What is the ideal of the "Way of the King" in the spirit of Confucian ethics?

Confucianism, as the dominant consciousness of the Chinese national tradition, provides a complete explanation of the world. Reflected in political philosophy, it provides a moral and ethical justification for the political principle of the "Way of the King" through the affirmation and sanctification of human morality.

In ancient China, politicians and thinkers were concerned with defining the relationship between people, between individuals and groups, and between different cultural groups of human beings, and used this as a political principle in real life. With regard to the relationship between people, Confucianism to a large extent regards it as a natural relationship. According to this logic, the family, the state, the world, and the political organization of society are only a gradual expansion of human relations, introduced layer by layer with the individual at the center. Therefore, the conclusion and concept that the family, the state, and the "world" are one and the same comes naturally. Mr. Yu Yingshi has pointed out this ethical feature of Chinese political philosophy: "If the collection of human beings is based on the ever-expanding natural relations, then the 'state' is not the end of the line, and in the end, it will inevitably be pushed to the 'one world'! . While the emergence of the sense of 'the world' is related to the historical and geographical context of China, 'cosmopolitanism' is clearly the highest expression of the value of 'benevolence.' " In this way, the central values that sustain human relationships should naturally be "harmony," "evenness," "peace," and so on, because since we are a family and relationships develop naturally, living together in harmony is not only desirable, but also possible. This is not only desirable, but also achievable.

Of course, there are conflicts and contradictions in society, and the kind of harmony advocated by Confucianism is also the harmony of a hierarchical order with up and down, primary and secondary, and superior and inferior. But since the political order is based on human relationships, it is impossible to exclude or even actively utilize the warm side of blood relations. For example, the concepts of "harmony" and "equalization" became the dominant values of governance and the pursuit of values, and the analogy of "king and father" (because one has to honor one's father, one has to be loyal to the king) also dissolved the harshness of the hierarchical order of respect and inferiority. The first is to make sure that you have a good understanding of the situation, and that you have a good idea of what you are doing.