What is the relationship between ren and rites in Confucianism

The relationship between benevolence and propriety in Confucianism is that benevolence is the most important and central idea. "Ren" is the inner spirit of "rites", and there can be no real rites without benevolence. Ritual is an important part of the moral code and is a useful complementary expression of benevolence.

Confucianism's interpretation of "ritual" is mostly in the four books. It is to let people recognize the relationship between themselves and the people, events and things around them. Ritual in the narrow sense of the word is more focused on the relationship between people.

Rite, the ancient character for "Li", the original meaning is to take a sacrificial vessel "beans" to sacrifice the supreme omnipotent "heaven". The subtext is that if you have true humility towards people and things, you will be able to show respect from the bottom of your heart.

Shuowen: "Li" means "to fulfill," so as to serve the gods and bring good fortune. This explanation comes from the Four Books, and is in line with the original meaning of the word "Li".

As for the word "ren", it is the function of rites, which is also explained in the Shuowen: pro. If you treat people and things with respect from the bottom of your heart, how can you not be close to each other? Can it not be felt that there is a "benevolent and loving" behavior?

So the relationship between ritual and benevolence is that ritual is the essence and benevolence is the function.

The emergence of benevolence is a manifestation of the great changes in social relations in ethical thinking, and it is an ethical summary of the relationship between the son and the father, between the ruler and the minister, and between the state and the nation, and thus it has a very rich content.

From another point of view, the emergence of the idea of benevolence is the result of the development of social productive forces, which inevitably led to the change of production relations, and this social change caused a drastic change in the relationship between human beings, which led to the situation of "the collapse of the rites and the destruction of the music". After the destruction of the previous Zhou rituals, people of vision came forward to seek a new ideal of human relations.

Ren's scope is quite broad, and he included a variety of specific patriarchal morality-based behavioral norms, and at that time he had already touched on the issue of human relations. It was on this basis that Confucius further proposed the ethical and moral significance of ren.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, ren was often seen as one of the important human virtues, alongside loyalty, righteousness, faith, sensitivity, filial piety and love. Only when it came to Confucius was ren superseded from the other virtues and given a new and rich connotation.

The Spring and Autumn period, when the rites and music were in tatters and the world was in a state of decline, became the basis for the recognition of Confucius' idea of "benevolence". Feng Youlan once said: "The contribution of Confucius to Chinese culture is that he tried to theorize the original system at the very beginning, with a theoretical basis." This is very true. This is very true. The "theoretical basis" that Confucius gave to the original system was no other than ren. The new sense of benevolence, is completely Confucius heart to endure, keen to seek good thinking, the body of their own stick out, is the Confucius mentioned in the made.

The ancients believed that the rites of passage set the inferiority and superiority, righteousness for the standard of action, honesty for the integrity of the square, shame for the shame of the heart. Ritual in ancient China is the social system and moral norms. As a system of rules and regulations, it is the embodiment of the social and political system, which is the maintenance of the superstructure and the etiquette and rituals of human interaction that are compatible with it. As a moral code, it is the standard and requirement for all the behaviors of national leaders and nobles. Before Confucius there were the Xia, Yin and Zhou rites.

The rites of the Xia, Yin, and Zhou dynasties, which followed each other through evolution, were perfected by the Zhou rites of the Duke of Zhou's era. As a conceptual form of rites, it is inseparable from "benevolence" in the thought system of Confucius. Confucius said, "If a man is not benevolent, how can he be polite?" He advocated the rule of virtue, breaking the restriction that "rites are not for the common people".

During the Warring States period, Mencius regarded benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom as the basic moral norms, and propriety as the "heart of resignation," which became one of the human virtues. Xunzi, who attached more importance to rituals than Mencius, wrote The Treatise on Rituals, in which he argued about the origin and social role of rituals. He argued that rites enabled everyone in society to have a proper place in the hierarchy of nobility and inferiority, of age and youth, and of wealth and poverty.

Over the long period of historical development, rites, as moral norms and rules of life in Chinese society, have played an important role in the cultivation of the spiritual qualities of the Chinese people; at the same time, with the changes and development of society, rites have been constantly given new contents, and have undergone constant changes and adjustments.

In the feudal era, rites maintained the social and political order, consolidated the hierarchical system, and adjusted the various social relations and rights and obligations between people. Ritual is both one of the sources of ancient Chinese law and an important part of ancient law.

References:

Ren - Baidu Encyclopedia Rites - Baidu Encyclopedia