What are the characteristics of ancient Chinese educational thought? How to inherit its positive factors and give full play to its modern value?

Ancient Educational Thought Explained (Reprint)

There is no doubt that education is a continuous process, the content of education is adapted to the development of modern people, and the methods of education are always in the process of renewal and change. Although education has not been an independent discipline in China for a long time, the practice of education in China has been rich in experience, and the philosophical thinking of education is said to have a long history. Today, we are pursuing ideal education, longing for "poetic dwelling", advocating "optimal teaching" (Babanski), advocating humanistic education and quality education, almost all of which can be found in the theories and practices from as far back as the early Qin Dynasty in the Hundred Schools of the Zu Zi. And these ideas, which have been around for a long time and are still shining today, are still injecting fresh blood into contemporary education and teaching, and bringing many profound and important insights.

One of the "unity of mankind" in the humanization of thought

Ancient education thought to "unity of mankind" as the highest state. Zhou Yi" said "heavenly, gentleman to self-improvement". Here "heaven" is the highest abstract essence of the universe, and at the same time is the source of all values. From the relationship between heaven and human beings to the relationship between human beings and education, the "Medieval Times" has made the most generalized clarification: "Heaven's destiny is called nature, the rate of nature is called the Way, and the cultivation of the Way is called teaching." These few sentences very clearly outline the basic vein of traditional educational philosophical thought.　　

"Man is the heart of heaven and earth." (Rites of Passage) A person must be able to "fulfill his heart" and "know his nature" in order to reach the highest state of heaven and man as one. Traditional education focuses on moral education and the human heart. Mencius said: "All things are in me", which developed into a theory of mental cultivation characterized by "introspection" and "reflecting on oneself". In the Song and Ming Confucians, "knowledge" and "heavenly reason" became the guiding principles of the rationalists' study of body, mind, and life. Wang Shouren said: "I want this heart to be pure in the Divine Principle". This is to emphasize the role of the heart.　　

Despite the lack of a rigorous, complete theoretical system of traditional education thought, but such as the present education advocated by the "humanization" of the concept of education in traditional education thought or hidden or obvious throughout. From the external norms to the depth of the human heart to explore the meaning of the soul, attach importance to the value of human life and the value of existence. Focusing on the harmony between people and people, people and things is an important revelation brought to us by traditional educational thought

The second, "open up the chest", "saint weather" of the educational realm.　　

The ultimate goal of traditional education is to cultivate sages. This kind of person can not only restrain himself and restore propriety, but also promote himself and others, and help the world. Most Chinese thinkers and moralists identified themselves as the successors of the "sages," and the cultivation of morality thus became the core and purpose of ancient education. In the University, it is said, "The Way of the University is to be clear and virtuous, to be kind to the people, and to stop at the highest good"; Han Yu appointed himself as the successor of the Taoist system, and the Song and Ming philosophers aspired to be "the place where Confucius and Yan are happy" and "the place where all the people are happy". The Song and Ming philosophers aspired to be "the place where Confucius and Yan are happy" and to "show the weather of the saints everywhere". They also emphasized the cultivation of temperance and integrity, advocated the combination of ambition and self-restraint, and sharpened themselves with the ideal ambition of "establishing a heart for heaven and earth and a life for the people". The ideal goal of this kind of education is often combined with ethics and morality, but the former has a higher ideological level.

Overall, the educational theory system of "Three Principles" and "Eight Objects" (to emphasize the principles of materialism, zhi zhi, sincerity, righteousness, cultivation of one's moral character, family unity, governance of the country, and peace of the world) put forward in the "Great Learning" is an extremely concise clarification of the relationship between Confucianism and education in the Confucian tradition. The ancients talked about "cultivating oneself and placing others in peace" and "internal sainthood and external kingship", and "cultivating oneself" is followed by "placing others in peace". After "cultivating oneself", it is necessary to "pacify others", and "pacify others" means "external king". Starting from oneself, one can realize "internal sainthood and external king" only by putting the "eight objectives" into practice. "This also includes Confucian knowledge. This also contains the strong sense of moral responsibility and historical mission of Confucian intellectuals.　　

Third, the teaching method of "no indignation, no enlightenment".　　

Ancient educators were well versed in what we now call the psychological philosophy of education, such as teaching according to ability. The so-called "teaching according to the material" refers to the adoption of different educational methods according to the characteristics and actual situation of different educational targets. Confucius was the earliest advocate of teaching according to ability. He asked students to "listen to what they say and observe what they do" (Lun Yu - For Political Affairs), and educated students according to their talents: "Above the middleman, one can speak to the top; below the middleman, one cannot speak to the top." (Lun Yu - Yong Yi). ("Analects - Yongya"). In his view, there are differences in everyone's intelligence and character, and education should be based on students' different talents and specialties. In the Analects, Zi Zhang, Zi Lu, Zi Xia, Zi Gong, and Zhong Gong all asked Confucius for advice, and Confucius answered the questions according to the different personalities of each person, showing tolerance and respect for different personalities. Mencius also emphasized the importance of teaching according to one's aptitude and changes in teaching methods. Zhuang Zi, on the other hand, advocated letting nature take its course, "Though the eider's shin is short, renewing it is worrying; though the crane's shin is long, breaking it is sad." In his view each carries forward its strengths and each avoids its weaknesses in order to end up where it belongs.　　

How to teach students? The Analects of Confucius - Duiyao" that: "not angry not start, not want not send out, lift a corner not to three corners of the counter, will not be repeated." And the earliest Chinese teaching theory monograph, "The Record of Studies", also believes that "the gentleman's teaching, metaphor." Teachers should be "Dao and not lead, strong and not inhibit, open and not reach", that is to say, teachers should be actively guided to open instead of "lead", "inhibit" teaching methods. Teachers and friends can even question each other, so that we can improve the students' "hear one to know ten", "one to reflect three" thinking ability.　　

Fourth, the combination of learning and thinking, the unity of knowledge and action learning

Learning is the foundation of the "cultivation of Qi and peace", and only by attaching importance to one's own cultivation can one create an ideal personality and realize the highest ideal of "inner saint and outer king". Traditional Confucianism emphasizes the cultivation of "virtuous talents" in the world, and implements the "Four Teachings" (literature, lineage, loyalty, and righteousness), "Six Arts" (rituals, music, archery, royalism, calligraphy, and mathematics), and the "Six Classics" (the six classics) in the content of teaching. "The Six Classics (Poetry, Books, Rites, Music, Yi, Spring and Autumn). And in the process of student learning, and advocate a step-by-step, dedicated, modest, and hold the will to live and learn methods and attitudes.　　

For example, the combination of learning and thinking, learning and thinking is important. Confucius has a cloud: "learning without thinking is confusing, thinking without learning is perilous" ("Analects - for political"). The Book of Rites - Zhongyong further develops Confucius' idea of giving equal importance to learning and thinking into five steps of learning: "Learning by erudition, inquiring, thinking carefully, arguing clearly, and practicing conscientiously", which fully affirms the complementary relationship among them. Mencius emphasized "thinking" and said, "It is better to believe in books than to have no books at all" ("Mengzi - Duixinxia"). Zhu Xi, in turn, further developed the ideas in the Zazhi. Wang Fuzhi, on the other hand, believed that "the more one learns, the more one thinks". These insightful summaries of the relationship between learning and thinking are important for the development of independent thinking.　　

"Knowing" and "thinking" should be accompanied by "practicing" and "acting", as Confucius said. Confucius said, "be sensitive to the matter and prudent in action", Xunzi said: "know this is not as good as the line", Zhu Xi advocates "forceful action", "knowledge and action must be mutual hair Chu Hsi advocated "forceful action", "knowledge and action must be mutually developed", Wang Shouren advocated "practice on the matter", Wang Fuzhi "knowledge and action together with the use of", Yen Yuan advocated "practice and behavior teaching method". Though they have their own views on the sequence and difficulty of knowledge and action, they all emphasize the importance of "action" in human behavior and learning.　　

Another example is how to deal with the relationship between "extensive and specialized", Confucius said: "Learning from the literature, about the rituals" ("Analects - Yongya") Han Yu in the "learning solution" on the one hand emphasizes the erudition, and on the other hand, advocate On the one hand, Han Yu emphasized erudition, but on the other hand, he advocated "summarizing the essentials and hooking the mysteries". Returning from erudition to erudition and harnessing erudition with erudition are two complementary aspects. Several of the educational texts selected for this issue deal with this issue.　　

Traditional educational thought is profound and profound, and it has a strong vitality because it is good at inspiring the inner self-consciousness of each individual, and at inspiring the disposition and wisdom of students and even of those who teach them. In contemporary education, how to carry forward the spirit of the main body of that kind of endless, pioneering and innovative, poor through the change, so that we "more poetic habitat", is worthy of our further thinking.　　

Confucius: "Teaching Without Classes" and "Teaching for the Long Term"

Confucius (551~479 BC) was known as Qiu, and his name was Zhongni. Confucius once put forward a number of humanistic ideas that are still of educational significance today. For example, he believed that benevolence is the basis, the benevolent person loves people; each person has his own strengths, so we should use people's strengths; virtue and talent, generosity and tolerance. In addition, his discussion on education is still very wide range, such as hearing the shao music and "three months do not eat meat", advocating "the gentleman to learn the six arts" and so on, these are the scope of aesthetic education and art education.

Confucius paid great attention to teaching students according to their abilities. He knew the character and specialty of each student very well. And he required students to combine learning and thinking, learning and practicing. "Learning without thinking is confusing, thinking without learning is dangerous." "A gentleman is ashamed of his words over his deeds. Focusing on heuristic education, we do not require students to read to death, but rather in the touch with the generalization, that is, the so-called "tell the past and know the future also".

On the attitude of learning, Confucius believed that the pursuit of learning lies first in the love of learning and enjoyment of learning. "The one who knows is better than the one who is good, and the one who is good is better than the one who is happy. Secondly, one should be dedicated to learning and know the difficulties. Thirdly, one should be modest in seeking instruction and not be ashamed to ask questions. Regarding the method of learning, he believes that it is necessary to learn by example and apply it flexibly.

Dong Zhongshu: "Must be benevolent and wise" and "Virtuous and prudent"

Dong Zhongshu (ca. 179~104 BC) was a native of Guangchuan. Dong Zhongshu lived during the early Han Dynasty, a period of great unification. He laid the foundation for the ideological, cultural and educational policies of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with his "Dismiss the Hundred Schools, Exclusively Respect the Confucian Schools" and developed the moral and ethical thinking of Confucianism, which was summarized as the "Three Principles" and "Five Constants". The "Three Principles" and "Five Principles" were summarized. He became famous for a while, and was "the first of the Confucian scholars" (Han Shu - Dong Zhongshu Biography).

Dong Zhongshu's psychological thought on education was constructed on the basis of his theory of human nature. He divided human nature into the nature of the saint, the nature of the common people, and the nature of the humble man, and was later recognized as the "originator" of the theory of the three qualities of human nature. He also believed that the nature of the saints did not need to be taught, the nature of the common people could not be taught, and the nature of the middle people should be taught. The last point is the core idea of Dong Zhongshu's emphasis on education. Only by combining sex and education, and by "following the heaven and becoming outside" ("Deep Inspection of Names"), could the "alloy" of goodness be cultivated.

Dong Zhongshu divided the process of moral education into four stages, namely, knowledge, emotion, intention and action. He advocated the concepts of "be kind and wise", "be at peace with oneself", and "emphasize the will and the will", etc. He placed special emphasis on the practice of moral behavior. He paid special attention to the practice of moral behavior, and proposed that "the thing to do is to make strong efforts", and that only by making strong efforts can one cultivate oneself and become a man of virtue. His theory of the unity of benevolence and wisdom, and the theory of "loving others" and "correcting oneself" not only have certain theoretical significance, but also have practical value, and the modern cognitive school of moral education theory has a lot of similarities, and is still shining.

Zhu Xi: "Ge Shi Zhi Zhi", "Jiu Jing Zhi"

Zhu Xi (1130 ~ 1200), the word Yuan Xi, No. Xi An, was born in Fujian. He was a famous philosopher and thinker of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zhu Xi took Confucianism as the mainstay of his thought, took Buddhism and Taoism at the same time, and sighed at the results of the natural sciences at that time, and constructed a "to the vast, the very subtle, and the synthesis of a hundred generations," a system of integrated academic thought. He took "reason" as the highest category of the philosophical system, and "reason" is omnipresent, "everything has reason". From the theory of reason and qi, he put forward the "theory of generation of the universe". In terms of moral cultivation, he put forward the idea of "keeping heavenly reason and eliminating human desires", believing that if heavenly reason prevails, human desires will recede.

He also inherited Confucius's educational goals of "learning and excellence" and "teaching without discrimination", and proposed that the purpose and function of education lies in "clarifying human relationships". The purpose and function of education is to "clarify human relationships", and the educational method of "correcting the mind and cultivating the body", the cultivation goal of "the virtue of the sages" or "the learning of the wise", and the goal of "cultivating the mind and regulating the peace" as the educational goal of the scholarly class. The highest ideal of the scholarly class is "cultivation, governance, and peace".

Ju Xi, who was engaged in education and writing for more than forty years, paid attention to guiding the practice of education with his own philosophical thoughts and summarized a set of teaching methods and principles. He believed that learning is a process of coherence and accumulation, which requires erudition, interrogation, prudent thinking, discernment, time learning, and conscientious action. And there are several principles running through it. Shortly after his death, his disciples compiled a book called Zhu Zi's Method of Reading, which summarized Zhu Xi's principles of learning in six sentences, namely, gradual and orderly progress, careful reading and thinking, humble meditation, self-awareness, tightening and exertion, and respecting and holding one's mind.

Zhu Xi was one of the most influential educators of the late feudal period. The Four Books Annotated has become a must-read for readers in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties; Zhu Xi's Family Trainings has become a model for family culture and education after the Southern Song Dynasty. In the seven to eight hundred years since the Southern Song Dynasty, Chinese education can be said to have been most profoundly influenced by Zhu Zi.

Wang Shouren: "Unity of Knowledge and Action" and "Each One Gets His Own Heart"

Wang Shouren (1472~1528) was known as Bo'an (伯安), and his name was Yangmingzi (阳明子). He was a representative figure of the Ming Dynasty's School of Mind, a famous thinker and educator. Wang Shouren inherited Lu Jiubuan's academic thought that "the universe is my mind, and my mind is the universe" and "mind is reason", and put forward the idea of "unity of knowledge and action" in the relationship between knowledge and action. In terms of the relationship between knowledge and action, he put forward the idea of "unity of knowledge and action. Knowledge as action, know and must act, act and then know, which contains a lot of valuable cognitive and moral cultivation of thought components. He also explicitly declared that his lifelong lectures were devoted to the three words "to conscience". He took "conscientiousness" as the "self-knowledge of conscience" that everyone possesses, which is the theoretical basis of "teaching without discrimination". From the central idea of "conscience", he advocated that teaching should guide scholars to "get their own heart".

Wang Yangming used the doctrines of "the heart is the reason", "conscience", and "unity of knowledge and action" as spiritual weapons against Zhu Xue, and criticized Ru Xue as "seeking reason from outside the heart". "Outside the heart to seek reason", at the same time fiercely attacked Zhu Xi and scholars at the time of the "chapter and verse", "separate from the bad atmosphere", clearly break the superstition of the time, unique, another system, is the courage of the times. Another system, is the courage of the times. What he advocated and practiced was a line of internal sainthood and external kingship, which contained a demand for the revival of morality and metaphysics, as well as a revolt against the trend of rationalism since the Song Dynasty.

Huang Zongxi: "Learning and practicing" and "applying oneself to the world"

Huang Zongxi (1610~1695) was known as Taichong, and his name was Lizhou. He was a famous thinker and educator in the early Qing Dynasty. He advocated the "poor classics", "general history" and "the use of the world", and had an important influence on the Zhedong school of thought.　　　　

The Mingyi Waiting to Visit Records is Huang Zongxi's political treatise, in which he put forward the reform requirements with modern democratic colors, and made a fierce attack on the monarchy,

which is dedicated to the School, focusing on his ideas about the school. First of all, he advocated that all types of schools should become organs of political deliberation, determine right and wrong, and supervise the government. Presiding over the school is the "school official", in order to enable the school can really fulfill the discussion of state affairs, supervision of the court's authority, the school official should have a high status and great power. So how to exercise this power? Huang Zongxi advocated the son of heaven and county officials, should be accepted and county school officials of the ideological guidance and government supervision. On the other hand, the school became a place for public opinion and political discussion by opening up the way of speech and limiting the power of the ruler. This demand for schools to discuss politics and to decide what is right and wrong, as well as the idea of teaching democracy, undoubtedly played a deafening role at that time.　　　　

Huang Zongxi inherited Wang Yangming's "Dao, the world's justice; learning, the world's public school. Not Zhu Zi can get and private, not Confucius can get and private. The public of the world, the public said just carry on" thought, put forward the "road" and "learning" are "not a private family". It can be said that the ancient unquestionable statement.

Lu Jiubuan: "self-reflection", "invention of the heart"

Lu Jiubuan's educational thinking is an important part of his "psychology". From the beginning of the teaching of Huitang Xingfa to the construction of Jingsha in Yingtianshan, Lu Jiufuyuan has trained thousands of students. His theory of psychology has long been separated from Zhu Xi's science; his educational ideas were not only unique among the many schools of thought at that time, but also directly initiated the Yangming school of the Ming Dynasty.

He put forward the idea that "all the six scriptures are my footnotes", which broke through the theoretical framework of Song Confucianism of expressing thoughts by annotating scriptures, and provided diversified possibilities for people to express their thoughts. What is implied in this is the affirmation of the subject's independent thinking.

In terms of educational methodology, Lu Jiufen believed that it was necessary to adhere to the educational direction of inward, not outward, and reflective inward search for oneself, not for others, and to take "easy and simple" work as the basic principle of various educational methods. Specific educational methods include: identifying and establishing the will, correcting and relocating good deeds, learning to know the basics, traveling and reading, and supporting teachers and friends. He believed that through these educational, learning and moral cultivation efforts, a person can become an ideal educational personality.

Overall, Lu Jiufen's educational thought system, from the ontological point of view, demonstrates the objectivity, realism and universality of the "Tao" and "Reason" that fill the universe, and follows the logic of its propositions, such as "the heart is the reason" and "the mind is the reason". Following the logic of the propositions such as "the mind is the reason", he put forward a series of educational principles and methods that correspond to his ontological and teleological thoughts, which are full of insights.

Traditional educational thought is profound and profound, and it has a strong vitality because it is good at inspiring the inner self-consciousness of every person, and at inspiring the disposition and wisdom of students and even teachers. In contemporary education, it is worthwhile to further think about how to carry forward the spirit of the subject of endless life, pioneering and innovative, and make us "live more poetically".

The Modern Value of Confucian Moral Education Thought in Ancient China (Reprint)

In the modern society, the loss of human essence, the spiritual decline and the phenomenon of moral slide caused by industrial civilization have aroused widespread concern. Enhancing human spirituality through moral education is of great significance in the new century, especially in the transition period of our society. The author believes that traditional Chinese moral education thought is an important treasure trove of ideas for building a moral education system in the transition period, among which, the ancient Confucian moral education goal of pursuing the beauty of individual personality perfection, the unity of external moral norms and internal psychological desires, the method of self-moral cultivation, and the process of moral education emphasizing the cultivation of moral emotions are still of great significance to this day.

I. Moral Education Goal of Pursuing Perfection of Individual Personality

In the Confucian ethical center of thought system, the pursuit of perfection of individual personality constitutes the starting point and destination of the whole Confucian thought system. The ideal personalities envisioned by Confucius are the "sage" and the "gentleman". The "sage" is the highest ideal personality, and the "gentleman" is the second highest. In Confucius' view, a person who can "give to the people and help the people" ("Analects of Confucius - Yongya") is a saint. However, the standard of "saint" is far beyond the reach of any human being. Even Yao and Shun are not saints in the full sense of the word, for "Yao and Shun are still sick" ("Analects of Confucius - Yongyi"). From this, we can see that there are two conditions for a "gentleman": the first is to "cultivate oneself" and the second is to be at peace with others. The ultimate perfection of a gentleman's personality is to rule others through self-cultivation. Corresponding to "sage" and "gentleman" is "benevolence". While "saint" is an objective performance with effects, "benevolence" is a subjective ideal personality norm. "Ren" is actually a social obligation and requirement for the individual, which takes the social relationship and social interaction between human beings as the essence of human nature and an important criterion of "ren". It is precisely because of the pursuit of individual personality perfection that Confucius emphasized the learning of knowledge on the one hand, and the control and exercise of the will on the other. The pursuit of knowledge and the control and exercise of the will become two complementary aspects of personality cultivation, which ultimately leads to the highest point of the individual personality "ren".

Meng Zi developed Confucius's thought on the design of perfecting personality. In Mencius' view, the ideal personality should be a "saint" or "gentleman", and "the inner sage and the outer king" is the basic stipulation of this ideal personality. Sage personality is the highest moral personality, which is characterized by the "unity of heaven and man".

Since Confucius and Mencius, Confucianism in ancient China has always attached great importance to the design of the ideal personality, emphasizing the pursuit of individual perfection. The pursuit of individual integrity has inspired countless people to be fearless in the face of adversity, regardless of success or failure, regardless of safety and honor, with a strong spirit of self-sacrifice and lofty moral ideals. Of course, Confucianism is not without flaws in the shaping of the individual's perfect personality, but for the current market economy, the pursuit of the individual's perfect personality is indeed an issue that should be emphasized.

The unity of external moral norms and internal psychological desires

It is generally believed that the main category of Confucius' thought is "benevolence". However, Confucius spoke of "benevolence" in order to explain "propriety". "Ritual" is a set of customary rules, ceremonies and etiquette that are externally binding on individual members of society, such as: "Entering is filial piety, leaving is brotherly love", etc. These are rituals that do not have much reasoning to speak of, and are only traditional norms that people are asked to abide by. However, as the ruling order and social norms of etiquette, it is based on "human nature" such as food, color, sound, taste, joy, anger, sadness and happiness. In Confucius' view, this "human nature" as the basis is psychological reliance. In the Analects of Confucius, "Yangguo" reads: "Zai I asked: 'The mourning period of three years has already been a long time. A gentleman does not do rituals for three years, rituals will be bad; three years do not do music, music will collapse. The old grain is gone, the new grain has risen, drilling flint to change the fire, the period can be carried forward.' Zi said: 'food husband rice, clothing husband brocade, in the female peace?' Said: 'An'. ' female security, then for it! The gentleman for the funeral, food will not be sweet, hear music is not happy, living in a disturbed place, so do not do also. Now that the woman is at peace, then do it'! Zai I out. The son said: 'I'm unkind! The son was born for three years, and then he was spared from his parents' embrace. The three years of mourning, the world's common mourning, I also have three years of love to their parents!" Here, Confucius attributes the traditional rite of "three years of mourning" directly to the love of parents and children, and the basis of "rite" is directly appealed to the psychological dependence. In this way, the "rites" from the external normative constraints interpreted into the inner requirements of the human heart, the original rigid mandatory provisions, upgraded to the conscious concept of life, the original mysterious things into the daily use of human beings, so as to make the moral and ethical norms and the internal psychological desires of the human beings dissolved into one. [1] The external ethical and moral norms are no longer rigid and completely mandatory, but humanized, belonging to the unity of reason and emotion, with strong practicality. Because Confucius emphasized the inner psychological basis, it actually made "rites" subordinate to "benevolence", and the outer ethical norms (rites) were subordinate to the inner psychology (benevolence). As Confucius said: "If a man is not benevolent, what is a rite? If a man is not benevolent, how is he like music?" ("Analects of Confucius - eight rows of rows of dancers"), "Rites and rituals, jade and silk clouds? And music, music, music, bells and drums?" ("Analects - Yangguo"), "Ritual and its extravagance would rather be frugal, and mourning and its ease would rather be chi" ("Analects - eight rows of rows of dancers"). It can be seen that the external entities (rites and rituals) are secondary, and what is fundamental and primary is the inner ethical-psychological state of human beings, that is, their human nature.

Meng Zi further developed this idea of Confucius by taking the inner psychological state or psychological principle of morality as the foundation of his theoretical structure, and basing his "benevolent government and the way of the king" entirely on the emotional principle of the psyche. The possibility of "benevolent government and the way of the king" does not lie in any external conditions, but only in the "heart of intolerance". "All men have an intolerant heart. The late king had a heart of intolerance, and there was a government of intolerance. With the heart of the intolerant, the government of the intolerant is practiced, and the rule of the world can be carried out in the palm of one's hand" (Mencius - Gongsun Chou). Here, "not tolerating people's hearts" becomes a sufficient condition for "benevolent government and the way of the king". In this way, the emotional psychology of the "intolerant heart" is greatly emphasized. What is the meaning of "intolerant of others"? Mencius believes that: "so that all people have intolerant heart, today, people see the child will enter the well, all have fear and compassion, not so inwardly in the child's parents, not so to reputation in the townspeople's friends also, not hate the sound of it and also. From this point of view, no compassion, non-human; no shame, non-human; no resignation, non-human; no right and wrong, non-human. The heart of compassion is the end of benevolence; the heart of shame is the end of righteousness; the heart of resignation is the end of propriety; the heart of right and wrong is the end of wisdom. The four ends of a man are like the four bodies of a man" (Mencius - Gongsun Chou). In other words, man's moral behavior is unconditionally subordinated to his inner "heart of compassion," i.e., his "heart of intolerance." In this way, Mencius developed Confucius' inner psychological principle into a deeper "four ends" theory of morality. Throughout Mencius' thought system, the emphasis on the inner psyche is the main focus. Xunzi, on the other hand, in contrast to Mencius, emphasized the role of the "rites" as external norms.

The idea of the unity of external moral norms and internal psychological desires embedded in the Confucian system of thought is of great significance to the reality of moral education. Moral education is essentially a process of constructing individual personality and character, and a process of dialog between the inner needs of individuals and the moral principles of society. [2] The field of morality is the field in which man is consciously active and gives full play to his subjectivity. Morality itself is a positive means for man to explore the understanding, affirmation and development of himself, a way for man to master the world. Since real and positive needs are the source of human motivation, moral needs are the basis and prerequisite for moral education. Psychological research shows that moral needs are the psychological source of moral behavior. Human moral behavior is always directed to the satisfaction of certain moral needs, so as to obtain positive moral emotional experience. In the past, the fundamental defect of moral education was that it emphasized too much on the social function of moral education and neglected the individual function of moral education and the intrinsic moral needs of human beings as moral subjects. Therefore, to improve moral education, it is necessary to harmonize the external social moral norms with the internal psychological desires of individuals.

Three: Methods of Self-Moral Cultivation

As moral psychological reliance occupies an important place in the Confucian system of thought, the unity of moral norms with the inner psychological desires of human beings makes Confucianism emphasize moral self-discipline, thus greatly highlighting the value of the individual's personality as well as his or her moral responsibility and historical mission. In order to achieve moral self-discipline, the individual's self-moral cultivation is crucial. Therefore, Confucian moral education thought attaches great importance to self-moral cultivation. The methods of self-moral cultivation are summarized as follows.

First, to set a will. "Zhi" is "the heart of the (stop)", Zhi that is to establish the purpose and ideal, so that individuals have a clear direction of effort, in order to give full play to the individual's subjective initiative. Confucius attaches great importance to the role of ambition, as he said: "The three armies can take away the commander-in-chief, but the men can't take away the ambition" ("Analects of Confucius - Zihan"). In the view of Confucius, a person should make himself clear of good and evil, to "good benevolence", "evil benevolence", should "aspire to the road", the so-called "gentleman seeks road not to seek food ...... worry about the road not to worry about poverty" ("Analects of Confucius - Wei Ling Gong"), to achieve the "line has shame" ("Analects of Confucius - Zi Lu"), if "Shi Zhi in the road, but ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, not enough to talk about it" ("Analects of Confucius - Zi Lu"). If "those who aspire to the Way, but are ashamed of their bad clothes and bad food, are not enough to be discussed with" (Lunyu - Liren). In short, "if one is determined to do the right thing, there is no evil" (Lunyu - Liren). Like Confucius, Mencius emphasized the importance of establishing one's will. He believed that the first thing one should do is to "honor one's will", that is, to "live in benevolence by means of righteousness" ("Mengzi - Duixin Shang"). In the view of Mencius, a person can take "benevolence and righteousness" as the will, can distinguish between good and evil, and recognize what should be and what should not be, "a person has not to do, and then can be for" ("Mencius - Li Lou next"). A person who is determined to be good, should not be able to do good as shameful, the stronger the shame, positive courage for the good more, "people can not be shameless, no shame of shame, no shame carry on" ("Mengzi - Heart"). Mencius in emphasizing the establishment of will at the same time, but also further elaborated his "gas" said: "the will, the gas of the handsome also; gas, the body of the full also. ...... hold its will, no violence to its gas. ...... I am good at cultivating my vast natural qi ......" ("Mengzi Gongsun Chou").

Second, introspection. Introspection is an important method of self-moral cultivation proposed by Confucius. He said, "I have three times a day, I have to be loyal to others, but not to friends? With friends and not believe it? Is it not customary to pass the word?" ("Analects - Xue而"). Introspection is actually a kind of subjective and positive thought activity in morality, which can have an important psychological effect on human beings, "If one does not feel guilty in introspection, why should he worry or fear?" (Lun Yu - Yan Yuan) Confucius believes that people should always "see the virtuous and think of the virtuous, see the unwise and introspect" (Lun Yu - Li Ren), "choose what is good and follow it, and change what is not good" (Lun Yu - Shui而). In dealing with relationships between people, one should "be generous with oneself and blame others thinly" ("Analects - Wei Ling Gong"). If one can be generous in blaming others and strict in blaming one's own self, one will be able to avoid grudges with others, and in the case of conflicts between people, one should "look to one's own self" and find the root cause in oneself. In case of conflict between people, one should "look to oneself" and find the root cause in oneself. Mencius further developed Confucius' idea of "loyalty and forgiveness", and believed that if a person encounters others treating him/her in an unreasonable manner, he/she should "reflect on himself/herself", and "seek the truth from himself/herself". He believed that if a person encounters an unreasonable attitude from others, he should "reflect on himself" and "turn the other cheek. He said: "If you love people but do not kiss them, you should reflect on your own integrity; if you treat people but do not rule them, you should reflect on your own wisdom; if you do not answer them, you should reflect on your own respect. If you are not allowed to do something, you should seek the opposite of yourself" ("Mencius - Li Lou Shang"). The purpose of introspection is fundamentally to harmonize the relationship between people. The Book of Rites puts forward the cultivation method of "prudence and solitude" on this basis. The Meiyong states: "A gentleman should be prudent in what he does not see and fear what he does not hear. There is nothing that can be seen that is hidden, and nothing that can be seen that is subtle; therefore, a gentleman should be prudent in his solitude. The method of "prudence and solitude" emphasizes the ability of a person to be alone and not to do anything immoral when no one is watching. This "prudent solitude" approach undoubtedly pushes the self-examination advocated since Confucius to a higher level.

Third, practicing. In Confucius' idea of moral education, determination and practice are inextricably linked. He placed great emphasis on action, saying: "If you have the strength to do so, then you can learn to write" ("Analects - Learning to Learn"), "can you use your strength in benevolence for one day? I have not seen anyone who does not have enough strength" ("Analects - Li Ren"). He asked people to be prudent in words and sensitive in deeds, and to say less and do more, "A gentleman is prudent in words but sensitive in deeds" (Lunyu - Liren); "Those who have virtue must have words, and those who have words do not have to have virtue" (Lunyu - Xianqian). In the force of action, Confucius especially emphasized the importance of consistency between words and deeds, thinking: "A gentleman is ashamed of his words but not his deeds" ("Analects - Xianqian"), "Coquettish words are rarely benevolent" ("Analects - Xue而")，and demanded to do so." Words must be trustworthy, actions must be fruitful" (Lunyu - Zilu).

Fourthly, to change one's faults and to change one's good deeds. Changing one's faults and relocating one's good deeds is an important aspect of Confucian self-moral cultivation. Confucius demanded that people be able to face up to their faults and have the courage to change their faults for the better. He said, "Do not be afraid to change what you have done" (Lun Yu - Xue Er) and "It is too much to change what you have done" (Lun Yu - Wei Ling Gong). What he emphasizes is not that people do not commit faults, but whether they can correct their faults and not repeat them, i.e., "not repeating one's faults". He also asked people to be able to correctly deal with the criticisms of others, "Can you not follow the words of the French language? The correctness of criticism is precious, and the correctness of other people's opinions should be listened to and corrected. Mencius, on the other hand, inherited Confucius' idea of correcting mistakes and relocating good deeds, and advocated the idea of "being happy when one hears a mistake" and "relocating when one sees a good deed". He appreciated the practices of Zi Lu and Xia Yu, saying: "Zi Lu, when told of his faults, was pleased. Yu, when he hears a good word, pays homage to it" (Mengzi - Gongsun Chou). He believed that if a person could not stick to his own views, and could give himself up to others, he would be able to take pleasure in the goodness of others, and would be able to move towards goodness day by day. It is only through changing one's faults and relocating one's goodness that one can become a person of high morality.

Moral education, as a process of self-construction of individual character, is inseparable from individual self-moral cultivation. The methods of self-moral cultivation emphasized by ancient Confucians provide us with many insights.