The Spread of Confucianism in East Asia

The spread of Confucianism in East Asia

Confucianism is an ethical and moral doctrine created by Confucius in the Spring and Autumn Period, which was inherited and developed by Mencius in the Warring States Period to form a systematic Confucian system of thought. Confucianism is a systematic system of Confucian thought that was inherited and developed by Mencius during the Warring States period. Confucianism is based on the teachings of Yao and Shun, the Charter of Wen and Wu, and advocates the principles of propriety, benevolence and righteousness, loyalty, forgiveness, and impartiality. It advocated "loyalty and forgiveness" and the "middle way" of impartiality. Politically, Confucianism advocates "rule by virtue" and "benevolent government" and emphasizes traditional ethical and moral education. Because Confucianism emphasized traditional relationships and was conducive to the maintenance of feudal order by the feudal ruling class, it was highly respected by the ruling class through the ages. Since Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty dismissed the hundred schools of thought, Confucianism has become the dominant system of thought in China. However, to meet the needs of different historical periods, some Confucian scholars often deduced various Confucian doctrines from the teachings of Confucius, thus forming various schools of Confucianism. For example, in the Han Dynasty, there are Dong Zhongshu and Liu Xin as the representative of the modern and ancient scriptures and prophecy; in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there are Wang Bi and He Yan to explain the Confucian scriptures by the thought of Lao and Zhuang of the Xuanxue; in the Tang Dynasty, there are Han Yu for the exclusion of Buddhism and defense of Confucianism orthodoxy of the "Taoist system"; to the Song and Ming Dynasties, there are the Cheng and Zhu and Lu and Wang School of rationality, which take the thought of Buddhism and Taoism, and become the dominant Confucianism, and the dominant Confucianism is the most important one.

Confucianism was the most important school of thought in the world, and it became the dominant school of thought of Confucianism; in the Qing Dynasty, there was a dispute between Han and Song schools, as well as a dispute between the Confucianism of the present and the Confucianism of the past, and it was not until around the time of the May Fourth Movement that Confucianism lost its traditional dominant position.

Confucianism occupies an important position in Chinese cultural history. The Confucian classics were not only a tool for ideological domination, but also the mainstay of China's feudal culture, preserving a rich national cultural heritage. Confucianism occupies an important position not only in China but also in the East Asian world. Confucianism, like the Chinese characters, the Torah, and Buddhism, spread to surrounding countries at an early age and had a significant impact on thought and culture there.

In Korea, as early as the beginning of the 1st century A.D., there were some people who could recite Confucian texts such as the Book of Songs and the Spring and Autumn Annals, which shows that Confucianism had long been introduced into Korea. During the Three Kingdoms period, the ruling class attached great importance to Confucianism and regarded it as an ideological weapon to maintain order and strengthen the king's power, taking various measures to introduce and promote it. Goguryeo established the Imperial College in 372 to teach Confucianism. Baekje established a Confucian education system in the 4th century. Confucianism spread in Silla around the 6th century. After the unification of Silla, Confucian education was further developed by establishing a national school at the central government, which had a doctor and an assistant teacher, and recruited the children of the nobles to teach Confucian classics. In order to promote the study of Confucianism, the king himself even "visited the national school to listen to lectures". At the same time, he also sent foreign students to China, some of whom were successful in the examination, and some famous Confucian scholars appeared, such as Qiang Shou, Xue Cong, Jin Daxiang, Jin Yunqing, Jin Keji, and Cui Zhiyuan, etc.

The king's first visit to China was in the early 19th century.

After the establishment of the Goryeo Dynasty, the highest national school was set up in the capital city of Kaesong, and rural schools were set up in twelve local states to widely implement Confucian education. 958, Goryeo began to hold the imperial examinations, and Confucian classics were listed as the main subjects of the examination, which pushed the rapid development of Confucianism, and the emergence of private schools (private schools). 12 century, the beginning of the 12th century, the mission to Goryeo, Xu Jing, praised the Confucianism of the Joseon dynasty, saying that: "the Linchuan Ge The collection of books amounted to tens of thousands of volumes, and "the selection of Confucian officials was very well prepared" in the Imperial College. On the streets and alleys, scripture halls and book clubs stood in close proximity to each other. Young people gathered together to study the scriptures with their teachers. Those who were a little older would find like-minded friends and borrow temples and other places to study and learn from each other. The children of all classes of society learned from Mr. Xiangxiang. ①

Li Dynasty period, in order to strengthen the feudal dictatorship, attaches great importance to Confucian education, especially respected Cheng Zhu science, it is regarded as the maintenance of feudal rule as a tool of public opinion, and vigorously promote. Confucian education in the Li Dynasty, there are two forms of official and private schools. In the official school system, the central government set up the Sungkyunkwan, which was the highest school in the country. In addition, there were four other schools in the capital city of Seoul: the Middle School, the East School, the West School, and the South School. The Sungkyunkwan and the four schools were the educational institutions under the direct jurisdiction of the central government. In the localities, there were village schools in each province and eup. These schools were funded by the state with a certain amount of land and laborers. Private schools were private schools or study halls founded by Confucian scholars in various regions. Private schools grew and became an important part of education in the Li Dynasty and played an important role in political life. The Li Dynasty selected talents and appointed officials through the imperial examinations. The imperial examinations were divided into two sections: civil and military. The examination for the civil affairs section was subject to three lists, and the main subjects of the examination were Confucian classics, as well as current policies and various forms of Chinese poetry. The martial arts examination was also conducted three times, and in addition to military science, some Confucian classics were also examined in the examination. In short, Cheng Zhu rationalism, as the ruling ideology, played a role in maintaining and consolidating the feudal system during the 500 years of the Li Dynasty.

Confucianism was introduced to Japan about five centuries ago. According to the Record of Ancient Matters, Naoki and Wang Ren of Baekje were the first Confucian scholars to come to Japan and brought with them Confucian texts such as the Analects of Confucius and the Thousand Character Classic, and both of them taught Confucianism as teachers to the Imperial Crown Prince, Cudo Wakarako. During the reign of Emperor Jitsu (507-531), the king of Baekje was asked to send doctors of the Five Classics to Japan on a regular basis to teach Confucianism,1 and Confucianism grew rapidly. The "Twelve Steps to the Crown" and the "Seventeen Articles of the Constitution" formulated by Prince Shengdei mainly embodied Confucianism, and even most of the vocabulary and materials used were taken from Confucian texts. The "Twelve Steps to the Crown" is based on the basic ranks of virtue, benevolence, propriety, faith, righteousness and wisdom, which are further divided into two grades, such as Greater Virtue and Lesser Virtue, **** into twelve grades. The purpose of the "Seventeen Articles of the Constitution" is to emphasize the "supremacy of the monarch". Such as "two kings of the country, two masters of the people, the rate of the people, the king as the main", "qunchen hundred bureaucrats, to ritual as the basis", "must be rigorous to accept the edict", etc., all reflecting the political thinking of Confucianism. Prince Shengdei also sent envoys and foreign students to China many times to actively take in Chinese culture, so Confucianism developed rapidly and gradually became a mandatory training for the nobles and bureaucrats.

The Dahua Reform, which was epoch-making in Japanese history, also took place under the profound influence of Confucianism. The leaders of the Dahua Reform, Chudaiko and Kamatari, were both taught by Chinese students such as Nambuchi and Sangmin, and with their assistance they formulated a blueprint for the Reform, and in 701 the basic code of law, the Daho Ruling, was enacted, with a special chapter on education ("Gakuho Ruling"), which provided for the establishment of a centralized Imperial College and a local National College, each with a doctor and an assistant instructor, who recruited the sons of the nobility and taught them Confucianism and Buddhism. In 757, Emperor Hyo-kian issued an edict requiring every household in Japan to have a copy of the Book of Filial Piety and rewarding "filial sons" and "chaste women". 701, Japan began to worship Confucius. 768, Emperor Shundei issued an edict requiring every household in Japan to have a copy of the Book of Filial Piety. In 768, Emperor Shotoku addressed Confucius as "King Bunshun". When Fujiwara Kikkei was regent (877-890), "he was a great admirer of Confucianism, and on the day of the Sacrifice of the Sacred Sacrifice, he led the ministers of state to pay homage to the late saint, and Dr. Mingjing lectured on the Book of Changes". Thanks to the active support and encouragement of the ruling class, Confucianism had spread to all classes in Japan beyond the upper class of the aristocracy and bureaucracy.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the science of Cheng-Zhu was introduced to Japan and was emphasized by the ruling class. However, due to the influence of Buddhism, Confucianism failed to gain the upper hand. It was only in the Tokugawa period, adapted to the needs of feudal autocracy, that Confucianism (Zhu Zi) was freed from the suppression of Buddhism and reached an era of unprecedented prosperity. In order to strengthen the feudal dictatorship, the Tokugawa Shogunate divided the people of the country into four classes, namely, the scholar, the farmer, the laborer, and the merchant, and implemented a strict hierarchical status system. Therefore, there was a need for an imperial ideology that would uphold the hierarchical system of status, and the "theory of name and division" of Confucianism was just the right fit for such a need. As a result, Confucianism (Zhu Zi) was prescribed as the official philosophy and became the orthodox system of thought of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

In 1590, Fujiwara Shing-wo wrote "Kana-no-sen-ri", the earliest work in Japanese to publicize the "rationality" of Confucianism in the Sung Dynasty. Later, he was summoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, for whom he gave lectures on Confucian scriptures such as the Great Learning, and in 1599, he wrote the "Japanese Training on the Four Books and Five Classics", making him the first Confucian scholar in Japan to read the Four Books and Five Classics in Japanese, based on Zhu's commentary, and he is regarded as the "ancestor of Zhu Zi" in Japan. Fujiwara Syngwol had more than 150 disciples, among whom Lin Luoshan, Matsunaga Shakugo, etc. were famous Japanese Confucian scholars. Lin Luoshan served as a Confucian official, served as a general's sermon and advisor, and participated in the shogunate. He put forward a whole set of ideological theories to maintain the feudal order. He wrote in "The Classics": "Heaven is above, earth is below, and the position of the upper and lower is established, so that the upper is more noble and the lower is less noble. The natural reason so orderly, depending on this up and down can be known, the human heart is also the same. Upper and lower not against, noble and lowly not chaotic, then the human ethics is right, the human ethics is right, the country rule, the country rule is the king's way, this is the gift of the Sheng also." Lin Luoshan to the "celestial correlation", "celestial unity" sermon, the natural world and human society into one, from the laws of nature derived from the existing order of human society, so that the social "up and down the difference between noble and lowly The "superiority and inferiority" of society was thus described as reasonable and eternal. Hayashi Rosan played a great role in defending the feudal rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate with the theory of Confucianism.

Confucianism also had a great influence in Vietnamese culture. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Vietnamese man Xie traveled to Luoyang to study the Zuozhuan and Shangshu canons, and later served as governor of Jiaotong for more than 40 years. According to the Four Character Classic of Vietnam, "During the Three Kingdoms period of Wu, Shi Wang was a pastor, teaching poetry and books and inculcating beautiful customs." In the 10th century, after the independence of Vietnam, most of the rules and regulations of each dynasty were modeled on those of China, and the government also adopted the imperial examination system to select talents, with poetry, fugue, and scripture as the examination contents. at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, the Vietnamese created the Vietnamese national script, called "Zi Zi" (字), with Chinese characters as the material and using the methods of character creation such as form and sound, hui yi, and fugu (假借). The Vietnamese used Chinese characters as the source material and created the Vietnamese national script, which is called "Ziman". Since then, a large number of Chinese Confucian texts were introduced to Vietnam. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, many Confucian classics and Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures were published in Vietnam. At the beginning of the 15th century, Emperor Thanh Thanh of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict to send Vietnamese talents to China, including Confucian scholars who were knowledgeable in Confucianism. This shows the deep influence of Confucianism in Vietnam.