On the spiritual connotation of "rule by virtue" advocated by Confucius is "benevolence"

As the founder of Confucianism, Confucius has his own political thoughts. Throughout the Analects of Confucius, Confucius' political thought is mainly manifested in four aspects: first, to improve the quality of leaders; Secondly, we should regard "ruling the country by virtue" as the fundamental principle in the general plan of governing the country; Thirdly, taking "benevolence" as the spiritual connotation in the political life of the country; Finally, we should take "courtesy" as the code of conduct of the country and citizens. These four are related. Rule by virtue is the premise of realizing benevolence and courtesy, which is the spiritual connotation, courtesy is the concrete form and the improvement of leadership quality is the premise of its concrete implementation.

First, the political environment in which Confucius lived.

To understand Confucius' political thought, we must first look at the political environment in which Confucius lived.

Confucius lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and was politically chaotic and conquered by the military of the vassal states. Since moving eastward, the Zhou royal family has declined and its status has plummeted. In fact, it is similar to a medium vassal state. In order to gain a place among many vassal States, countries attacked each other, wars continued, small countries were annexed, big countries rose constantly, and "five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period" emerged one after another. Within the country, Dr. Qing was powerful, turmoil occurred from time to time, and regicide was also common.

In this case, the ritual and music system handed down from the King Wen Wu and the Duke of Zhou in the Zhou Dynasty also collapsed. Confucius said, "If there is a way in the world, rites and music will be conquered from the son of heaven; There is no way in the world, and the rites and music are conquered by the princes. Since the princes came out, Gai X did not lose hope; Since the doctor came out, the fifth hope has not been lost; Accompany the minister to carry out the life of the country, and III hopes not to lose. There is a way in the world, and politics is not a doctor. If there is a method in the world, then Shu Ren will not discuss it. " [1] Confucius said that "there is no way in the world" vividly described the chaotic political situation in the Spring and Autumn Period.

With the collapse of the ritual and music system, people's morality gradually declined. The Spring and Autumn Period is an era of strength. In any era of strength, morality has no market.

Faced with such a chaotic society, Confucius, as a responsible person, put forward a series of political thoughts to transform society.

Second, the specific content of Confucius' political thought

In order to realize the political ideal of "there is a way in the world" and restore the unified situation in the civil and military era, Confucius put forward the following four points in the Analects of Confucius.

First of all, we must establish an excellent leadership class.

Confucius attached great importance to the role of leadership in political life. He asked leaders to make some achievements in moral cultivation, otherwise they could not lead the lower class. At the same time, Confucius divided people in society into two categories, namely "gentlemen" and "villains". The meanings of "gentleman" and "villain" here are different from those in our modern sense. Confucius's "gentleman" and "villain" actually have two meanings respectively. The first meaning refers to the leader and the led. The second meaning refers to people with high morality and people with low morality, "gentleman" refers to people with high morality, and "villain" refers to people with low morality. For example, Confucius said: "There are three things to serve the monarch: impatience without saying it, concealment without saying it, and embarrassment without seeing the color." [2] The "gentleman" here refers to the leader. "A gentleman learns to love others, but a villain learns to love others easily" [③], where the "gentleman" also refers to the leader and the "villain" also refers to the leader. Many times, "gentleman" refers to people with high morality, and "villain" refers to people with low morality. And these two meanings are also related. Confucius believes that leaders must have morality, that is, they must also have a gentleman's way in morality. A person with low morality, that is, a "villain", should be led by a person with high morality, that is, "the virtue of a gentleman", as Confucius said, "the villain has virtue, and the wind on the grass will be suppressed" [4]. These are not clearly stated in the Analects of Confucius, and we need to consider them carefully in the process of reading the Analects. So, what should leaders do?

First of all, to have virtue, we must "govern the country by virtue", which is what Confucius said. Confucius said, "Governing the country by virtue is like Beichen and the home of the stars." [5] "* * *" means "arch". This passage represents Confucius' thought of "ruling the country by virtue". Confucius compared political life with astronomical phenomena. If the leader practices the rule of virtue, the people will automatically revolve around you like the stars around Polaris. Confucius emphasized the role of morality in political life and advocated moral education as the principle of governing the country. Confucius himself is such a person. Someone asked Confucius, "Isn't Zi Xi a politician?" Confucius said, "The book says,' Filial piety is only filial piety, and friends are brothers.' If you are a politician, is it also a politician? Is it a politician? [6] Confucius infected people with morality. Therefore, although Confucius has no power in secular politics, he is a leader in spirit. Confucius also hoped that those leaders who held power in secular politics could lead the people through noble morality like him.

Secondly, leaders should take the lead in taking the right path and set an example for the people. Ji Kangzi, an aristocrat of Lu, once asked Confucius for advice on how to govern the country. Confucius said, "Politicians are right. Zi Shuai is right, who dares to be wrong? " [7] lead yourself to take the lead in taking the right path. Who dares not take the right path? In addition, Ji Kangzi was worried about being stolen and asked Confucius what to do. Confucius said, "If you don't want it, you don't steal it." [8] Leaders themselves are not greedy for money, and even if they are rewarded for stealing, no one steals. Ji Kangzi also told Confucius what he thought was the way to govern the country. He put forward that "there is no way to kill, there is a way to kill" [9], but Confucius said, "If you are a politician, why kill?" Children are better and people are better. The virtue of a gentleman, the virtue of a villain and the wind on the grass will all be suppressed. "【 Attending 】 The" gentleman "here refers to the moral leader, and the" villain "refers to the leader. From these three paragraphs, we can see that Ji Kangzi is a person with improper behavior, insatiable greed and simple political mind. Although he is a gentleman, he has no virtue of being a gentleman. Confucius criticized Ji Kangzi and suggested that leaders should set an example for the people.

Secondly, Confucius put forward the correct strategy for leaders to govern the country-"ruling the country by virtue".

Confucius said, "If the Tao is political, it will be punished by Qi, and the people are shameless. When it comes to morality, it is courtesy, shame and dignity. " [1 1] Here, Confucius listed two different principles of governing the country-"rule of law with decrees and penalties as the core" and "rule of virtue" with morality and etiquette as the core. After comparing these two principles of governing the country, Confucius thinks that the rule of law can only make people avoid crimes, but can't make people understand the shameful truth of crimes. "Rule of virtue" is superior to "rule of law" because it can make people feel ashamed, thus establishing a sense of honor and disgrace in their hearts, and making people measure their actions with their own views of honor and disgrace before doing something, so as to get a correct decision that conforms to etiquette. Through the rule of virtue, the people can understand both right and wrong and the good intentions of the leaders, so as to achieve the goal of "shame and decency". This is Confucius' thought of ruling by virtue, which has two aspects. The first is to win the trust of the people. Zi Gong once asked Confucius how to govern the country. Confucius said, "There is enough food, enough soldiers, and the people believe." Zi Gong asked again, "If you have to go, which one should you go first?" Confucius said, "Go and join the army." Zi Gong asked again, "If you have to go, which one should you go first?" Confucius said, "Go and eat. There has been death since ancient times, and the people have no faith. " [12] Confucius believes that "faith" is the most basic factor in governing the country, which is higher than economy and military affairs. His words illustrate the importance of "winning the trust of the people" in governing the country by virtue. The second is to educate the people. Confucius believes that if people are economically rich, they will pursue a comfortable life. The reason why people are human is not only to have material desires, but also to improve spiritually. This is also an important aspect of the leader's "ruling the country by virtue", so the education policy for the people should be implemented. On one occasion, You Ran accompanied his teacher Confucius to Wei, and Confucius said, "What a pity!" You Ran asked the teacher, "What's the point?" Confucius said, "Be rich." You Ran asked again, "If you have money, why bother?" Confucius said, "Teach it." [13] In ancient times, due to the vast territory and sparse population, most governors implemented policies to encourage population growth, and population was also an important indicator to measure the strength of a country. With a large population, it is natural to let the people meet their material needs first. After meeting the needs of material life, we should carry out what Confucius called "teaching", that is, enlightenment, to improve people's spirit to a certain extent. Its ultimate goal is to hope that everyone can maintain their own moral quality, so as to realize the political ideal of "ruling the country by virtue".

Thirdly, the spiritual connotation of "rule by virtue" advocated by Confucius is "benevolence"

Confucius said that leaders should govern the country by virtue, and the way to govern the country by virtue is to implement the political concept with "benevolence" as the core. "Benevolence" is a complex concept in Confucius' ideological system. Confucius said, "Is benevolence far from being true? I want benevolence, and I am benevolent. " [14] It can be seen that "benevolence" is not far away from us, and it seems to be within reach, but he said, "If it is sacred and benevolent, how dare I?" [15] Confucius is heartless again. He is kind for a while and heartless for a while. What happened? After carefully reading the Analects of Confucius, we suddenly realized that "Benevolence is far away?" There is a key but easily overlooked word-"desire" lies in "I want benevolence, if I am a saint, how dare I?" Confucius said that he just "took pains to restrain it and teach others", which is also a meaning of "desire". In this way, we understand Confucius's. Confucius' explanation of "benevolence" is the most wonderful, and it is the explanation of six students: Zi Gong, Yan Yuan, Zhong Gong, Sima Niu, Zhang Zi and Fan Chi. Zi Gong asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "A benevolent person wants to be a man and succeed." [18] Yan Yuan asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "Self-denial is benevolence. A day of self-denial and self-denial, the world will return to benevolence. For benevolence, for yourself, for people? " [19] Zhong Gong asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "Going out to see big guests makes people like big sacrifices; Do to others what you don't want them to do to you; There is no complaint in the state and no complaint in the family. " [20] Sima Niu asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "benevolence is also a lie." [2 1] Zhang Zi asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "There are five things in the world that are benevolence." [22] Zhang Zi asked Confucius what "Five" was, and Confucius said, "Fairness, tolerance, faith, people and benefit. Respect is not insulting, forgiveness is popular, faith is responsible, sensitivity is meritorious, and forgiveness can make people. " [23] Fan Chi asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said: "A benevolent person suffers first, which can be said to be a benevolent person." [24] Fan Chi once asked Confucius what "benevolence" was, and Confucius said, "Respect students, respect deacons and be loyal to people. Although it is destroyed, it cannot be abandoned. " [25] It can be seen that the core of Confucius' "benevolence" is "love" and "courtesy". Treat others with love, always think of others, restrain yourself with courtesy, and be cautious in words and deeds, which is similar to the "people-oriented" in modern political ideas. Confucius here seems to be educating students to be human beings, but it is actually one of his political ideas, which we have discussed earlier. [26] If you correct your behavior, what are the political difficulties? Confucius believes that such people should hold leadership positions, and if these gentlemen with "benevolence" manage the administration, they will inevitably implement benevolent policies. [Fourth, the tool of governing the country in Confucius' political thought is "ritual"

Confucius is a man who knows "courtesy" very well. It is said that when he was a child, he used ritual vessels as toys. According to "Historical Records", "Confucius is a child's play, and the imperial army is a ritual." [27] It can be said that he is gifted. He said: "I can talk about Li Xia, but I can't sign it." Yin can talk, but Song is not smart enough. Lack of literature. That's enough, then we can collect it. [28] Confucius was very proficient in Li Xia and Li Yin, but he thought that the etiquette of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was progressive from generation to generation. He said: "In the second generation, while I was depressed, I learned from Zhou" [29] "Zhou's virtue is the ultimate virtue" [30]. It can be seen that he thinks Zhou Li is the most perfect.

"Rite" is an important part of the code system of the Zhou Dynasty. "Rites originated from the customs of clan society" [3 1]. That is, the customary law of human beings in the primitive capitalist society. After entering the era of kingship, these customary laws have been reorganized and reformed by the leadership, forming a relatively systematic system. Therefore, there are summer gifts in summer, business gifts and weekly gifts. "Rite" became an important guarantee of national stability, which was perfected in Xia and Shang Dynasties and systematized by the Duke of Zhou in the Zhou Dynasty. Zhou Li's basic spirit is that "in various ceremonies and ceremonies, participants of different social status have their own different and strict specific codes of conduct." Through these codes of conduct, we can distinguish social categories, such as inferiority, intimacy and ignorance, define the specific position of everyone in the social order, and coordinate the relations among all social members "[32]. By the time of Confucius, the "ceremony" formulated by the Duke of Zhou had completely collapsed, and the society had entered a period of "no way in the world". In such a society, Confucius can stand up and try to change the social status quo with a kind of courage. This spirit should be admired and learned by our future generations.

If Confucius wants to govern the country with "courtesy", the first thing he should do is to "correct his name". Lutz once asked the teacher: "Wei Jun regards his son as a politician, and his son will learn from him first?" Confucius said, "It must make sense!" [33] Lutz thought the teacher was a bit ridiculous, because in the society at that time, "correcting the name" was really a whimsical thing. He asked, "What a pedantic son! Qi Zheng Qi? " How is this name correct? Confucius explained to Lutz: "If the name is not correct and the words are not smooth, nothing can be done. If things don't go well, there will be no ceremony or music. The ceremony and music are not prosperous, the punishment is lost, and the people are at a loss. " [34] Therefore, Confucius believes that "correcting the name" is the primary task of governing the country. The so-called "name rectification" means building a society worthy of the name. All social strata should do their best in their posts and not exceed their authority. Qi Jinggong once asked Confucius how to govern the country, and Confucius replied, "Jun Jun, minister, father and son." [35] In other words, a monarch should be like a monarch, a minister should be like a minister, a father should be like a father, and a son should be like a son. Confucius wanted to build a reasonable and rigorous society. Because the society at that time was a society with disorder and bad manners, Ji Sun was used to dancing eight tones in the yard. Eight strokes, eight strokes and forty-six strokes in ancient times. According to the provisions of the "rites of rites", only the Zhou emperor can use eight strokes, the warlord is six strokes, and the doctor is four strokes. As a doctor, Ji can only use four tricks, and he uses eight tricks, which is a typical incident that destroys Zhou Li. In this regard, Confucius showed great indignation and famously said, "I can't bear it!" [36] It can be seen that the ritual system was destroyed to such an extent that Confucius put forward the idea of "correcting the name".

Secondly, in addition to "correcting the name", Confucius also put forward the idea of taking "ceremony" as the code of conduct, that is, the idea of "Qi Zhi Yi Li". There are two essential ways to implement the "ceremony": one is the bottom-up way. Confucius taught Zi Gong [37], Yan Yuan [38], and Zi [39], "If you don't learn from Li, you will accomplish nothing", all of which mean that people should be polite. The second is the top-down way, that is, leaders should govern the country with "courtesy", that is, Confucius said, "courtesy is good, and the people are easy to make" [4 1], "courtesy is good, and the people dare not disrespect" [42]. Leaders take "courtesy" as the code of conduct, people will follow suit, and the country will be stable, thus realizing the ideal society of "there is a way in the world".

Third, the conclusion

To sum up, the author summarizes Confucius' political thought into four parts: First, we should improve the quality of leaders and let people with virtue and talent lead the people, instead of letting people like Ji Kangzi live in leadership positions; Secondly, in the general plan of governing the country, we should take the rule of virtue as the fundamental principle, instead of blindly ruling the people with heavy punishment and heavy law; Thirdly, taking "benevolence" as the spiritual connotation in the political life of the country; Finally, we should take "courtesy" as the code of conduct of the state and citizens, and oppose the behavior beyond etiquette. These four points are related. Rule by virtue is the premise of realizing benevolence and courtesy, which is the spiritual connotation of rule by virtue, and courtesy is the concrete form of rule by virtue, and the realization of these three points depends on the improvement of leaders' quality. Moreover, these four points are related. Ruling by virtue is the premise of realizing benevolence and propriety, which are the spiritual connotation and propriety is the concrete form of ruling by virtue, and the realization of these three points depends on the improvement of leaders' quality.

Although Confucius died more than two thousand years ago, his precious spiritual wealth is inexhaustible for future generations. We should inherit and carry forward the excellent culture of our ancestors.