Chapter 12 Section 5 Education of Etiquette

The rites of Shidian, Shuxiu, and Shixue are the three most important etiquette systems in ancient Chinese school education.But in fact, the etiquette education in ancient Chinese schools is not limited to the ceremony itself. Since the school is a place to teach etiquette, all activities in the school follow the rules of etiquette, so that students are always influenced by civilized etiquette, thus becoming for conscious action.However, etiquette education is not limited to schools, society and family also play an educational role.The ancients started the enlightenment education of etiquette before their children went to school.According to the "Book of Rites Internal Rules", when a child grows up to be able to eat by himself, he must be taught to use his right hand; when he is learning to speak, he must be taught to master the rhythm of speaking; Simple numbers and direction recognition; when he was eight years old, he began to teach him the etiquette of advancing and retreating, and learned to let the elders go first and eat first when entering and exiting the door; when he was nine years old, teach him to grasp the number of days in each month He Shuo (first day of junior high school), Wang (fifteenth day of junior high school), and methods of counting years, months, and days; when he was 10 years old, let him go out of the house and study with a "teacher" to learn the skills of writing and calculation.He does not use silk to make clothes and pants, but also wears the clothes he had when he was a child. The purpose is to cultivate him to advocate frugality and put an end to extravagance; when he was 13 years old, he was taught to learn music, poetry and archery;It can be seen that the ancients were educated in etiquette in their families since childhood, and learned etiquette and understood it. This is also an important reason for the civilization of ancient Chinese society.Kong Rong, the 20th grandson of Confucius, has seven brothers in his family, and Kong Rong is the sixth.When he was four years old, whenever he ate pears and dates with his brothers, he always had to choose the smallest one to eat by himself.The adults asked him why he did this, and he replied: "I am young, so I should eat small fruits." Kong Rong, who knew etiquette since childhood, later became a famous scholar in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the "Seven Sons of Jian'an".

After students enter the school, respecting teachers is the most basic etiquette.When students meet their teacher for the first time, they should kneel down and salute, and when they meet each other in normal times, they should bow in salute.When walking, students must let the teacher go first and follow behind.In terms of appellation, students call those who teach and pass on skills "teachers".In ancient times, a teacher was not only an official title, but also a person with specialized knowledge and skills, such as a musician, a divination teacher (diviner), etc., and the person who imparted knowledge was called a "teacher" or "teacher" (old, referring to an older or older person). Long working time and rich experience).Confucius once said: "Reviewing the past and learning the new, you can be a teacher." ("The Analects of Confucius·Weizheng") In ancient times, teachers were also called "master", "master", "mentor" and so on.Since "teacher" refers more to people who teach in schools, many words related to "teacher" have been formed. "Teacher's Way", teachers and students are collectively called "Master and Apprentice", "Teacher and Student", and students who study with the same teacher are called "Senior Brother", "Junior Brother", and so on. "Sir" is also a kind of respectful title for students to teachers. Mr. means not only elders, but also knowledgeable and cultivated. Therefore, it is often used to address people of high morals or scholars.The ancients also called people of high moral and high prestige "gong", so it is also often used to address teachers.When performing rituals, visiting the teacher at the entrance symbolizes entering the school and starting to study, so students often humble themselves as "menxia", "menzi", "menren", "disciple", "disciple", "disciple grandson" and so on.Sometimes they call themselves "young students", "late students", "small students", "late students", "disciples" and so on.It can be seen that everything in the school is regulated by etiquette.

The ancients regarded respecting teachers as a virtue, not only in schools, but also in society.Yang Shi and You Yi (zuozuo) were famous philosophers in the Northern Song Dynasty. They both studied under the famous Confucianist Cheng Yi, and later passed the Jinshi examination. They are collectively called by later generations for their outstanding knowledge They are the "Four Great Disciples of Chengmen" (also Lu Dalin and Xie Liangzuo).Despite their success and fame, they still do not forget to respect their teachers.When Yang Shi was 40 years old, one day, he and You Ye visited Cheng Yi in Luoyang.When they came to Cheng Yi's apartment, it happened that Mr. Cheng was sleeping.In order to let the husband rest quietly, the two decided not to disturb him.So the two stood quietly outside the door, waiting for the husband to wake up.At this time, it was snowing heavily, and when Cheng Yi woke up, the snow outside the door had already accumulated more than a foot thick.This allusion of "Chengmen Lixue" reflects the etiquette of respecting teachers and virtuous people.