Confucianism was the goal of Confucius's life. Its essence lies in the word "benevolence", on the one hand, Confucius advocated benevolence as the basis and opposed harsh expropriation and tyranny. On the other hand, it also advocates the core idea of "the king is heavy on the people and the people is light". This is, in a way, contradictory. The reason for the internal contradictions in Confucius's Confucianism is that Confucius's thought is based on the feudal culture of the three dynasties of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius has always maintained a supportive view of the theory of "divine right of kings". It can be seen that the spread of Confucius's Confucianism was limited by the feudal dynasties at that time. But on a large scale, the birth and development of Confucius's Confucianism was the beginning of the promotion of the consciousness of "equality for all". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it played a great role in enlightenment in the hearts of the people. Today, we will talk about the development and influence of Confucianism in history.
How was Confucianism born?
The birth of Confucianism was influenced by many factors. The collapse of liturgy in the early Spring and Autumn Period was the fuse for the birth of Confucius's Confucianism. Before talking about the Spring and Autumn Warring States, we must first talk about the fall of the Zhou Dynasty. King Wu of Zhou, based on the idea of divine authority of kings, overthrew Yin Shang on the grounds that king Huan had no way, thus creating a new dynasty, that is, Western Zhou. The Western Zhou regime was stable in the early days, but due to the strong promotion of the sub-feudal system and the patriarchal system, it laid a very serious drawback for the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty. Finally, in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, due to the sub-feudal system and the patriarchal system, various princes rose up, which seriously threatened the status of Zhou Tianzi. During the period from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period, Zhou Tianzi could be said to be a puppet emperor, and the political power was divided by various princes. At its worst, there were more than a hundred princes who were divided into a group of people.
The Eastern Zhou Dynasty collapsed, bringing with it the collapse of lile in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the Analects of the Ji Dynasty, it is recorded that:
"If there is a way under the heavens, then the liturgy will come out of the Son of Heaven; If there is no way under the heavens, then the Lile conquest comes from the princes. ”
The liturgical music and culture of the Zhou Dynasty can actually be confused. Due to the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty, it directly led to the collapse of Li Le, and this phenomenon had a continuous impact on the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The collapse of lilly directly led to the culture and system that originally existed in the Zhou Dynasty, which spread among the people with the loss of talent. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, a large number of book culture was only preserved in the court, and the common people did not have the opportunity to read and write. The collapse of Lile led to a large number of cultural flows into the folk, laying the groundwork for the later situation of a hundred schools of thought, and Confucianism was slowly born under the condition of the independence of this doctrine.
After the fall of the Zhou Dynasty, various princes appointed themselves as the leaders of yifang, with various small states as their territories. And recruit talents, courtesy corporals. In addition, due to the chaos of the war, the Ida system achieved a drastic transformation from public ownership to private ownership, which further stimulated the struggle between the aristocratic forces and the common people. Confucius was deeply influenced by traditional rituals and germinated new ideas. Confucianism, under the influence of these factors, gradually became the independent doctrine of the time. At the same time, due to the courtesy of various countries to talents, various doctrines have emerged in an endless stream. At that time, the famous teachings were mainly based on Confucius's Confucianism, Han Feizi's Fajia, Mozi's Mojia, and Zou Yan's Yin-Yang family. Confucianism, on the other hand, was the most admired by the people during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Since the early days of Its birth, Confucianism has exhibited a very strange phenomenon. The teachings of Confucius have been greatly echoed among the people, but they have not been accepted by the monarchs of various countries. The reason is that the relationship between the monarch and the subject proposed by Confucius is too different from the general environment at that time, and it is difficult for the monarch to accept it. Although Confucius believed that the monarchs and the people were light, he also put forward another theory of "equality for all". Confucius believed that kings and subjects should respect each other. The Analects record:
"The king makes his subjects courteous, and the subjects are loyal."
This theory of equality was not accepted by the local rulers of the time. Therefore, Confucius's Confucianism, at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States, was only spread, but its development was very limited.
The Development and Reform of Confucianism
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the development of Confucianism showed a great contrast. Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, unified writing and weights and measures, from a military point of view, Qin Shi Huang's great achievements can indeed be called an emperor throughout the ages. However, after the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, in order to achieve the autocracy of the regime, it heeded the advice of the chancellor Li Si and implemented the "book burning pit Confucianism". The Warring States Policy records that:
"Let the punishment be considered the cure, and believe in the small art as the tao." Burn poetry books and kill Confucians."
Because Qin Shi Huang wanted to suppress people's thinking, to stabilize the power of the Qin Dynasty. Confucianism was suppressed to a great extent during this period. Suddenly, various Confucian doctrines were in full swing, and most of the books that recorded the theories of the writers were also lost. The spread of Confucianism was greatly hindered during the Qin Dynasty. This phenomenon was improved from the Beginning of the Han Dynasty. The spread of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty was actually first seen as early as Han Gaozu.
Han Gaozu was initially only the head of the Ten Mile Pavilion, and finally was able to establish the Great Han Dynasty. It is that they are well aware of the suffering of the people, and the harsh expropriation and tyranny not only make the people unhappy, but also catalyze the collapse of the dynasty. Therefore, from the time of Han Gaozu, Confucianism has been very advocated. Especially during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Confucian scholarship was developed with unprecedented development. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted Dong Zhongshu's theory of "deposing a hundred families and respecting Confucianism alone", and the governing strategy based on benevolence and love began to take shape from here. The most obvious manifestation of the reverence for Confucianism during the Han Dynasty was the reduction of punishment. The Punishment of the Qin Dynasty was too brutal, which was also one of the reasons why it lost the hearts and minds of the people. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, the punishment was always measured by the theory of "compassionate punishment", which was intended to educate criminals, rather than threatening the people with punishment. For example, "Etiquette. The Qu Li stipulates:
"Seven years of mourning, eighty or ninety days of mourning." Mourning and oldness, though guilty, do not impose punishment."
The commutation of punishment for special prisoners is completely consistent with Confucius's Confucian idea of "not teaching but cursing is abuse". Therefore, the spread of Confucianism played a role in promoting the Han Dynasty.
From the Three Kingdoms, two Jin Dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the fall of the Tang Dynasty, it can be seen as a period of development of Confucianism. The doctrine of this period was very chaotic, and there was a situation of a hundred schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. From the beginning of the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, a new type of theory was born that used metaphysics to explain the thought of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The independence of the three schools of Buddhism and Confucianism limited the spread of Confucianism. Although the emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties all vigorously promoted Confucianism, they had little effect because of the chaotic situation in this period, and it can be said that from the Wei and Jin dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, Confucianism has been in a state of stagnation in the past few hundred years. The Tang Dynasty poet Han Yu once resisted this confusion of thought: "Resisting heresy, rebuking the Buddha; Fill in the gaps, Zhang Huang yuyi. The implication is that it is against the juxtaposition of Buddhism and Confucianism, leading to a hatred of limited doctrine. This phenomenon did not improve until the fall of the Tang Dynasty.
In the Song Dynasty, the birth of Cheng Lixue pushed Confucianism to a new climax. Cheng Zhu Lixue's Confucianism was implemented until the Ming Dynasty. Cheng Zhu Lixue is based on cheng hao, cheng yi, Zhu Xi and other famous masters, absorbing the way of Confucius and Mencius, on the basis of Confucianism, derived from the school, in essence, is an increased version of the development of Confucianism. Cheng Zhu Lixue, represented by Zhu Xi, takes Confucianism as the foundation to explore the way of heaven and man. Gewu Zhizhi is the spiritual core of Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties. Advocate the existence of heavenly reason and the destruction of human desires. Zhu Xi once made this point: "
Man is different from beasts and animals, but father and son have relatives, kings and subjects have righteousness, husbands and wives are different, elders and children are orderly, and friends have faith."
Coincides with Confucius's Confucianism. Therefore, the spread of Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties was vigorously reformed and supported by famous masters from all sides. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that there was opposition to Cheng Zhu Lixue, Confucianism was still constantly developing and improving during the Qing Dynasty, and after emperor Taiji established the Qing Dynasty, his attitude towards Confucianism was not a blow. Therefore, Confucianism has shown a state of ups and downs in the long course of history, but it has finally developed to this day and has been widely accepted.
The influence and significance of Confucianism
Confucianism has been passed down for thousands of years since its birth in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. And as the core of countless emperors ruling the country, the Confucian thought based on benevolence and love has finally ushered in a better prosperous situation. For example, during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was exalted, ushering in the most powerful period of the Han Dynasty. During the Tang and Song dynasties, although there was a huge disparity in military strength, the literati emerged one after another, and they were also positively influenced by the Confucian style of study. Confucius's proposal to treat kings and subjects with courtesy has also become the moral constraint standard for kings of all generations. Corporal Lixian of Tang Taizong, Wei Zheng repeatedly gave death to advice but did not get blame, the surface reflects tang Taizong's imperial mind, and the deep factor behind it is influenced by the spirit of Confucianism.
Of course, neither doctrine is absolutely perfect. Confucianism was limited by the feudal environment, and some theories were also very limited. For example, Confucius believed that men were inferior to women, and once put forward that "only women and villains are difficult to raise", such a statement. The implication is to degrade the status of women. For another example, Confucius believed that the idea of the king and the noble and the light is contrary to the core theory of equality of all people, which is caused by the great environmental impact. However, it has to be said that the wide spread of Confucianism has greatly promoted the emergence of new ideas. For the subsequent demise of feudal society, a solid foundation was created. Since the development of Confucianism, it has become a very distinctive cultural thought in China, and in both ancient and modern times, Confucianism occupies a pivotal position and always affects us.
summary:
The vigorous development of Confucianism strengthened the indoctrination of the people by the ancient rulers. In particular, the main theory of teaching and classlessness has allowed scholarship to be widely disseminated. Forgiving oneself and loving others and reducing punishment are also positive aspects of its spread. In general, Confucianism and the later derivation of Cheng Zhu Lixue have greatly enriched people's hearts and played a great role in enlightenment for the germination of new ideas.