Chapter 11 Section 10 Confucius on Family Education

Confucius is the greatest educator in ancient my country. He not only created private education, proclaimed the constitution of the ancestors, revised the Six Classics, and founded the enduring Confucian school. He also made outstanding theoretical contributions to family education in ancient my country. Confucius, surnamed Kong, named Qiu, styled Zhongni, was born in the city of Lu (now Qufu, Shandong). He was born in the twenty-second year of Duke Xiang of Lu (551 BC) and died in the sixteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu (BC). 479).The era of Confucius was at the beginning of the transformation from slavery to feudalism, and the clan patriarchal system was going to collapse.The individual family system developed rapidly with the formation of the social division of labor among scholars, farmers, industry, and merchants.Changes in the social and family structure have led to the weakening of the old culture of ritual and music, the collapse of the old moral system, and the situation of "the collapse of ritual and the destruction of music".In view of this situation, Confucius determined to rectify the political ethics from the country to the family and rebuild the culture of ritual and music.He put forward the idea of ​​rectifying names of "junjun, ministers, fathers, sons", and advocated the establishment of a political and moral system of "benevolence and etiquette" based on "filial piety" and family ethics by means of education, thus promoting the whole society. From "the world is in great trouble" to "the world is in great order".

Confucius believed that the basis of politics is the establishment of ethical and moral order.Ethics is based on the blood relationship between parents and children, so the education of family ethics and morals is the guarantee of national politics.He said: "Filial piety is nothing more than filial piety, friendship with brothers, giving to you and politics, is also politics." ("The Analects of Confucius · Weizheng") He emphasized that filial piety is the fundamental content of family education. According to Confucius, if people know filial piety, they will not commit crimes.Because "filial piety" is the root of "benevolence" and also the root of "ritual".If a person knows how to honor his parents and love his brothers, on the one hand, he will consider the vital interests of his parents, brothers and family members, and put himself in the living community of an individual small family, so that they will not be harmed because of personal "rebellion". Unfortunately, on the other hand, a person who has the qualities of filial piety and fraternity will transform this code of conduct in dealing with human relations into obeying his superiors and even being loyal to the monarch.Confucius believed that family filial piety education is not only related to the harmony and consolidation of individual families, but most importantly, it is beneficial to the stability of society and the country.The ancient rulers advocated filial piety, family education and social education, with the aim of "transforming filial piety into loyalty", so that ethics and morality can be directly transformed into political morality.Since the Han Dynasty, there has been a saying that "loyal officials come from filial sons", which shows that the teaching of filial piety occupies a vital position in family education.

Confucius believed that family ethics education is a kind of friendship education.Because, there is courtesy and righteousness because of love.The righteousness of the father should be kind, the righteousness of the son should be filial, the brotherly friend, the younger brother should be respectful, the husband and wife and even the people related to the family (family), according to their closeness, thickness, all of them will naturally have mutual righteousness.Ethical relationship is a relationship of friendship, which means a mutual obligation relationship.Parents and brothers and sisters-in-law have the obligation to support their children and younger siblings, and children and younger brothers have the obligation to support their parents and brothers and sisters-in-law. This obligation is not only etiquette, but also filial piety and benevolence, and at the same time it is the most basic of friendship. reflect.Therefore, Confucius emphasized the teaching of filial piety, emphasizing the cultivation of ethical emotions.For example, a son should not travel far away when his parents are around, lest the parents will be left alone when they need him to take care of him, and it will make the parents suspense.Another example is that when children support their elderly parents, they should put emotional sincerity in the first place, not only to ensure that the parents have enough food and clothing, but more importantly, to make the parents feel that their sons have done their best in supporting them. Therefore, Confucius said that filial piety lies in " It is difficult to look good", being kind, courteous and respectful, and being the same outside and inside, is the true way of filial piety.

In Confucius' view, not only is it difficult for children to be filial to their parents, but it is also difficult to grasp the emotions of a father towards his wife and children during the family education process.So he said: "It's only difficult for women and villains to raise." "Nurture" means education.In the Spring and Autumn Period, people still lacked experience in family education, mainly because it was difficult to overcome emotional barriers, so the phenomenon of "teaching with protons" often appeared.In order to overcome this difficulty in family education, later Confucianism tried to explore the parents' personality adjustment and teaching methods, put forward the family education principle of "strict father and loving mother", and developed Confucius' family education methods.

In the book, there are a lot of records of Confucius' remarks about teaching students to consult their parents for any insoluble matters.Confucius believed that the experience of parents is enough to guide the behavior of children, and parents should be responsible for the results of their children's behavior.Parents should set an example and be a good example for their children.If the body is not upright, it will inevitably lead the child badly. Confucius also paid great attention to the environment of family education.He said: "Benevolence is beauty." He believes that the growth of children is related to the surrounding cultural and moral environment, so parents should pay attention to "you must choose your neighbors", and at the same time guide your children to make friends. Not four friends lead badly.He believes that as long as we pay attention to the influence of a good environment, we will "grow up like nature, and get used to it."

In short, Confucius' family education theory is mainly aimed at the scholar class, but it is also generally applicable to families of different classes.The core content of the family education he emphasized is the cultivation of ethical friendship based on "filial piety". Therefore, filial piety becomes loyalty, and the family ethical relationship is extended to social interpersonal relationships and transformed into the field of political morality, so that the country can establish a ruling order on the basis of the family.