Chapter 25 Virtue is good governance, and government is to support the people

Yu said: "Yu! The emperor reads it! Virtue is only good government, and government is to nourish the people. Water, fire, metal, wood, earth, and grain are all about cultivation, righteousness, utilization, enrichment, and harmony. The nine merits are only narrated, and the nine narrated Only singing. The use of caution is rest, and the use of power by Dong is to persuade him to sing nine songs so that they will not be broken." ——"Shangshu Dayu Mo" (excerpt) On November 13, 2006, when the Eighth National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Seventh National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association were held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Premier Wen Jiabao came to the venue.When talking with the representatives, Premier Wen quoted from "Shangshu Dayumo" that "virtue is good governance, and government is to support the people" and told all the representatives present: When we talk about "goodness", we are pursuing for the bright future of China. In the process of truth, be kind to people, respect people, understand people, care about people, and love people.Subsequently, Premier Wen pointed out: Literary artists should actively reflect and vigorously promote those good things and behaviors, because this is conducive to building a harmonious society.

The "good government" mentioned in the sentence "virtue is good government, and government depends on nourishing the people" has the same meaning as the "virtuous government" and "benevolent government" advocated by Confucianism.Fan Zhongyan, a famous official in the Song Dynasty, derived from this. He said in "Chen Ten Things": "The virtue of a sage lies in good governance, and the key to good governance is to support the people. In the administration of nourishing the people, the people should do agriculture first. Agricultural administration has been cultivated. If you have enough food and clothing, you will love your body and skin. If you love your body and skin, you will fear punishment. If you fear punishment, robbers will stop themselves, and disasters and chaos will not prosper. It is the virtue of a sage to prevent chaos and chaos from good governance, and the transformation of the world from farmers." In short, "good governance" is politics that benefits or benefits the people.

In fact, the benevolent government advocated by Confucianism all the time originated from Dayu's thought of good governance. "Ancestors describe Yao and Shun, charter civil and military affairs", in the writings of Confucianism, Yao, Shun, Yu, Shang Tang, Zhou Wenwang, Zhou Wuwang, etc. are respected as the ancestors and sages.Mencius once said: "In the past, Yu suppressed the flood and made the world peaceful. The Duke of Zhou and the barbarians drove away ferocious beasts, but the people were peaceful. Confucius wrote "Spring and Autumn" and the chaotic officials and thieves were afraid." The deceitful conduct and lewd speeches are those who inherit the three sages." ("Mencius Teng Wengong 2") Obviously, Mencius respected "Da Yu, Zhou Gong, and Confucius" as the three sages.Zhu Xi, a great Confucian in the Song Dynasty, also clearly stated: "Husbands Yao, Shun, and Yu are the great sages of the world." ("The Preface to Chapters and Sentences of the Mean") It can be seen that Dayu is a sage respected by Confucianism in the past dynasties.Dayu governed political affairs by relying on the rule of virtue and law, not power.During the Dayu period, how to unite the many tribes so that they could "obey themselves" was not an easy task.The method Dayu adopted was to "dedicate oneself to work and cultivate morality, set an example by oneself, and make him feel deeply." In this way, the common people in the world will obey and the unity of government orders can be achieved.Regarding Dayu's evaluation, "Historical Records" said that "his virtue is not violated". "Huainanzi" records: "Yu knows that the rebellion of the world is also the one who destroys the city and flats the pool, disperses the property, burns the soldiers and armors, and gives them virtue. Ten thousand nations." "Historical Records Tai Shigong's Preface" also mentioned: "The merits of Wei Yu, Kyushu Youtong, Guang Tang Yuji, virtue flow Miao descendants." As recorded in the above-mentioned classics, Dayu came from virtue. Influence the people and make them submit.

Dayu ruled the country not only with rewards and punishments, but also with the rule of virtue and the rule of law. According to the legends of the past dynasties, later generations compiled and sorted out the book "Yu Xing". "Hanshu Criminal Law Records" said: "Xia has chaos in politics, and Yu punishes it." "Wuyue Spring and Autumn" records that Dayu "built a well to show the people, thinking of the law".Well, refers to the law, and the purpose of promulgating the law to the public is to let the people abide by it.In addition, Dayu also put forward the idea that "the sentence is better than no punishment".Dayu believed that in order to maintain the rule of the country, punishment can only be used as an auxiliary means, and only virtuous governance can reduce crime and win the support of the people.It can be seen that in Dayu's concept of governing the country, the rule of law and the rule of virtue are combined with each other, and the purpose of using punishment is to avoid using punishment in the future.Therefore, "Xunzi" commented: "Yu's law still exists, but Xia does not rule the world. If the Tao exists, the country will survive, and if the Tao dies, the country will perish."

Premier Wen Jiabao quoted this sentence from "Shangshu·Da Yumo", emphasizing that "virtue is only good governance, and government is to support the people", which reflects his people-oriented development concept, and the purpose is to emphasize that scientific development The achievements are reflected in the improvement of people's living standards, in meeting the people's material and cultural needs, and in the all-round development of people.