During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the saying that "etiquette cannot be inferior to the common people" is debatable, etiquette is not an absolute "no lower people", in order to better manage the grassroots society, the princely states will use etiquette to regulate the people, and at the same time, some etiquette formed independently in people's lives can also become a kind of self-restraint.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with the drastic social changes, the trend of "courtesy to the common people" became more and more obvious, so that people became more and more polite to follow, and the combination and influence of etiquette and grassroots society became closer and closer, and etiquette existed objectively in grassroots society.
First, the transformation of the scholarly class is an important way to "pay tribute to the people"
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, social turmoil, "the decline of the royal road, the abolition of etiquette and righteousness, the loss of politics and religion, the country's foreign government, and the special customs of the family" Zhou Tianzi declined, and the etiquette system in the Western Zhou period was destroyed, and all the princely states rose together, chasing the deer for hegemony, and talents emerged.
In the thirty-second year of Lu Zhao's reign, Shi Mo said to Zhao Jianzi: "The society is impermanent, and the monarch has no permanent position, since ancient times. So the poem says: 'The high bank is the valley, and the deep valley is the mausoleum.' 's surname is now Shu. This dialogue vividly describes the drastic change in the status of nobles and commoners at that time, and many nobles who relied on Shiqing Shilu to maintain their status were severely damaged.
The demand for talents in the various princely states in order to compete for hegemony began to increase, and the scholarly class gradually rose and became an important source of talent. In the second year of the Duke of Lu Wei, Zhao Junfa Zheng promised everyone: "Those who defeat the enemy, the upper doctor receives the county, the lower doctor receives the county, Shitian 100,000, the labor and commerce are completed, and the people are exempted." "It is to give everyone, including ordinary people and lowly slaves, the opportunity to change their fate, which is the embodiment of the policy of the rulers at that time to not pay attention to their background and advocate changing their class by ability in order to compete for hegemony."
It can also be seen from the historical records of this period that the decline of the aristocracy and the entry of grassroots people into the ruling class by virtue of their own talents are extremely common. Bi Gonggao followed King Wu to fell, was given the title of Bi and established the State of Bi, and later the State of Bi was destroyed, and all subsequent generations became commoners.
His Miao descendants knew that Bi Wan, because of his outstanding talents, was able to "serve the Duke of Jin", and when he was dedicated to the Duke for sixteen years, he went on a campaign with the Duke of Sacrifice, "Bi Wan is the right, and Fa Huo, Geng, and Wei are destroyed." "Finally" with Wei Feng Biwan, as the doctor. "Regain glory. Guan Zhong's father was once a doctor of the State of Qi, and when Guan Zhong arrived, his family's fortune tended to decline, and Guan Zhong also worked as a relatively low-status businessman in order to make ends meet.
Later, with his talent, he was recommended by Bao Shuya to assist the Duke of Qi Huan, "The Duke of Qi Huan is hegemonic, the princes of Jiuhe, the world is a Kuang, and Guan Zhongzhi is also a scheme." "Duke Huan of Qi became the head of the Five Hegemons of Spring and Autumn, and Guan Zhong became famous in history from a humble merchant to the Shangqing of the State of Qi.
Su Qin's family made a living from farming, and he was a "man who dug the door in a particularly poor alley and sang household" studied with Ghost Guzi in his early years, and later traveled, but he was helpless to return home because of sluggishness. Later, he became angry and strong, and finally used his talents to help the "six countries from the union and strength" Su Qinye "as the leader of the covenant, and the six countries." "Realizing the value of life.
With the breaking of the strict boundaries between the aristocracy, the complicated etiquette observed by the upper aristocracy was difficult to maintain, and with the decline of the aristocracy, it began to disperse to the people, and the emerging people represented by the aristocracy from the grassroots society to the ruling class began to have more contact with the culture of etiquette.
And people who come out of the grassroots society because they have been in the grassroots society for a long time, their own style of conduct still has the shadow of folk etiquette, and they also understand the situation of the grassroots society and people's needs. Therefore, their implementation of etiquette will be more flexible and flexible, and the etiquette promoted to society will be more in line with the needs of grassroots society and accepted by people.
Second, the downward shift of scholarship has accelerated the process of "courtesy to the common people"
According to the "Hanshu Art Wenzhi", Confucius said: "Gifts are lost and seek wilderness", and lost rites should be visited by the people. In addition, judging from the rise of the scholar class and the grandeur of a hundred schools of thought, it is an indisputable fact that the academic shift in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods brought rituals to the grassroots society. Due to the decline of the royal family and the decline of some nobles, academia fell with the departure of many officials, such as the prince dynasty who lost the battle for the position of Zhou Tianzi and "served the canon of Zhou".
According to the Guanzi Mountain Power Number, Guan Zhong suggested that Qi Huangong set up "five senses", that is, "poets, so remember things." Times, so remember the years also. Spring and autumn, so remember success or failure also. Walkers, the interests of the Taoists. Change, so keep the fierce luck success or failure also. The staker of the diviner, the evil of the evil is also at stake. The power of the people is a field of horses and a garment of gold. This makes you not confused. ”
These knowledge and positions, which should have been mastered by upper-level officials, now need to be selected from the common people to be engaged, which shows that the academic culture began to move from the princely states to the people during the Spring and Autumn Period. Academia moved from the Zhou royal family down to the princely states and then to the people, and was preserved and passed on in some princely states and even the people, thus causing the phenomenon of "the Son of Heaven lost his official position, and the official learning was in the four Yi".
The rise of private learning during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods was also an important way to accelerate the downward transfer of scholarship so as to "honor the people". With the change from the prevalence of learning in the official government to private learning, ordinary people also had the opportunity to study classics, including the Rite Scriptures.
In particular, Confucius, as an important promoter of private learning, advocated "propriety and reason." "If you don't know manners, you can't stand up." He believes that to be a human being, it is necessary to "be virtuous, courteous, shameful and qualified." In his ideological theory, he highly respected Zhou Li and wanted to use Li to maintain the order of the entire society. He not only attached importance to etiquette himself, but also was good at teaching people to etiquette, and even nobles such as Meng Yizi and Nangong Jingshu had learned from him.
Confucius advocated that there is no class in teaching, and the people of grassroots society can also learn from him, and he naturally also taught and popularized etiquette as the moral code of ordinary people. When Confucius and his disciples taught the ritual in the countryside, there were many onlookers. It can be seen that in the process of lecturing, Confucius gradually implemented the etiquette that originally belonged to the aristocratic class to the grassroots society.
The downward shift of scholarship improved the monopoly of education by the upper aristocracy, such as the official government, and the common people at the grassroots level had more access to the etiquette that only the nobles could learn and use. Although the depth and breadth of the downward shift are not sufficient, and not every people can get education, but only this certain degree of cultural downward movement has also made the grassroots society edified by the educational atmosphere, so that the rites are widely accepted by more people.
The privilege of etiquette as a fixed class was gradually broken in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and with the mobility of the scholarly class and the downward migration of scholarship began to spread in all social classes, the use of etiquette began to be more extensive, and it gradually occupied a dominant position in terms of ideology, becoming a non-mandatory code of conduct.
Lixia Shuren is an inevitable way for Lixia to inherit its essence and remove its discomfort according to the changes of the times, so as to spread and improve it more widely, which is the origin of the contention of a hundred schools of thought, and it is also the basis for adapting to social development and passing down to future generations for thousands of years. The rulers also followed the trend and began to use etiquette as a means to maintain social stability at the grassroots level, and to consolidate the rule of unification from the ideological and cultural aspects.
Third, manage grassroots society through moral constraints
Although etiquette is different from the strictness of criminal law, there are no mandatory requirements, but it can subtly restrain people in a gentle way. Propriety is one of the important measures to govern the country and security, "If propriety does not work, then it will go up and down, why will it live forever?" "Therefore, etiquette is inseparable from the management of grassroots society.
The combination of the Zhou people's concept of ghosts and gods and filial piety culture is one of the main reasons why the Zhou Dynasty attached great importance to funerals, and the grand funeral expressed the remembrance and special attention to loved ones, and the three-year period of filial piety also showed the determination to give the elders one last filial piety, so funerals helped to consolidate human relations and strengthen the cultivation of filial piety in moral awareness.
In addition, "Zhuangzi Zhile" mentions: "Zhuangzi's wife died, Huizi hanged" and "Liji Tangongshang" contains: "Zixia lost his son and lost his ming." In "Liji Zeng Ziwen", Confucius said: "I help the burial in the alley party from the old man" These all show that the grassroots society to do funeral affairs between relatives and friends and neighbors is to come to mourn, but also to help others to send funerals, so the existence of funerals can also strengthen the harmonious wind of mutual help between neighbors in grassroots society.
Weddings are divided between men and women, and regular couples, which is conducive to maintaining the stability of individual families and even the whole society. It is recorded in the Book of Rites: "There is a difference between men and women, and then husband and wife have righteousness; Husband and wife have righteousness, and then father and son have relatives; Father and son have relatives, and then kings have righteousness. So it is said: 'Those who faint are the essence of etiquette.' ’”
It can be seen that a harmonious marriage helps to maintain the stability and happiness of the family, so that the family can raise better offspring, form a family atmosphere of father's kindness and filial piety, and then cultivate loyal and patriotic people. Clarifying the sense of family responsibility helps to cultivate a sense of social responsibility, and the harmony and stability of small families is also fundamental to maintaining stable order in the entire grassroots society.
The existence of sincere courtesy enhances the cohesion of the people, and the habit of "courtesy exchanges" makes the interpersonal relations between neighbors in grassroots society more harmonious and the social life of the people more harmonious. Etiquette also plays an indispensable role in the moral cultivation of the whole society, "no words do not meet, no courtesy does not meet each other", people are more polite and courteous in their dealings with others, respecting both others and themselves.
At the same time, the subtleties see the truth, and the use of sincere gifts will also make people respect when interacting with people, make the other party feel that they are valued, create a harmonious and close atmosphere, and shorten the distance between relatives and neighbors in the grassroots society. In addition, other rituals that exist in grassroots society, such as township shooting ceremonies and township drinking ceremonies, can also play a role in educating the people, so they also help to maintain the stability of grassroots society.
IV. Summary
Overall, rites had a profound impact on the Spring and Autumn Warring States period and even on ancient society as a whole. The etiquette followed by the people at the grassroots level may not be as cumbersome and complete as the external form of the upper society, but more like a daily code of conduct and norms, which plays an edifying role for people.
If everyone can take the initiative to use Lilly as their daily behavior norm, then the whole society can establish a harmonious and stable order that is good to others and free from evil. Mr. Ge Zhaoguang believes: "Etiquette is not only an action and gesture, but also a system, but also a symbol of order, and what guarantees the stability of this order is people's awe and respect for etiquette. ”
There is in the "Book of Rites and Clothes": "If the husband and the people teach virtue, and if they are polite, the people will have a sense of character." If the government is taught and the punishment is punished, the people will have a retreat. It can be seen that compared with the coercion of using only severe punishment and law, the former is less likely to cause resistance and rebellion among the people, and then promote the people to truly submit from the heart and make people's minds settle, so as to maintain the stable order of grassroots social life.