Chapter 9 Section 1 Primitive Confucianism

Primitive Confucianism refers to the Confucianism of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius and Xunzi.After Confucius died, his disciples inherited his career and spread his ideas.Because of their different backgrounds, living conditions, personalities, and experiences, they have different understandings of Confucius.Therefore, Confucianism was divided into eight small factions: Confucianism of Zizhang, Confucianism of Zisi, Confucianism of Yan family, Confucianism of Meng family, Confucianism of Qidiao family, Confucianism of Zhongliang family, Confucianism of the Sun family, and Confucianism of Lezheng family. ("Han Feizi Xianxue") Among them, Mencius' Confucianism of the Meng family and Xunzi's Confucianism of the Sun family were the most influential.

Mencius (approximately 372 BC-289 BC), named Ke, was born in Zou State during the Warring States Period. "Historical Records Biography of Meng Xun" said that he was "a disciple of Zisi".Mencius was quick in thinking and eloquent. Like Confucius, he also gathered disciples to give lectures and lobbied the princes.However, during the Mencius era, the scholar class grew further and became an important political force.Although the princes still did not listen to what Mencius said, the treatment was very different from that of Confucius.When he goes out in a chariot, there are always dozens of chariots following him, and many people serve him.

Mencius actively defended the Confucian intellectual tradition.At that time, Yang Zhu's thought for me and Mozi's thought of universal love prevailed in the world. "For me" is the negation of state power organization and monarchy, and "universal love" is the negation of family organization and patriarchy, both of which pose serious challenges to the Confucian concept of ritual.Mencius shouted loudly and made sharp accusations against Yang Mo: "The Yang family is for me, and there is no king; the Mo family loves both, and there is no father. If there is no father and no king, it is a beast." He often debated with Yang Mo's disciples, He said: "Is it easy to argue? I have no choice but to." ("Mencius Teng Wen Gong Xia")

The characteristic of Mencius thought is that it has greatly developed the thought of Confucius benevolence.He is a representative of the Confucian school of benevolence and righteousness.In politics, he developed Confucius' "virtuous government" into "benevolent government".He believes that every prince should start from his own benevolence and implement benevolent government to the people.The first principle of benevolent government is to "control the property of the people" and allow the common people to have land.Mencius believed that people with a stable family business will have a stable mind and respect the current social order; if they do not have a stable family business, of course they will not have a stable mind and will do all kinds of illegal things.As the parents of the people, the chief executive should realize that people have to eat, clothe, and support their families. They cannot be made to work hard for a year and end up not even being able to support their families.According to Mencius, among the various methods of governing the people, the best is to divide the land into public land and private land, with the public land owned by the nobles and the private land distributed to the peasants.Let the peasants work on the public land and provide labor for the nobles, which he calls "assistance"; only after the farm work on the public land is completed can they work on the private land, and the income on the private land belongs to the peasants themselves.This is the well field system. The standard well field system divides 900 mu of land in one square mile into nine plots of 100 mu each, of which 800 mu are allocated to eight farmers, allowing them to each own 100 mu of private land and the other 100 mu of public land.On the basis of the well field system, it is also necessary to implement policies such as not violating the farming season and closing mountains to cultivate forests, so as to obtain inexhaustible wealth and make the people "no regrets about health and death."Advocate the management of sericulture, raise livestock and poultry, so that 70-year-olds can wear silk and eat meat; then open schools to instill the moral concept of filial piety; , watch and help each other, and support each other in disease, the people will live in harmony" ("Mencius Teng Wengong 1").Mencius believed that this is kingly politics.Such a goal seems insignificant today, but it was very remarkable at the time, so Mencius said with confidence that those who can achieve this can "king the world".

Mencius advocated that it is beneficial to farmers, but he did not agree with Xu Xing, Chen et al.'s views on farmers.Farmers believed that rulers should participate in labor like peasants, and government affairs should be dealt with during meals in the morning and evening.This is an absolute view of equality.Mencius held the opposite view, and believed that there must be a division of labor in society: all kinds of work, such as making pottery, sewing clothes and hats, must be divided from farming, and it is impossible for people to do all kinds of labor at the same time; It is possible to run the country while farming.He said that those who govern the country are laborers, and those who farm are laborers.Those who work hard are managers, those who work hard are managed, those who work hard cannot participate in physical labor, and must be supported by others, while those who work hard must participate in physical labor to support the hard working.Otherwise this society cannot be maintained.The division of labor is a sign of human progress. Of course it is wrong for farmers to deny the division of labor, but Mencius only saw the rationality of the division of labor here, but did not see that it gave some people the opportunity to exploit and rule over others by using the division of labor.Without the necessary supervision, managers will turn their powers into privileges and cause harm to society.

Mencius advocated that the people are more important than the emperor. He said: "The people are the most important, followed by the state, and the emperor is the lightest. Therefore, if you get the people of Qiu, you will be the son of heaven, if you get the son of heaven, you will be a prince, and if you get the princes, you will be a great official. Changes..." ("Mencius. Dedication") The reason why the people are important is because the country survives and dies. support.Therefore, the status of the monarch is not static. When his actions endanger the country and cause dissatisfaction among the people, he should be replaced.Mingui certainly does not mean that the people are more noble than the monarch, but that thinkers in feudal society saw the importance of the status of the people and affirmed the role of the people to the greatest extent.

He also believes that the monarch and his ministers should not just submit to the monarch, but should respect each other.He said: "When the king regards his ministers like brothers and feet, the ministers regard the emperor as his heart; when the emperor regards his ministers like dogs and horses, the ministers regard the emperor as the people of the country; Mencius Li Louxia) Confucians after the Song and Ming Dynasties advocated that "the monarch teaches the minister to die, and the minister dare not not die", which reflects the vicious expansion of the monarchy and the decline of the status of the minister after the continuous strengthening of absolutism.But Confucianism in the time of Mencius was still full of vigor, and dared to demand respect from the monarch, and believed that if the monarch did not respect his ministers, the ministers had the right to disrespect him, until they regarded him as an enemy.

King Wu's defeat of Zhou was an important event in Chinese history. For Confucianism, the defeat of Zhou had a following problem.Confucius couldn't get rid of this knot in his heart, so when he listened to the music of King Wu of Zhou, he said that it was "perfectly beautiful, but not perfect" ("Bayi").But Mencius was much more enlightened than Confucius. He believed that the execution of a king like Zhou was just, and it was not counted as committing a crime against a superior. "Those who are thieves of benevolence are called thieves, those who are thieves of righteousness are called cripples, and those who are crippled are called husbands. I have heard that a man is punished, but I have never heard of killing a king." ("Mencius · King Hui of Liang") In the era of monarchy, This is a very liberating thought, and no wonder tyrants cannot tolerate it.Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, who practiced autocratic monarchy, never raised any objections to Mencius's "the people are more important than the emperor" and "killing a husband" when he revolted against the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.But after becoming emperor, he felt that these remarks were not good for him, and his attitude changed drastically, so he cursed Mencius and said: "If this old man lives to this day, I will not spare him!" According to his original intention, "Mencius" should be abolished. However, the tradition of respecting Mencius has lasted for hundreds of years, and it is inappropriate to abolish it. So he ordered people to delete 85 chapters of the "Mencius", which accounted for 1/3 of the whole book, and made a so-called "Mencius Jiewen", which was promulgated. world.For many years, people could only read "Jiewen" but not "Mencius".It was not until the Yongle period that the status of "Mencius" was restored.

Another contribution of Mencius to Confucianism is his theory of good nature.Confucianism teaches people to cultivate morality, to do good and not to do evil, but what is the basis for doing so?Confucius did not give a positive answer to this. He said: "Sex is similar, but learning is far away." ("Yanghuo") seems to have not really solved the problem of what sex is, so Zi Gong said: "The Master said that sex and the way of heaven, You can hear it if you can’t get it.” ("Gongye Chang") Mencius made a big step forward. He connected goodness with human nature, and believed that human nature is good, and there are Confucian ethics and morals in human nature-benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom. The fundamental difference between man and beast.He said: "Everyone has the heart of compassion; everyone has the heart of shame; everyone has the heart of respect; everyone has the heart of right and wrong. The heart of compassion is benevolence; the heart of shame and hatred Righteousness; a respectful heart is propriety; right and wrong is wisdom. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom do not come from the outside, they are inherent in me, and I am sympathetic.” ("Mencius·Gaozi 1") Respect, right and wrong are the four inherent moral emotions of human beings, and they are "conscience and good ability" that can be obtained without learning and thinking.The so-called benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom refer to human innate moral emotions, human conscience.Being able to expand the four emotions, called "four ends" by the ancients, can make benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom into a great cause, serve parents, and preserve the world.If the four emotions are not expanded, or even harmed instead, then people will lose their goodness—humanity, and become beasts.Mencius exaggerated people's moral conscience, thinking that it is innate, but in fact it is gradually cultivated in the heart of people in a certain social organization through learning and practicing moral norms.Of course, conscience is by no means equal to the sum of the moral norms that people have learned. There is a leap from learning and practicing moral norms to the emergence of conscience, but the source is still social moral norms and people's study and practice of it.However, Mencius' theory of the goodness of nature put forward by this had a great influence on later generations and became the orthodox view of the entire feudal era.

Confucius believes that people's actual encounters and material life are determined by fate, while people's moral life is determined by people themselves.Mencius agreed with this point of view, and made a new explanation from the relationship between life and death.He said: "The mouth is related to taste, the eyes are related to color, the ears are related to sound, the nose is related to smell, and the limbs are related to safety. Sex is also related to fate. A gentleman does not refer to sex." ( "Mencius: Dedicated to Your Heart") Sensual needs such as color, smell, smell, and Anyi are sexual desires, but whether they can be satisfied and to what extent is determined by fate, so a gentleman does not regard them as sexuality, and does not think that they must be fulfilled According to the requirements of human nature, one should follow one's fate without dispute or complaint.He also said: "Benevolence is to father and son, righteousness is to ruler and minister, courtesy is to guests and hosts, wisdom is to sages, sages are to the way of heaven, fate is also a matter of nature, and a gentleman does not call fate." ("" Mencius: Dedicate Your Heart ") Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, heaven, etc. are limited by fate objectively, but actively pursuing and practicing them is the spiritual need and inner mission of human nature, which is determined by oneself, so a gentleman does not regard them as I do not believe that I can do nothing in these areas and just go with the flow.

In short, Mencius is based on the hearts of the people, he talks about benevolence, righteousness and morality, and he is kingly and benevolent in government.In his view, the monarch can implement the government of benevolence and righteousness and the way of kingship by expanding his heart of benevolence and righteousness. world.It is true that popular support is an important factor in determining victory or defeat, but these factors must be transformed into material forces before they can actually play a role.In an era when wars continued year after year, and military power and financial power determined life and death, Mencius used this theory to lobby the princes, and it was taken for granted that he was regarded as "far and wide than things" ("Historical Records·Meng Xun Biography"), and he could not get the support of the princes. Credit.So Mencius had no choice but to end his political career, walk the same path as Confucius, and write books with his disciples. Xunzi (approximately 325 BC-238 BC), named Kuang, styled Qing, also known as Sun Qing, was born in Zhao State at the end of the Warring States Period.He has been engaged in research and lectures in Jixia Academy of Qi State for a long time, and he is highly valued by King Qi.Later, because someone framed him, he went to the state of Chu and served as the edict of Lanling (in the east of Yixian County, Shandong Province). After he was dismissed from office, he wrote tens of thousands of words to expound his Confucian views. This is "Xunzi".Xunzi's view is different from that of Mencius, and what he emphasizes is ritual and music.He integrated the theories of Confucianism, Jixia School of Qi State, and early Legalism into his own theoretical system to form Xunxue, which is the culmination of pre-Qin philosophers. He paid special attention to the role of etiquette, and believed: "The etiquette is the ultimate in governance, the foundation of a strong country, the way of prestige, and the sum of fame and fame. The reason why princes and princes win the world is not because of the loss of society. Therefore, insist on Jiali soldiers are not enough to win, high cities and deep pools are not enough to be strong, strict orders and heavy punishments are not enough to be powerful, follow the way, and do not follow the way." Fundamentally, only with it can we have majesty, and only with it can we establish fame.Without it, even with strong armor and sharp soldiers, it is impossible to win, high cities and deep pools cannot be stable, and strict orders and punishments cannot establish prestige.If the princes practice propriety and righteousness, they can win the world, but if they don't practice propriety and righteousness, the country will perish.However, there is a big difference between Xunzi's etiquette and Confucius' etiquette.The etiquette in Confucius' mind is the Zhou etiquette formulated by Duke Zhou (of course including Confucius' gains and losses and improvements to it), while Xunzi's etiquette is already a product of the Warring States period and a creation of later kings. It includes the principles of law and the content of morality : "The etiquette is the great division of the law, and the discipline of the class." ("Xunzi Encouraging Learning") Why can ritual have such a huge effect?Xunzi explained with his sociological thinking that humans are inferior to animals in many ways, but the most fundamental reason why humans can control and utilize them is that humans can fit in groups. "How can people be grouped together. It is called division (fenfen). How can division be done? It is called righteousness. Therefore, righteousness is based on division to bring harmony, harmony to one, one to more strength, more strength to strength, strength to victory..." ( "Xunzi King System") the so-called fen refers to the name, that is, the social status of a person.He believed that in order for the group to exist, the status and power of people must not be the same. Likewise, there would be no rule and management, and there would be no unity, and the group would disintegrate.The sage king saw this, so he established etiquette and righteousness, and divided people into rich and poor, high and low, so if they have divisions, they will keep the group.Because people's concept of hierarchy was deeply rooted at that time, Xunzi mistakenly believed that wherever there was organization, leadership, and management, there must be differences in the status and hierarchy of people.This is of course wrong, but the difference between Xunmeng and Mencius can also be seen here. Mencius believed that the roots of ethics and morality are all in the human heart, while Xunzi believed that their roots lie in human society and the needs of social organizations.Xun's theory is closer to reality than Meng's theory. Xunzi also attached great importance to music.He said that music (yueyue) is also music (lele). People's happiness should be expressed in voice and body movements, forming singing and dancing, which is music.Happiness can be evil or kind, it all depends on how to guide it.The sage regulates music to make it healthy. This kind of music can deeply touch people's hearts, guide people to be good, and change customs and customs. "The former kings guided them to use rituals and music to bring harmony among the people" ("Xunzi Yuelun"). In Xunzi's view, music and rituals have the same enlightening effect. Xunzi's emphasis on propriety, righteousness and division is by no means to rule the subordinates strictly, like the Legalists.He advocated the implementation of virtuous government for the people, and gave benefits, "select the virtuous, respect them, promote filial brothers, accept orphans and widows, and make up for the poor. If this is the case, the common people will be in peace." Whether the people are in peace. "Common people secure the government, and then the gentleman secures his position. It is said: 'A ruler is a boat; a common man is water. Water carries a boat, and water capsizes it.' This is what it means." ("Xunzi·Kingzhi" ) explained by Xunzi, the principle that the boats of the king and the people of the water, carry the boat and overturn the boat, and have been valued by great thinkers and statesmen of all dynasties. On the other hand, his thought of benevolent government is also different from that of Mencius.Mencius tried to unify the world only by relying on benevolent government, while Xunzi believed that benevolent government alone is not enough when all the vassal states are armed to the teeth. If they want to survive and unify the world, they must implement the policy of farming and warfare to strengthen the country's strength.Taking soldiers as an example, Mencius emphasized benevolence and righteousness and rejected soldiers, and Legalism emphasized soldiers and rejected benevolence and righteousness.Xunzi believed that the two could be combined, so he put forward the idea of ​​"the soldier of benevolence and righteousness".He pointed out that the benevolent loves others, so they oppose atrocities that endanger the people, and the righteous are rational, so they oppose activities that harm nature and reason.The benevolent and righteous use troops not for contention, but for the purpose of suppressing violence and eradicating harm. "So the soldiers of the benevolent man, those who survive are gods, and those who pass by are transformed. If the rain falls at the right time, they will all say joy. It is Yao who cuts Huan [huanhuan] pockets, Shun cuts seedlings, Yu cuts Gonggong, Tang cuts you Xia, King Wen defeated Chong, and King Wu defeated Zhou. These four emperors and two kings all marched in the world with the army of benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, those who are near are close to their kindness, and those who are far away admire their virtue. And the four poles." ("Xunzi·Yi Bing") Here he actually distinguishes between the just and the unjust, the just war and the unjust war.He correctly pointed out that one cannot succeed without benevolence and righteousness but only with force; however, one cannot succeed with benevolence and justice without force.If benevolence, righteousness and justice are to be realized in the world, we cannot rely solely on preaching, but must also be backed by strength, including military strength.Mencius didn't understand this, and he denied all force, so he was regarded as pedantic, and his words could not be practiced.Xunzi provided a very mature and effective political theory that benevolence, righteousness, rites and music flourish together, and Wenzhiwugong is developed simultaneously.Therefore, Xunzi's thought is not only different from Legalism's meanness and lack of kindness, but also different from Mencius' contempt for military power. It is a political theory that combines benevolence and courtesy, and moderate leniency and strictness.His students, Han Fei and Li Si, developed his theory one-sidedly, and put forward the legalist thought that ruled exclusively by harsh laws. This kind of thought helped Qin Shihuang quickly unify China, but also caused the death of Qin II because of encouraging tyranny. . The basis of Xunzi's idea of ​​rule of ritual is his theory of evil nature.What is sex?He said: "Everyone with a normal nature is born in the sky. They cannot be learned or acted on." ("Xunzi·Nature Evil") This kind of natural nature that can be learned without learning has the characteristics of favoring profit, and it will inevitably lead to competition if it develops. ; if it has the characteristics of disgust, it will inevitably harm others if it develops; if it has the desire for eyes and ears, it will produce prostitution if it continues to develop.That's why it is said that "human nature is evil" ("Xunzi·Nature Evil").Therefore, in order to make people do good, they must be corrected by external forces; and the power that can change human nature is imitation, etiquette and righteousness. "Today's human nature is evil, and we must learn from it before rectifying it, and then governing it after gaining propriety and righteousness." , establish laws and regulations, rectify them by prettifying people's emotions, and guide them by disturbing people's emotions, so that everything comes out of governance and is in line with the Tao." ("Xunzi Xing Evil") Therefore, etiquette and righteousness It is not inherent in human nature, but "what people can learn and be able to do, and what they can do" ("Xunzi·Nature Evil"). It is called hypocrisy" ("Xunzi·Natural Evil"), so he said that "human nature is evil, and those who are good are also hypocritical" ("Xunzi·Natural Evil").False means man-made.From the point of view that goodness is the result of social training and education, Xunzi's theory is better than Meng's theory, but Xunzi's view of human nature as inherently evil is still an abstract theory of human nature.What he regards as the basis for sexual evil is the natural attributes of human beings, and there is no such thing as good or evil.The real human nature is the social attributes formed by people with these natural attributes through the edification and cultivation of social life and through their own social practice.Therefore, what Xunzi called "false" is really close to human nature. Xunzi also proposed a view of the way of heaven different from that of Confucius and Mencius.He believes that the sky has no mysterious meaning, it is the natural world on which we live. "Heaven has permanence. It does not exist for Yao, nor perishes for Jie. If it is governed, it will be auspicious, and if it is disordered, it will be evil." ("Xunzi·Tianlun") The operation of nature has its own rules, not because of a wise king It exists only because there is a tyrant, and it does not exist because of a tyrant.If you can treat the laws of nature correctly, you will be auspicious, otherwise you will be in danger.Some strange phenomena in the natural world are rare ones where the Yin and Yang of the world change, and there is no mysterious meaning. "It's okay to be strange, but it's not true to be afraid of it." ("Xunzi·Tianlun") He especially emphasized that one should not just look forward to and praise nature, but should use practical actions to control it and let it serve mankind.He said: "Think about it in the sky, who controls it with animals and animals? Praise it from the sky, who uses it in order to control the destiny?" ("Xunzi·Tianlun") All these show the emerging landlords The vigorous fighting spirit of the class shows the pride of human beings in overcoming nature and gaining the right to survival and development. Xunzi has incisive insights into both nature and society. While understanding the world, he also carefully inspected the understanding of people.He made a clear distinction between the subject and the object of cognition, and believed that it is human nature that can carry out cognition activities, and the object of cognition is the principle of things.Human nature can understand physics, and physics can be understood by humans.For him, the knowability of the world is beyond doubt.On the one hand, he affirms the infinity of cognition and the infinity of knowledge accumulation.One of his famous sayings is: "Learning can't be done. Green, take it from blue and green from blue, ice, water for it, and colder from water... A gentleman who is knowledgeable and considers himself daily is wise and can do nothing wrong. "("Xunzi Encouraging Learning") That is to say, if you continue to accumulate knowledge, you will enter a higher level.A gentleman should keep learning, master a wealth of knowledge, and examine it with his own experience and mind, so that he can become more intelligent and not make mistakes.But on the other hand, he does not advocate spending energy on the pursuit of natural knowledge.Physics is endless, if people study it, there will never be an end.So he said that learning is actually learning how to stop learning.Where should one stop?It should stop on the "Zhizu".In this regard, the sage king is also our role model. The sage can fulfill the human relationship, and the king can fulfill the etiquette system.When it reaches the point where it can do its best, cognition has completed its mission and can stop.The Greek philosophers were very interested in the principles of nature, while the Confucian sages, including great scholars like Xunzi, lacked enthusiasm for the study of natural science.This is the obvious difference between China and the West. Xunzi believes that there are many levels of knowledge, among which there are perceptual, rational, and practical, and each level is higher than the next.There will be absurdity if there is only hearing and seeing but no knowing, and there will be confusion if only knowing but not practicing.Not only can you sit down and talk about the truth, but also be able to put it into practice, then you have a real understanding of things.That's why he said: "It's better not to hear it than to hear it, it's better to see it than to hear it, it's better to know it than to see it, and it's better to practice it than to know it. Learn until you do it." ("Xunzi Confucianism") Both Mencius and Xun schools played a positive role in promoting the development of Confucianism, but because of their different emphases, their historical fates were also different.Mencius' theory was far-fetched and couldn't adapt to the historical conditions of the Warring States Period, so he was not trusted. However, after the Han Dynasty, especially after the Song Dynasty, his theory of good nature and the concept of mind and nature were very in tune with the theoretical thinking at that time, so he was valued.Xunzi's theory inspired the thinking of the later Legalists, and many of its viewpoints were absorbed by the latter. It should be said that it played a role in the process of Qin's unification of the six countries.The later rulers were not benevolent but flaunted benevolence and righteousness, and were mean and ungrateful but insisted on drawing a clear line with the Legalists, so Xunzi became the target of their attack and exclusion, which is of course very unfair. A major event in the development of primitive Confucianism was the appearance of the Yi Zhuan in the middle and late Warring States period. "Yizhuan" is the interpretation of the text, including "Zu", "Xiang", "Xi Ci", "Classical Chinese", "Xu Gua", "Shuo Gua", "Miscellaneous Gua", among which "Zu", "Xiang" Both "Xici" and "Xici" have an upper and lower part, so there are 10 parts in total, also called "Ten Wings".Wing, assistant, means that the 10 parts such as "Zu" and "Xiang" all have the function of explaining, making Yi Dao clear to the world. "Yizhuan" integrates various schools of thought, but Confucianism is the main one.It adheres to Confucian political, social and ethical thought. "Xi Ci Zhuan" said at the beginning: "Heaven is respected and the earth is humble, and the universe is determined. The humble is high, and the high and the low are." That is to say, the sky and the earth are up and down, one high and one low, which actually distinguishes the ranks of high and low. Therefore, the distinction between high and low in society has its foundation in heaven and earth, which is very natural and reasonable.It emphasizes the importance of the family and the patriarchal system. The "Guan Zhuan" in the hexagram "Family" believes that the realization of "father, son, brother, younger brother, husband and wife, and wife" in the family can make the family fortune just.Since the patriarchal clan system is the foundation of society, after the family is upright, the world can be settled.It takes Confucian benevolence and righteousness as its moral criterion. "Shuo Gua" pointed out: "The "Yi" written by the sages in the past is also based on the principle of following the fate, so the way of setting up the sky is called Yin and Yang, the way of setting up the earth is called softness and rigidity, and the way of setting up people is called human harmony. Righteousness." It attaches great importance to the role and significance of enlightenment, and the "Xiang Zhuan" of "Gu" hexagrams says that after learning Gu hexagrams, a gentleman will realize the principle of educating the people and cultivating their virtues. "Yi Zhuan" also contains the ideas of Taoism and Guan Zhong School, but these ideas have been transformed and used to demonstrate the world outlook of Confucianism. They are separated from the original system and become an integral part of Confucianism.This shows that "Yizhuan" belongs to Confucianism and is a new development of Confucianism. Both Sima Qian and Ban Gu, historians of the Han Dynasty, believed that Confucius was the first to pass on "Yi", and since then, there has been an independent teaching system.The people of Qin could not help but learn easily, so this system continued uninterrupted until the Han Dynasty.They made a roughly consistent list of descendants of successive dynasties, including not only Lu people, but also Chu people and Qi people.Lu is the hometown of Confucianism, Chu is the hometown of Taoism, and Qi is the hometown of Guan Zhong School.Based on this, we can reasonably speculate that the authors of "Yi Zhuan" are descendants of this group, especially in the middle and late Warring States period. Zhong deeply felt the insufficiency of Confucianism in terms of world outlook, so he absorbed and transformed his hometown culture to make up for it.This is the origin of Taoism, Guan Zhong School of thought and so on in "Yi Zhuan". Putting aside specific political and ethical thoughts, at the metaphysical level, Yi Zhuan has two different aspects.On the one hand, it has armed itself with the philosophical thoughts of Taoism and other schools, combined with Confucian political and ethical concepts, developed a set of brilliant philosophical thoughts, and given a high-level explanation of nature and society; but on the other hand, it accommodated The old framework and thoughts of the I Ching system expound a series of mystical theories.These two aspects have great influence on later generations. In Confucianism, philosophy is its weakness, and the appearance of "Yizhuan" makes up for this shortcoming. "Yi Zhuan" puts forward the concept of "shengsheng" to explain the creation of everything in the world.It believes that the world is born from chaos, and this chaos is Tai Chi. In Tai Chi, there are two forces of yin and yang. Due to their differentiation, heaven and earth are produced. The sky belongs to yang, and the earth belongs to yin. everything.The relationship between yin and yang is eternal, so "life is called Yi", and "life" has become an important principle of Yi and the basic picture of the world.It believes that everything in the world is in a state of change. Because of the passage of the sun and the moon, there are day and night, and because of the passage of cold and heat, there are four seasons.The cause of change still lies in yin and yang. It says: "One yin and one yang are called Dao." ("Xici 1") The mutual induction and mutual transition of yin and yang constitute the movement and change of the world.what is the worldThe world is the movement and change of everything in the world.It can be said that with yin and yang there is a world, without yin and yang there is no world.It says: "The universe contains evil in its changes! The universe is in a row, and the changes stand in it. If the universe is destroyed, it is impossible to see the change. If the change is not visible, the universe may almost cease." ("Xi Ci") Qiankun is yin and yang, and Yi, not only refers to the Book of Changes, but also refers to the whole world. The idea of ​​yin and yang change in "Yi Zhuan" was learned from Lao Tzu, but it surpassed the latter.Lao Tzu advocates that the soft and the weak are better than the strong, so as long as you are weak, you should not be strong.However, "Yi Zhuan" requires people to remain strong: "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives for self-improvement." ("Qian Gua·Xiang Zhuan") This gives a theoretical explanation for the aggressive character of Confucianism.Of course, this is the general spirit, which does not hinder the attitude of seeking perfection in specific situations. The mysticism of "Yi Zhuan" is manifested in the following aspects.First of all, it believes that Yi's hexagrams and lines are like a kind of apocalypse.The celestial pendant image shows good and bad luck, and then the sage learned it to draw the hexagram image.Secondly, numbers also have a mysterious nature. The numbers in Yizhong are the numbers shown to people by the sky in "Hetu" and "Luoshu". Ten is the number of land, and the total is 55. This number exhausts all movement changes.Achillea (shishi) grass, which determines that the hexagrams and lines are yin and yang, is also a "natural god" and is used by sages.Therefore, Yi has a mysterious connection with the world, as long as it is used properly, it can predict good and bad fortune. "Yi Zhuan" had a great impact on Chinese philosophy.As far as the study of Yi is concerned, the Xiangshu school that studies from the aspect of image and number, such as Jingfang and Jiao Gan in the Han Dynasty, and the Yili school that studies from the perspective of philosophy, such as the Yi study of Wang Bi of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, are all derived from the Yi Zhuan. developed.Each school inherited one aspect of Yi Zhuan respectively, developed into a complete system, and formed a long-standing school.As far as the development of Chinese philosophy is concerned, when Metaphysics and Neo-Confucianism came into being, thinkers all went back and learned wisdom from "The Book of Changes".Wang Bi wrote "Zhou Yi Zhu", Zhou Dunyi wrote "Tai Chi Tu Shuo", Shao Yong wrote "Huang Ji Jing Shi", Cheng Yi wrote "Zhou Yi Cheng Shi Biography", Zhang Zai wrote "Heng Qu Yi Shuo", which show their understanding of Zhou Yi Jing Zhuan focus on. The wisdom of "Yi Zhuan" is of great significance for them to solve the problem of absorbing the thoughts of Buddha and Laos and creating a new system of philosophy.