Chapter 4 Section 3 Yi Yin Tutor

Yi Yin, named Zhi, also known as Yi, was born in the late Xia and early Shang Dynasty. Because he assisted Shang Tang to destroy the Xia Dynasty, he was officially named Yin, so he was called Yi Yin in history. "Mozi Shangxian" said: "Yi Yin is the female servant of the Youxin (shen Shen) family." The female servant is the tutor of the noble children of the slave owners.In the history of education, Yi Yin was the first teacher recorded in oracle bone inscriptions in ancient my country.He created the ethos of the noble family education of the supreme ruler in ancient my country, and has always been praised by people.

According to legend, Yiyin's parents were both slaves of Youshen.Yi Yin was intelligent and eager to learn since he was a child. Although he worked in the fields, he enjoyed learning the ways of Yao and Shun. He not only learned cooking skills from his father, but also served as a cook for slave masters and aristocratic children.Later, in order to overthrow the brutal rule of Xia Jie (Jie Jie), King Tang of Shang sought talents and was thirsty. He treated Yi Yin with courtesy, worshiped him as a teacher, and asked him to help govern the country and army. Finally, Xia Jie’s rule was overthrown and Shang Dynasty was established. towards. "Mencius Wanzhang" said: "Tang was taught by Yi Yin, and he learned it and then he was a minister, so he became king without labor." That is to say, Yi Yin became the teacher of Shang Tang, so that Shang Tang successfully established the Shang Dynasty .

Since King Tang directly benefited from Yi Yin's education, he asked Yi Yin to serve as the tutor of Prince Tang's brother at the same time as the minister of state, that is, the tutor of the Wang family.After Yi Yin was reused, he tried his best to assist Tang Wang, and taught Tang Wang to lead by example, set an example for his descendants, and teach the world.After the death of King Tang, Yi Yin became the teacher of Taijia, the eldest grandson of King Tang, after two generations of Wai Bing and Zhong Ren.Legend has it that Taijia inherited the throne, did not abide by Shang Tang's major policies, and acted recklessly, making the country's politics a mess.In order to educate Taijia, Yiyin placed him in Tonggong Palace, the tomb of King Tang, and wrote precepts such as "Yixun", "Desperation", and "Empress", to tell how to govern and what can be done, What not to do, how to inherit the laws of the ancestors, and how to cultivate the virtues of the emperor to become a king who can make a difference.In the specific educational environment created by Yi Yin, Taijia stayed in Tong Palace for three years, reminiscing about King Tang's achievements, complaining about himself, deeply introspecting, learning Yi Yin's precepts, gradually realizing his own mistakes, repenting and making good.In this case, Yiyin led the ministers to welcome Taijia back to the palace.Under Yi Yin's education and assistance, Taijia was diligent in governing and cultivating virtue, respecting teachers and ancestors, so that the politics of the Shang Dynasty appeared in a situation where the princes returned to their hearts and the people were peaceful.So Yiyin wrote three more "Taijia" and one "Salty One Virtue", praising Taijia.

As the tutor of the king's family, Yi Yin paid great attention to the content and methods of education.He believes that people's character and quality are cultivated and formed in daily life behaviors, so he places great emphasis on "starting carefully at the end", that is to say, education should be carried out as early as possible, and must be consistent and continuous, and should not be relaxed for a moment.Especially the king and the king's children should always pay attention to their own moral cultivation, constantly update their moral awareness, reform their bad behavior, and make themselves "new with each passing day" and be in a progressive state of constantly pursuing new moral realms.Although he believed in the divine right of kings, in terms of education, he believed that "it is still a violation of heaven to do evil, and self-inflicted evil cannot be a disaster [Huan trouble]", and he admonished Taijia: "Only the sky has no relatives, and respect is only relatives." That is to say, only Only by restraining yourself from respect, understanding, and sincerity can you gain the loyalty and closeness of your subjects.He also believes that God is unbelievable, and fate is also unreliable. Only by constantly strengthening one's own moral cultivation, inheriting the virtues of ancestors, and loving the people can he keep the throne and the country, otherwise God will not be able to help.Therefore, he regarded the family education of noble children, especially royal children, as a major event related to the prosperity and decline of the country.