinkers. He accepted the theme of the debate between Mencius and Wang Ba, and also accepted the theme of ideological identity. He believes that only by realizing the ideological identity of all people in the world can we unify the world, which only the king can do. He said:? Therefore, those who use the country stand as king, stand with faith as king, and stand with power as king? . ? The land of a hundred miles can take the world, not empty, but the difficulty lies in the understanding of the master. Is it enough for one person to take the world without paying for it? . Wang Ba's debate and ideological identity are actually the same theme. Only the king can uphold the etiquette and realize the ideological recognition of the world with Tao. Bullies control the world by force and reputation, and can only become the overlord. The king unified the world without relying on force or political power. So-called? Qi is righteousness, the sky is white, right? Much like the modern revolutionary ideal, as long as the king rules the country with courtesy and righteousness, the world will return to its influence one day and become an ideal country. So-called? If the princes are prosperous, they will be everywhere. . Even Xunzi secretly accepted Mencius' view that all countries have the same desire: Tang Wu must take the world. Cultivate its way, carry out its righteousness, and promote the common interests of the world. In addition to the common harm of the world, the world belongs to it? Four.

However, for Mencius and Xunzi, the basis of ideological identity is quite different. Mencius believes that human nature is good, and benevolence, courtesy and wisdom are inherent in human nature, while Xunzi holds the concept of evil human nature, taking benevolence and righteousness as the sacred and forging them. ? However, those who abide by the laws of propriety and righteousness are out of the vanity of saints, not out of human nature. . Forgers do what they do, saints do what they do, not what they are.

Because etiquette is accumulated by the vanity of saints, people are born evil, so people must pay attention to the study of etiquette by saints. ? The viciousness of today's people will inevitably be transformed into a pattern and then corrected, and then treated with courtesy? ,? Today's human nature is rude, so it is also eager to learn and strive for strength? ,? Therefore, if you are kind, you will go to the holy king to learn manners, and if you are evil, you will be polite to St. Wang Gui. .

This theory has produced a great consequence, and people must learn to be polite. Etiquette is forged by saints, so it is a tradition left by saints. Its importance lies in that if you are not a saint, you must learn the tradition of saints to understand etiquette. In fact, the tradition of propriety and righteousness is endowed with extreme importance and authority. Therefore, we can say that Xunzi's etiquette and righteousness must appeal to traditional authority, not only that, but also to the authority of the holy king. Therefore, to establish the momentum of the monarch, it is necessary to make it clear, make it clear, make it clear, make it clear that the law is to rule it, and prohibit it with heavy criminal law, so that the whole world can rule, which is good? . And the so-called good, but? All the so-called good people in ancient and modern times speak rationally and run fast. The so-called evil people are in danger. Is there a distinction between good and evil? . As a result, the compulsion of power has infiltrated into the tradition of propriety and righteousness, and saints are both creators and executors of propriety and righteousness.

At this point, we can assert that the result of Xunzi's theory is to appeal to the traditional authority and regard the tradition of etiquette and righteousness of saints as the basic basis for unifying the world. As for the obvious contradictions, such as whether it is consistent to achieve the ideological unity of all people in the world instead of taking the world by force and resorting to authority, we have no theory.

Third, Dong Zhongshu's view of traditional authoritarianism.

Dong Zhongshu lived in an era when the great unification has been established, so he consciously demonstrated the great unification. His study of Yang Gong's Spring and Autumn Annals was the first unification, and his respect for tradition was more obvious and stronger than that of Xunzi. Compared with Xunzi, his sense of authority has been greatly enhanced, and his concept of propriety and righteousness has completely fallen to the traditional view of authoritarianism.

Dong Zhongshu's attitude towards tradition may be related to Xunzi, but his respect for traditional authority has exceeded Xunzi's imagination. He also talked about the good and evil of human nature, probably in order to solve the difficulty of Xunzi's evil human nature, so he invented the theory of three natures, holding that the nature of saints is good and evil and cannot be called sex, the nature of struggle cannot be called sex, but the nature of human beings can be called sex. Think? What about the nature, the simplicity and kindness of nature, and the transformation of Wang Jiao? He also opposed Mencius' theory of good nature, thinking that human nature and Xunzi's are the same.

Inevitably, Dong Shi also attributed courtesy and righteousness to the tradition of saints. He respected the tradition of saints to an unbounded extent and thought that the way of saints could not be changed. Therefore, the king has the name of governance, but not the reality of Yi Dao? . The basic orientation of his study of Chunqiu is to illustrate the sage's way of governing the country with Chunqiu written by sage Confucius. He said:

? Therefore, when Confucius established the new Wang Zhidao, he knew that his ambition was to fight against peace and that his sincerity was to destroy falsehood, which had the disadvantage of following the Zhou Dynasty. Why? .

Spring and Autumn Annals was written by a saint, and its way of exposition is a saint's way, which cannot be changed. The sky remains the same, and the Tao remains the same? ：

? During the Spring and Autumn Period, I was good at retro, easy to ridicule, and wanted to be king first. However, it is said that the king must reform. Today, the so-called Wang Bi changed the dynasty, did not change the dynasty, did not change the road, did not change the principle, was ordered by heaven, changed his surname and became king, and did not succeed the former king? If the syllabus, ethics, principles and customs of political education remain unchanged, what can be changed? .

? The way of spring and autumn is to serve the sky and learn from the past. ? However, the legacy of the former king is also the rule of the world. So, Saint Dharma Heaven, Saint Dharma Saint, this is also a big number? Laugh at

Dong Shi declared that ancient times were the law, saints were the law, and traditional authority was clearly established. Dong Shi endowed the sage tradition with authority, which was closely related to his time. At that time, the world had been unified and the autocratic system was being established. This society is in urgent need of authority, and Dong Shi's Spring and Autumn Studies just played the role of establishing authority, and its first unified Spring and Autumn Studies revealed the mystery. It complied with the requirements of the rulers of the Han Dynasty to establish authority, and it was precisely because of this requirement that the Five Classics became classics. Dong Shi's study of Chunqiu is an obvious example.

Dong Shi believed that The Spring and Autumn Annals was compiled by Confucius himself, which was a policy for saints to rule the emperor with a plain king, and a sacred law to reward and seize the political behavior of governors in the Spring and Autumn Period of 242. ? Therefore, the way of Spring and Autumn Annals is that the depth of Yuan is the end of heaven, the end of heaven is the rule of king, the rule of king is the position of vassal, and the position of vassal is the rule of internal affairs. All five are right, and it's a big line. . He gave Chunqiu the supreme status, believing that it was not only the great law of governing the country, but also the basis of criminal trial, and the unification of Chunqiu reflected the rulers' demands for establishing authority.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a saying that the king of spring was in the first month, which was the basic basis for advocating kingliness in the Spring and Autumn Period. ? How expensive is spring and autumn in yuan? The Yuan Dynasty was also the beginning, and the words were right. Tao. Wang Dao also. The king is the beginning of mankind. Wang Zhengzheng's vitality is steady. When he encounters a storm, when he sees Venus, when he sees Huanglong Gorge. If the king is not upright, the weather will change, and thieves will see it together. . ? Call it monism. Tadashi also? . ? Only saints can belong to all things, but they are also yuan. In the end, it is better to make a firm commitment and not succeed. It is based on the change of the Spring and Autumn Period. Yuan, it's the same. Its meaning begins at the end of heaven and earth? . 1. Yuan, Shi, Ben and Yuan represent the origin of heaven and earth, and Wang represents the origin of man. Its logical relationship is not discussed here, but its significance is extremely obvious. It compares the status of the king with that of heaven, which is nothing more than upgrading the status of the king to the master of unifying the world, and holds that the king is the intermediary between man and heaven and the foundation of everyone's livelihood. The king is the so-called son of heaven. What did Confucius do when he traveled around the world? I just hope that a certain warlord can appreciate his talent and make use of it, but he never tried to convince Zhou Tianzi, nor did he see hope pinned on him. Confucius often criticized princes for trespassing, but the meaning of Dong Shi seems to be the same but different. Why? Because Confucius didn't show special respect for authority, but Dong Shi demanded authority-oriented, not only the authority of Confucius, but also the authority of the son of heaven. The concept of great unification has an overwhelming position in the Han Dynasty, which is actually a theoretical reflection of political great unification and has a great influence on ethical concepts. The concept of unification has become an important criterion for judging the right or wrong behavior, and the status of the son of heaven is one of its manifestations.

This sense of authority based on the power of the emperor is also clearly reflected in his basic orientation of defending the hierarchy. Throughout the full text of Chunqiu Fan Lu, there are differences from top to bottom, from high to low, from low to high, and from low to high. People's behavior norms vary greatly with different social status. ? During the Spring and Autumn Period, people followed the king and you followed the sky? ,? Therefore, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the people bowed and the king extended, and the king bowed and the sky extended. What is the meaning of spring and autumn? . This is the difference between a monarch and a minister. ? The son of heaven is here, and princes are not allowed to seal the land, seal the doctor of the son of heaven, or be expensive for the son of heaven. If you want to establish an official position, you can't be virtuous for a long time, you can't be a son, and you can't be a wife? . This is the difference between a son of heaven, a vassal, a doctor, children and a wife. Dong Shi Chun Qiu emphasizes the difference between monarch and minister. Let's give a very typical example. The fifth essence said:? During the Spring and Autumn Period, doctors did nothing. He also said: those who leave the country can live in peace, benefit the country, and specialize in their trades. He also said: the doctor went out according to your orders and advanced and retreated in the doctor. You heard about Xu Xing's funeral and didn't come back? . How to explain this contradictory statement? Dong Shi said that there are different ways to deal with this according to different situations, the purpose is for the benefit of the monarch, otherwise it is a wrong behavior. In the Spring and Autumn Period, people's behavior judgments often change. When to use classics and when to use contingency depends only on the motivation of behavior, so the Spring and Autumn Period focuses on ambition. His explanation for the above contradiction is that people who have nothing to do are safe all their lives. Specializing in essence can also be called saving the danger and eliminating the disease. Those who advance and retreat among doctors are called generals. If Xu Xing doesn't come back, does it mean that he won't harm the respect of his relatives or the public with his private interests? . In short, the rationality of courtiers' behavior lies in whether they think of the monarch or not.

The biggest difference between Dong Shi and Confucius lies in his cosmology of Yin-Yang and Five Elements and the so-called induction between man and nature, which was not unique to Dong Shi in the Han Dynasty. However, the connection between Dong Shi and the study of Chunqiu is meaningful. Half of "Spring and Autumn Fan Lu" is about the interaction between Yin and Yang and the five elements of heaven and man, which cannot be explained here. Its distinctive feature is the combination of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and Spring and Autumn Meaning, which proves its Confucian ethics with cosmology. This paper only gives an example to illustrate this feature. In the Five Essence, Dong Shi talked about a ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and the significance of this ceremony.

? Who's the big shot? Dry sacrifice. The victim said: "The drought invited rain, and the drums attacked the society. What heaven and earth do, yin and yang play a role. " . Still please, or angry? In case of drought, Yang will destroy Yin. Those who destroy yin with yang are respectful and humble, and their righteousness is firm. Although they are great, they are only invited and dare to add. If there is a flood, the yin will destroy the yang. Those who destroy yang with yin are not as good as human beings, and they all commit crimes, insult you and violate the festival, so they beat the drums and attack them, and Zhu Si threatened them with injustice. This is also the Spring and Autumn Period. Therefore, the position of another day, in the order of yin and yang, goes straight without forgetting its difficulties. Is it justice? .

The order of yin and yang in heaven and earth corresponds to the order of human dignity. Heaven respects the earth, Yang respects the yin. Respecting and oppressing the humble conforms to the standard of justice, and it is unjust to oppress the humble and hurt the humble. Fire is yang, but it is too strong to suppress yin during the drought, which still meets the standard of righteousness. Sacrificing rain can only be used, not attacked. Floods are different. Water is yin, yin is too strong to suppress yang, and it is unjust, so you can beat the drum and Zhu Si threatens it. In this way, the world view of Yin and Yang of heaven and earth is combined with the respect and inferiority of the world, and the former becomes the basis of the rationality of the latter. Dong Shi's ethics cannot be said to have nothing to do with Confucius. Confucius did demand the establishment of a reasonable order, and also agreed with a certain degree of hierarchy, but this is not the fundamental principle, otherwise Confucius' ideal of traveling around the world for politics all his life will become incomprehensible. The core principles of Confucius should be the unity of benevolence and propriety, the unity of benevolence and propriety, the difference of propriety and the equality of benevolence. Therefore, Dong Shi's ethical thought also includes the transformation of Confucian tradition, not just the inheritance relationship, but his appeal to traditional authority is obviously above all else.

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In a word, Confucius has a relatively open sense of cultural tradition, while Mencius has profoundly transformed the tradition, mainly taking conscience as the basis of right and wrong, rather than resorting to tradition. This could have developed into an ethical consciousness that does not depend on tradition, but he also has an appeal for ideological unity. Xunzi's theory led to the dependence on the tradition of etiquette and righteousness of saints. Dong Zhongshu inherited the traditional viewpoint of Xunzi and developed it to an extreme extent, and finally became an authoritative theory with the tradition of propriety and righteousness as its authority.