Home Categories Chinese history Yi Zhongtian History of China 03. Founder

Chapter 9 3. People-oriented

People-oriented is the ideological background of Zhou system and Zhou culture. After the Zhou people gained the right to represent Chinese civilization, they abolished the cruel and inhuman sacrifices and human sacrifices.Of course, human sacrifice was basically abolished, but human sacrifice still existed in the Qing Dynasty.This is like the abolition of the death penalty, which requires a long process of understanding.But after the Zhou Dynasty, whether human sacrifice or human sacrifice, it no longer has the legitimacy of the Yin and Shang era, and will only be resisted and criticized by mainstream society and honest gentlemen.

There are two things to prove. In 641 B.C., Duke Xiang of the Song Dynasty formed an alliance with Cao and Zhu, and wanted to kill the monarch of the state of Mao to sacrifice to the gods of the society. A military judge named Ziyu strongly opposed it.Ziyu said: It is not allowed to use large animals for small sacrifices, how dare you use humans?Sacrifice is like treating guests to dinner, who would dare to eat human flesh?Will such perverse actions have a good end? Unfortunately, Ziyu's objection was unsuccessful, and the unlucky monarch was killed anyway.But Chen Zikang (read Rugang) of Qi State opposed human sacrifice, and he won a big victory.After Chen Zikang's elder brother Chen Ziche died, his sister-in-law and the housekeeper proposed to use a living person to be buried. The reason was that the old man died abroad and could not get enough care when he was sick.Chen Zikang said, this is not in accordance with the etiquette.Besides, the ones who should take care of my brother the most, aren't you two?As a result, it is not difficult to imagine that neither Chen Ziche's wife nor the housekeeper insisted on human sacrifice.

Chen Zikang was a fan of Confucius, and Confucius not only opposed human sacrifice, but even the use of figurines.Terracotta figures (read Ruyong) are soil puppets and puppets used for burial.Confucius hated such things.He even said that "the one who made figurines will have no descendants", which means that the first person who invented figurines will probably have no children and grandchildren! strangeness!Clay puppets and puppets were invented to replace living people.Compared with the burial of living people, it should be said to be progress. Why did Confucius curse? Because Confucius fundamentally opposed human sacrifice.

In Confucius' view, human sacrifice is not benevolent, and human sacrifice is inappropriate.Therefore, it is not acceptable to use living people or dead people; it is not acceptable to use real people or dummy people.Figurines are human substitutes.Burial with figurines is tantamount to acknowledging the rationality and legality of human sacrifice, but it is a "copycat version" of living human sacrifice.If this hole is opened, there is still the possibility of restoration if the living are buried. How can we not resolutely resist? Obviously, this is a primitive and simple humanitarianism.It was it that later developed into the concept of "benevolence".Because the original meaning of "benevolence" is "to treat people as people", that is, "to treat people as people."

But, what does this have to do with the "monarchy granted by heaven"? Heaven and man are one. As a clear concept and a systematic theory, the concept of "harmony between man and nature" originated in the Western Han Dynasty, but the germination has already been there.The "heaven" in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions was originally "human".The glyph is a capitalized "person" standing frontally, with a circle, or dot, or horizontal line on the head.Therefore, Tian originally refers to the head of a person, that is, "Tian Ling Gai", and later it was extended to "Cang Tian", and then it was extended to "God".

◎The "Heaven" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions (A 3690 Yi and Datong Tianyi Shang). ◎The "Heaven" (B6857) of Oracle Bone Inscriptions. ◎The "Heaven" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions (save the place names of 940). ◎ "Heaven" (Yu Ding) in bronze inscriptions. God is man. More importantly, the mandate of heaven (mandate of heaven) depends on people's hearts, which is called "heaven sees itself and the people see it, and heaven listens to the people themselves".King Wu said at the swearing-in meeting to defeat Zhou: Heaven is the "parent of all things", and man is the "spirit of all things", so the will of heaven is the will of the people.Whoever the common people support, Heaven will authorize him; whoever the common people hate, Heaven will kill him.King Zhou of Yin cut himself off from the heavens and turned grudges on the people. He is doomed!

Did King Wu really say this? suspicious. This set of rhetoric is probably made up by later generations.But the fabricator is also from Zhou, so it can still be regarded as Zhou's thought.Moreover, similar statements appear frequently in the writings of Zhou people, so it cannot be said that there is no basis at all.What's more, even if it was edited, it was well edited!Because according to the logic of "the sky sees itself and the people see it, and the sky listens to the people itself", the "monarch power granted by heaven" has been secretly replaced with "monarch power granted by the people".

This is "The Great Lie". But there were also problems.Yes, even if the political power comes from the dual authorization of heaven and the people, whether it is the sky or the people, why should it be delegated to Zhou? According to the Zhou people, their kings were virtuous.
Notes:
Press "Left Key ←" to return to the previous chapter; Press "Right Key →" to enter the next chapter; Press "Space Bar" to scroll down.
Chapters
Chapters
Setting
Setting
Add
Return
Book