Confucius takes "benevolence" as the core of his thought, which means "love". Put forward the arguments of "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" and "stand if you want, and reach if you want", advocate the principle of "loyalty and forgiveness", and think that the implementation of "benevolent policy" should be based on "courtesy": "self-denial, courtesy is benevolence". He is skeptical about the religious superstition of ghosts and gods since the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, and thinks that "you can't be a ghost if you don't know his life" and "you can't be a gentleman if you don't know his life". It also pays attention to the combination of "learning" and "thinking", and puts forward the viewpoints of "learning without thinking is useless, thinking without learning is dangerous" and "reviewing the old and learning the new". Advocate the atmosphere of teaching in private schools, advocate teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, "teach without distinction", "never tire of learning, never tire of teaching", and emphasize that "a gentleman learns to love others, while a villain learns to learn easily". Politically, he put forward the idea of "correcting the name", thinking that "Jun Jun, minister, father and son" should be worthy of the name, and put forward the view of "not suffering from poverty, suffering from inequality". Since the Western Han Dynasty, Confucius' theory has become the cultural orthodoxy of feudal society for more than two thousand years, with far-reaching influence.
When it comes to governing the country, Confucius attaches importance to the sufferings of people's livelihood, calls for benevolent governance, and hopes that rulers will treat people with benevolence and righteousness. He said that "tyranny is fiercer than tigers", and he also stressed that no matter what laws and regulations, rulers must first set an example. "They are upright and have no orders to do things; Its body is not right, although it cannot be done. " In interpersonal communication, Confucius emphasized loyalty and forgiveness. "Loyalty" means being loyal to others and working hard; "Forgiveness" means putting yourself in others' shoes, "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", and "the beauty of a gentleman is not the evil of an adult". In dealing with people and things, Confucius advocated self-love and love. Confucius was cautious about fate, and he believed in man's own strength. He believes that "sex is similar, learning from each other is far away", and everything depends on personal efforts. Of course, there are also some thoughts in The Analects that deviate from the historical trend, such as his political retro tendency, over-emphasis on hierarchical order, introverted personality value orientation, etc., which have undeniably brought negative effects on the development of China society and need us to correct them with modern consciousness. However, we can't hide our shortcomings. In the pre-Qin era when human civilization was just dawning, our ancestors had such profound wisdom in life that our descendants could be proud of it.
Confucius wanted to do something since he was in his twenties, so he was very concerned about world affairs, often thinking about various issues of governing the country and often expressing some opinions. By the time he was 30, he was already famous. In the twenty years of Lu, he visited Lu and summoned Confucius to discuss the question of being king with him, and Confucius got to know him. In the twenty-fifth year of Lu, civil strife occurred in Lu, and Lu was forced to flee to Qi. Confucius also left Lu for Qi, where he was appreciated and entertained by Qi Jinggong. He even prepared to seal the fields around Nishi to Confucius, but the doctor Yan Ying stopped him. In the twenty-seventh year of Lu, at that time, the doctor of Qi wanted to harm Confucius. When Confucius heard this, he turned to Qi Jinggong for help. Qi Jinggong said, "I am old and can still use it." Confucius had to flee to Lu. At that time, the state of Lu was actually in the hands of the doctor's retainer, which was called "ruling the country with the minister." Therefore, although Confucius had two opportunities to enter politics, he gave them up until he was appointed as the capital master in 9 years. At this time, Confucius was 5 1 year old. Confucius was in charge of Zhongdu for one year, and his achievements were outstanding. He was promoted to a small ordinary, and soon he was promoted to a big sheep herder, taking photos to take care of Lu. 12 years, in order to weaken the Third Ring Road (the third-generation leader and uncle Heshi were called the Third Ring Road because they were three grandchildren), the state power of Lu at that time was actually in their hands, and some retainers of the Third Ring Road also controlled the Third Ring Road to varying degrees), and Confucius took measures to reduce the Third Ring Road (that is, demolishing the castle built by the Third Ring Road). Later, the action of capturing the three capitals was abandoned halfway, and the contradiction between Confucius and the Third Ring Road was also exposed. 13 years, Lu Dinggong, Qi sent 80 beautiful women to Lu, and Ji Huan's family accepted female music. The monarch and his subjects were addicted to singing and dancing and ignored state affairs for many days. Confucius was very disappointed. Soon, when Lu offered meat to the doctors after the sacrifice in the suburbs, he didn't give it to Confucius as usual, indicating that Ji didn't want to hire him any more. Confucius had to leave Shandong to find a way out and began to travel around the world.
Confucius first took his disciples to Weiguo, and Wei Linggong began to respect Confucius very much. According to Lu's salary standard, he was given a salary of 60 thousand, but he was not given an official position and was not allowed to participate in politics. Confucius lived in Weiguo for about 10 months. Because someone slandered Wei Linggong, Wei Linggong became suspicious of Confucius, and sent someone to publicly monitor Confucius' actions. So Confucius left Weiguo with his disciples and planned to go to Chen. When passing through Kuangcheng, I was besieged for five days because of misunderstanding. I fled Kuangcheng, came to Dipu, met my uncle, a patriotic aristocrat who launched a rebellion, and was besieged again. After escaping, Confucius returned to China to defend his country. Wei Linggong was very happy to hear that Confucius and his disciples had returned from Dipu, and went to meet him in person. Since then, Confucius has gone abroad several times and returned to China several times. On the one hand, Wei Linggong had both good and bad feelings towards Confucius; On the other hand, after Confucius went abroad, he had nowhere to go and had to return.
In the second year (Confucius was 59 years old), Confucius left Wei, passed through Cao, Song and Zheng, and went to Chen, where he lived for three years. When Wu attacked Chen, the war broke out and Confucius left with his disciples. When the Chu people heard that Confucius had arrived at the junction of Chen and Cai, they sent someone to meet him. The doctors of Chen and Cai knew that there was something wrong with what Confucius did, and they were afraid that Confucius would be reused in Chu, which was not good for them. So they sent laborers to surround Confucius and his disciples in the middle of the road, not relying on the village in front or the shops behind. After eating all the food they brought, they were deprived of food for seven days. Finally, Zigong found the Chu people, and Chu sent troops to meet Confucius, so that Confucius and his disciples were saved from death. Confucius returned to Weiguo at the age of 64. With the efforts of his disciple Ran Qiu, he was welcomed back to Lu at the age of 68, but he was still respectful. Lu Aigong 16, Confucius was 73 years old and died of illness.
Ideological characteristics
Confucius was an educator, thinker and half politician, but most importantly, he was a noble intellectual. He is upright, optimistic and enterprising, pursuing truth, goodness and beauty all his life and pursuing an ideal society all his life. His success and failure are related to his personality. His character has influenced China people for thousands of years, especially the intellectuals in China.
Angry and forgetful, happy and forgetful.
When Confucius was 63 years old, he once described himself like this: "You forget to eat when you are angry, but forget your worries when you are happy. I don't know that my old age is coming. " At that time, Confucius had led his disciples around the world for nine years and had gone through all the hardships. Not only did he not get the appointment of the governor, but he almost died. But Confucius was not discouraged, still optimistic, stuck to his ideals, and even knew that he could not do it.
Be content with poverty
Confucius said, "Being unjust and rich is like a cloud to me". In Confucius' mind, upholding justice is the highest value of life. When there is a contradiction between rich and poor and morality, he would rather be poor than give up morality. But we can't regard his peace and happiness as not seeking wealth, but seeking to maintain Tao, which is not in line with historical facts. Confucius once said: "Rich and expensive, people want what they want; You can't go anywhere unless you take the main road. Poverty and meanness are disgusting to people; If you don't take the main road, you won't go. " "Money is available, although there are many whips, I can do it. If you can't get it, just do as I say. "
Never tire of learning and never tire of teaching.
Confucius was famous for his eagerness to learn and showed great interest in all kinds of knowledge, so he was versatile and knowledgeable. He was very famous at that time, and was almost regarded as an omniscient saint, but Confucius himself didn't think so. Confucius said, "A saint cannot learn, but never tires of teaching." Confucius learned that there was no teacher. Whoever has knowledge and who doesn't understand will worship him as a teacher. So he said, "A threesome must have a teacher."
Follow the path of integrity-conduct integrity.
Confucius was upright in nature and advocated going straight. He once said, "I treat others, who will ruin my reputation?" If you are famous, you have to try. Simin also, the reason why the three generations went straight. "Historical Records records that Confucius asked Lao Tzu to be polite when he was in his thirties. When he left, Laozi gave a message: "Smart and thorough, close to death, considerate. Those who argue the broad masses are in danger, and those who are evil are also. A son should not have his own, and a minister should not have his own. "This is Lao Tzu's kind reminder to Confucius, and it also points out some shortcomings of Confucius, that is, he looks at the problem too deeply and speaks too sharply, hurting some people with positions and bringing great danger to himself.
help others
Confucius founded the moral theory with benevolence as the core. He is also a kind person, compassionate, helpful, sincere and generous. "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", "A gentleman's beauty as an adult is not evil" and "Do your best until you die" are all his life principles.
Educational contribution
Confucius, a cultural giant, has been teaching with poems, books, rituals and music since his birth, and has been teaching by example in his great personality. It was he who initiated private lectures in the history of our country and transplanted the phenomenon that cultural knowledge was the patent of nobles to the people. He first put forward the policy of "no class for all", and everyone, whether poor, humble or rich, can be educated there. Disciples are as poor as Yan Hui, as rich as Zigong and as expensive as Meng. However, most of them are children of ordinary people, and some of them have come to defend their country, such as Qi, Chen and Wu, which are really full of peaches and plums. Its teaching purpose is to spread his humanitarian theory. That is, self-denial and courtesy are benevolence, changing students' temperament, achieving personality, improving the realm of life, and finally achieving things. In other words, it is necessary to build a pillar of a country and the world. Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and heuristic methods should be adopted to cultivate students' demeanor of "learning without tiredness", "learning without thinking", "thinking without learning is useless", "knowing what they know, not knowing what they don't know", "having a teacher for three people" and "not ashamed to ask questions". What's more, he is a tireless teacher, caring for students like a loving mother, guiding students like strict father, and learning from each other like friends, all of which are due to his talent. Such as Zi Xiao's stupidity, Lu Zeng's participation, Zhang Zi's extreme, and Lutz's vulgarity ... all became great events. Ceng Zi, in particular, was given the responsibility of preaching and became a saint. There are even outstanding people who divide Germany: Yan Hui, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu and Zhong Gong. Language: Kill me, Zigong. Politics: Ran Qiu, Luz. Literature: Ziyou, Xia Zi, ten people. Confucius has three thousand disciples. Two out of seventy people are proficient in six arts. Therefore, the vast traditional culture can be popularized and passed down.
Because Confucius made great efforts in giving lectures, all the disciples felt that the teacher had worked hard. Therefore, all disciples sincerely admire them. They followed him, served him and defended him. They traveled around the world with him, enduring hardships and hunger without complaining. When someone slanders Confucius, they accuse him of "not measuring himself". When in danger, give your life to guard. After the death of Master, the disciples mourned for three years. Zigong lived alone for six years. His spirit of respecting teachers and valuing Taoism is still a much-told story. It is well-deserved for future generations to respect Confucius as the "most holy teacher". Many of his educational theories and methods are inexhaustible resources for today's educators. As we all know, there are 3,000 disciples of Mr. Kong Qiu, 70 of whom are proficient in the Six Arts. At that time, it seemed that there was no student status management system, so it was impossible to verify the names of these 3 thousand disciples. As for the seventy-two disciples who enjoyed the Confucius Temple, however, these gentlemen are all ancient figures. We look at them from a distance through thousands of years of history, just like looking at the immortals in the fairy fog, we can only look at them roughly and can't see the details. However, our ancient publishing industry was surprisingly backward. All documents are carved with a knife, and all kinds of efforts will inevitably lead to mistakes and even misinformation; What's more, there are so-called masters, who love to be far-fetched. They make mistakes, explain at random, even explain infinite meanings, and even regard them as irreparable classics. So it's ridiculous that three jackals commit suicide. If, unfortunately, there are two or more experts, each with a different version, then things will be even bigger and we must strive for each other. So ancient things are obviously the same thing, but we can see different or even opposite appellations and statements. For example, the name of the seventy-two saints of Confucius. Biographies of Zhong Ni and Seventy-two Biographies of Confucius' Family Words in Historical Records are authoritative materials, but they are quite different. For example, Zi Sheng is called Le Ke in Historical Records and Le Xin in family language. Disciple's name was Zheng in historical records, but it was renamed Xue Bang in ethnic languages. Confucius, for example, was good at flattery and married his brother's daughter to his son Rong. It is called Nangong Shu in The Analects of Confucius, Nangong Kuo in Historical Records and Nangong Tao in the family language. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Almost all these phenomena are attributed to the mistakes in transmission and carving. Moreover, the lists in Historical Records and Family Language are not no less than 72 people. The history books list 77 people, and solemnly quote Confucius' words, "Seven people out of seventy are connected". Who knows if Confucius ever said this sentence? "Family talk" is even more ridiculous. The title clearly says "Interpretation by Seventy-two Disciples", but there are 76 people listed in it. Finally, it concludes: "More than 72 disciples of Confucius are all scholars." Lying with your eyes open, can't even count? Sima Qian said that "China storytellers compromised with Confucius", but this roster of Confucius disciples didn't know who to compromise with. Compared with the two, Historical Records went to Kong Qiu relatively recently, and it is famous for its true history. Confucius Family is a famous book named Confucius Family, but it has always been regarded as a fake book. When it was regarded as the Three Kingdoms, Wang Su revised it by copying previous letters and bamboo slips. Relatively speaking, it seems not as good as historical records. The two are relative, take the one closest to the truth. So I decided to compare it with the family language based on historical records. Of the 77 people listed by Sima Qian, it is hard to say that five are supernumerary. As for the five, I don't know. Here, please also ask Mr. Naturalist for advice.
Confucius thought became the orthodox thought in China's autocratic imperial society for more than 2,000 years after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty exclusively respected Confucianism. This is also due to the mutual demand between Confucius thought and imperial power. After the imperial power was respected in the past dynasties, the original Confucius thought was elevated to a sacred position, while other thoughts inconsistent with Confucius thought were suppressed, resulting in the singleness and rigidity of social thoughts, which eventually caused great obstacles to China's social development and formed rigid and even decadent ideas.
Finally, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the pioneers of China's new culture broke through the shackles of old ideas and advocated new ideas of new culture through their understanding of the world. In particular, the pioneer of the new culture represented by Lu Xun, in the ideological innovation of the Chinese nation, is the epitome of the new culture and new ideas since Confucius, and is called the soul of the Chinese nation.
After nearly a hundred years of wind and rain, Confucius has been knocked to the ground, and now he is beginning to know Confucius again. It can be said that it is a return to understanding. Push Confucius off the altar first, and then bring him back to the people, instead of worshipping him from above. This is what the real Confucius wanted.
Confucius and Lu Xun have both differences and some spiritual similarities. Lu Xun and Confucius are both representatives of intellectuals in China who have been searching for spiritual homes for generations. Even if they can't find them, they still have to look for them. Because for a long time, people always put Confucius and Lu Xun in absolute opposition. When holding Lu Xun, like during the Cultural Revolution, Lu Xun was used to beat Confucius; Now, Confucius is in a high position, so he beat Lu Xun with Confucius. It was Lu Xun who drove Confucius away, and now he wants to invite Confucius back. But are Confucius and Lu Xun really diametrically opposed and incompatible? What is their relationship? This is a question that we must answer.
There is no doubt that Lu Xun and the May 4th generation criticized Confucius a lot, and such criticism has two levels. First of all, their critical edge points to the "China-centrism" that sanctifies and relishes the traditional culture centered on Confucianism. In China at that time, it was this Chinese centralism that prevented China people from absorbing world culture. In the eyes of the pioneers of the May 4th Movement, it is urgent to open the floodgates of ideas and open them to the world. Therefore, it is necessary to break the cultural myth that traditional culture is absolute in ideological and cultural circles. At the same time, their critical edge points to the cultural absolutism that only respects Confucianism. In fact, since the late Qing Dynasty, the monopoly position of Confucianism has been shaken, and more and more scholars pay more attention to the contention of a hundred schools of thought. During the May 4th Movement, they promoted such efforts to break the monopoly and exclusive respect for consciousness.
Therefore, we can say that the pioneers of the May 4th New Culture Movement, including Lu Xun, actually did the work of "depoliticizing, moralizing and religiousizing", and they approved the ideological, moralizing and religiously "artificial Confucius". "Everyone asked Confucius to step down from the status of a saint and let him be an equal with a hundred schools of thought. What's wrong with that? Invisible, this is equivalent to restoring the true face of Confucius. "
Of course, there are differences between Lu Xun and Confucius, even major differences and differences in principle. From this perspective, Lu Xun also criticized Confucius. Confucius is a man who "cares about the country and the people and tries his best to persuade you to change evil and do good", so he wants to be a "national teacher" And Lu Xun doesn't even want to be a "mentor" (his reason is: I can't find my own way, how can I guide young people? ), let alone a "Buddhist". More importantly, Lu Xun had no illusions about the rulers. He once said that the ruler was in danger and the car was going to fall down. Don't help him, let him fall by himself. Confucius desperately wanted to help, but he wanted to help even if he didn't want to. Their attitudes towards the rulers are different. It's different. If you have criticism, you can criticize it. This is actually normal. Even now, different intellectuals often argue and criticize each other. But it doesn't prevent them from having something in common in other ways. Confucius is also "a person who has no power or influence and dares to criticize contemporary dignitaries". Of course, he tried to criticize within the system, while Lu Xun consciously criticized outside the system. This is really different, but he also has his own similarities in criticizing powerful people. The so-called "the same is different, and the difference is the same." We don't have to hide or exaggerate our differences.
Although Lu Xun and Confucius have different road choices, their indomitable exploration and pursuit, their courage, integrity, toughness and rational practice spirit all embody the most valuable spirit of China intellectuals. The two most difficult things in The Analects of Confucius: "Everyone has his own ambition, and nothing can be achieved" and "treating wealth like a cloud" are the essence of Confucius' spirit, and among modern intellectuals, Lu Xun is the best embodiment of this spirit.
We can say that from Confucius to Lu Xun, it actually constitutes a tradition. Our nation has finally produced a Confucius and a Lu Xun, which is the essence and precious heritage of national culture and should be the pride of our nation. However, starting from an abnormal cultural psychology, it is not only stupid, but also criminal to always oppose them and make an alternative choice. This is instructive for us to rethink "how to treat China's cultural tradition, from Confucius to Luxun's tradition".
As we all know, there are 3,000 disciples of Mr. Kong Qiu, 70 of whom are proficient in the Six Arts. At that time, it seemed that there was no management system for learning, and it was impossible to test the names of these 3,000 disciples. As for the 72 outstanding disciples who enjoyed the Confucius Temple, few people can tell them in detail. I am free today, so I will make a list of them and sort them out for my friends. It is useless to waste time and energy doing these things, and it is almost boring, just to make one or two friends laugh. If it can help scholars who are interested in Confucius to do textual research, it will be overjoyed.
However, these gentlemen are all ancient figures. We look at them from a distance through thousands of years of history, just like looking at immortals in fairy fog, we can only see the outline, but we can't see the details. However, our ancient publishing industry was surprisingly backward. All documents are carved with a knife, and all kinds of efforts will inevitably lead to mistakes and even misinformation; What's more, there are so-called masters, who love to be far-fetched. They make mistakes, explain at random, even explain infinite meanings, and even regard them as irreparable classics. So it's ridiculous that three jackals commit suicide. If, unfortunately, there are two or more experts, each with a different version, then things will be even bigger and we must strive for each other. So ancient things are obviously the same thing, but we can see different or even opposite appellations and statements. For example, the name of the seventy-two saints of Confucius. Biographies of Zhong Ni and Seventy-two Biographies of Confucius' Family Words in Historical Records are authoritative materials, but they are quite different. For example, Zi Sheng is called Le Ke in Historical Records and Le Xin in family language. Disciple's name was Zheng in historical records, but it was renamed Xue Bang in ethnic languages. Confucius, for example, was good at flattery and married his brother's daughter to his son Rong. It is called Nangong Shu in The Analects of Confucius, Nangong Kuo in Historical Records and Nangong Tao in the family language. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Almost all these phenomena are attributed to the mistakes in transmission and carving. Moreover, the lists in Historical Records and Family Language are not no less than 72 people. The history books list 77 people, and solemnly quote Confucius' words, "Seven people out of seventy are connected". Who knows if Confucius ever said this sentence? "Family talk" is even more ridiculous. The title clearly says "Interpretation by Seventy-two Disciples", but there are 76 people listed in it. Finally, it concludes: "More than 72 disciples of Confucius are all scholars." Lying with your eyes open, can't even count? Sima Qian said that "China storytellers compromised with Confucius", but this roster of Confucius disciples didn't know who to compromise with. Compared with the two, Historical Records went to Kong Qiu relatively recently, and it is famous for its true history. Confucius Family is a famous book named Confucius Family, but it has always been regarded as a fake book. When it was regarded as the Three Kingdoms, Wang Su revised it by copying previous letters and bamboo slips. Relatively speaking, it seems not as good as historical records. The two are relative, take the one closest to the truth. So I decided to compare it with the family language based on historical records. Of the 77 people listed by Sima Qian, it is hard to say that five are supernumerary. As for the five, I don't know. Here, I also invite Mr. Natural History to teach me. '