The merits of the Fuxi and Shennong clans also had a great influence on the formation of Confucius's thought.
I. Confucius's admiration of the Fu Xi clan (Bao Xi clan) in the Zhou Yi
As we all know, Confucius taught the I Ching, and the I Ching is also one of the classic books of Confucianism. Confucius began to study the Zhou Yi around the age of fifty, so much so that he "compiled the Three Absolutes of Wei". In the process of research, Confucius added Yan Ci, Xiang Ci, Wen Yan, Zhi Ci, Shuo Gua, Preface Gua, and Miscellaneous Gua to the Zhou Yi, counting seven items and ten articles, called "Ten Wings", that is, ten explanations and explanations, making the Zhou Yi more perfect and rich, which is a huge achievement of Confucius's study of Zhou Yi.
The I Ching had Lianshan Yi in the Xia Dynasty, Guizang Yi in the Shang Dynasty, and Zhou Yi in the Zhou Dynasty. According to legend, the Bagua and I Ching were created by the Fuxi clan, the Shennong clan and the Yellow Emperor made innovations, and the Zhou Yi was compiled by King Wen of Zhou.
Portrait of Fu Xi
How did Confucius evaluate the Fuxi clan in the Ten Wings?
The I Ching Says:
The king of the ancient Bao Xi clan, Tianxia Ye, looked up at the heavens, looked down at the law on the earth, watched the birds and beasts, and the earth, took the body near and took the things from afar, so he began to make gossip, with the virtue of the gods, with the love of all things. As a knotted rope, it is a net, and it is a fishing vessel to be a servant, and a cover is taken from each other. ”
The "Departure" symbolizes that it is conducive to adhering to the right path, so that it will be prosperous; the cows that are supple in the breeding of livestock can obtain auspiciousness.
Schematic pieces of off-the-beaten-path
Confucius's "Biography of Yan" said: "Depart, Li Ye; The sun and the moon are beautiful in the sky, the grass and trees in the hundred valleys are beautiful in the earth, and the heavy light is beautiful and positive, but it is transformed into the world. Rou Li Hu Zhongzheng, so Heng, is the animal Yak Yoshiya. ”
Confucius's "Xiang Ci" said: "The two works of the Ming Dynasty are separated, and the great man follows the Ming in the four directions." ”
Detachment can be interpreted as: The image of "leaving" is below (fire) and above (fire), which is the appearance of the continuous rise of light. The essence of "Departure" is fire, which represents the sun. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so there is an image of light up and down. The light of the sun shines continuously, and it must be attached to the sky, so it is symbolically attached; the saints who imitate this phenomenon should also continuously illuminate the four directions with the bright virtues of the sun.
The Fuxi clan pioneered the Bagua civilization, just like using the bright virtues of the continuous sun to illuminate the four directions and benefit the people, which is the holiness of the Fuxi clan and the merits established for the people.
Second, Confucius's admiration for shennong in the Zhou Yi
The second chapter of the I Ching says:
"The Bao Xi clan is not, the Shennong clan is made, the chopping wood is the rake, the kneading wood is the qi, and the benefit of the shruging is to teach the world and gain the benefits of all."
In other words, shennong's merit is done according to yigua. (Of course, it is also possible that shennong's merits are similar to yigua, and Confucius attributed shennong to yigua.)
Yigua schematic
"Yi Gua" is shocked and sunk. Confucius said in the "Xiang Ci": Wind and thunder, benefit; a gentleman who sees good will move, and if he has done so, he will change. The "Biography of Yan" says: Benefits, losses and losses, the people say that there is no boundary, from top to bottom, its way is great. "Profit is a matter of interest", Zhongzheng has a celebration.
The overall meaning of the Yigua is to say:
Sundanese is the wind; the earthquake is the thunder. The wind and thunder stir, the stronger the momentum, the louder the thunder, the wind and thunder help each other, mutual help each other, complement each other's appearance, symbolizing the meaning of "gain". The enlightenment obtained from this is that when a gentleman sees good behavior, he immediately looks at it, corrects it immediately when he has a mistake, and constantly enhances his own good character. The monarch will benefit from the top to the bottom, reduce the burden on the people, relieve the people's hardships, and serve the people, and the people will be very happy, and they will work together from top to bottom, and they will be able to overcome all difficulties and obstacles; the monarch will be humble, go deep into the people, and observe the will of the people, then his morality will be widely hidden.
Portrait of Shennong
Shennong invented agricultural tools, and taught the people to plant hundreds of grains to quench the people's hunger and thirst. Legend has it that Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, encountered seventy-two poisons a day, and finally invented Chinese herbal medicine, from which the people can use Chinese herbal medicine to heal diseases and reduce suffering. Isn't Shennong's character of self-denial for the people and his great achievements a good interpretation of "Yi Gua"?
Confucius admired the late sage emperor, and the seven thousand words of "ten wings" and the word "saint" appeared 29 times. In the Book of Rites and Fortunes, Confucius also referred to the Fuxi era, the Shennong era, and the Yellow Emperor era before Xia Yu as the journey of the great road, and the era when the world was just.
Third, the avenue is hidden, retreat to the second - with benevolence as the core, etiquette and righteousness as the law
Confucius believed that although in the era after Xia Yu, the avenue was hidden, the world was home, each relative was his own relatives, each son had his son, and his cargo strength was his own, it was still very necessary to take etiquette and righteousness as the law of handling affairs, so as to straighten out the relationship between kings and subjects, to make the relationship between father and son pure, to make the relationship between brothers harmonious, to make the relationship between husband and wife harmonious, and to make the affairs have rules and regulations to follow. Xia Yu, Shang Tang, King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, King Cheng of Zhou, and King Gongdan of Zhou were outstanding figures who paid attention to etiquette and righteousness. They defined benevolence as The French, advocated comity, and instructed people to follow established rules with propriety. If there are those who do not follow the etiquette, the officials will be removed, and the common people can regard this (not acting according to the "etiquette") as a scourge. This can be called a well-off society. (For details, see "Etiquette and Fortune")
It can be seen from this that Confucius believed that the passage of time has passed, the avenue is hidden, and the Datong society has become a thing of the past, but it is also a good choice to take the losses and losses of the ancient saint kings Fuxi and Shennong, to liberate the people upside down, to shine in all directions like sunshine, to condense the virtues of warmth to the people into a "benevolent" word and inherited, and to form an orderly well-off society with "benevolent government" as the ideological core and etiquette as the law.
Therefore, Confucius attached great importance to benevolence, morality and etiquette, and boiled it down to the code of conduct such as benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and faith.