Yu Zhao Tongren Radio and Television University Guizhou Tongren 554300
Abstract: Although the "Three Character Classic" is a children's enlightenment book, it itself has high literary value and ideological connotation, it was written in the Southern Song Dynasty, after many dynasties and changes, it still maintains a strong vitality. In the final analysis, his thinking is deeply influenced by Confucianism, and ideas such as "benevolence, etiquette, studiousness, science, and cultivation of Qi Zhiping" in Confucian thought can be found in the "Three Character Classic" and prompted its continuous circulation.
The content of the "Three Character Classic" covers a fairly comprehensive range, starting from "At the beginning of man, nature is good," it introduces us to morality and morality, introduces the five grains, six animals, seven emotions, the four books and five classics, and the hundred sons and hundreds of families, briefly describes the changes of historical dynasties, and finally takes the examples of celebrities as evidence to exhort children to study and make a name for themselves. It includes why you read, how you read it, and what the purpose of reading is. From this, it can be seen that this is a high-level and in line with the needs of the society at that time, and meets the early childhood enlightenment outline of the imperial examination system. As far as the theme of the Three Character Classic is concerned, although it is an exhortation in the era of the Imperial Examination, its main purpose and content are deeply influenced by the old and new Confucianism.
First, it is influenced by traditional Confucianism
First, one of the most important representatives of traditional Confucianism is Confucius, and one of the most important ideological and theoretical cores of his is "benevolence," the essence of which and the spiritual connotation of its representation are quite extensive, which can be understood as moral standards or rationalized as the place where a sound personality lies. "Benevolence" is the highest idea of philosophy, which is regarded by him as the highest state pursued by adult life, and at the same time is described by him as the ideal goal of social development" [1]. In Confucius's view, to become a "benevolent person," one should first have certain virtues. Confucius said, "Filial piety is the basis of 'benevolence'"! This sentence also speaks to the root of benevolence--filial piety. Second, another important core of Confucius's thinking was "ritual," which at that time was essentially to maintain the rule of slave owners and aristocrats. He asked people to act in their own lives in line with their status and identity. In Confucius's thought, "benevolence" and "etiquette" complement each other, and if a person wants to truly become a learned and morally cultivated person, "etiquette" is a fundamental condition that he should have. Confucius once said, "A gentleman who is knowledgeable in literature and courtesy can also be a gentleman." "Etiquette" is not only the basis for a person's self-reliance, but also the cornerstone of his path to his ideal personality. In this sense, Confucius's ideas of "benevolence" and "etiquette" are again a kind of moral and ethical standard, "benevolence" is the standard of self-ideal personality, and "etiquette" emphasizes the constraint of "I" and others in social relations. The "Three Character Classic" has been influenced by such an idea in the creation of its contents, and everywhere it shows the characteristics of "benevolence" and "courtesy." For example, in the text, it is said: "As the Son of Man, when the party is young." Dear teachers and friends, learn etiquette. Fragrant nine years old, can warm the seat. Filial piety to relatives, what should be done. Melting four years old, can make pears. Brother yu long, should know first. The first filial brother, the second sight and smell"[2]. This part mainly uses the two stories of "Xiang JiuLing" and "Kong Rong Let Pear" to briefly and graphically introduce the most important standards of ancient moral behavior - filial piety and compassion. This is in line with Confucius's idea of "benevolence". Then it is mentioned later in the article: "Father and son are kind, husband and wife are from." Brothers are friends, brothers are respectful. The order of the elder and the young, friends and friends. The king is respectful, and the subject is loyal. These ten righteousnesses are the same as those of man"[3]. Here, the "Three Character Classic" does not need complicated theoretical explanations, and only uses a simple 24 words to briefly introduce the various complex "ritual" numbers between people in social relations.
Second, the concept of education is also a very important point of Confucianism, Confucius attaches importance to study and education, and there are as many as three thousand of his disciples, and he advocates "eager to learn" and said that "in the ten rooms, there must be those who are as faithful as Qiu, and they are not as good as Qiu Zhi." Confucius regarded "eagerness to learn" as an important quality and behavior that is different from "virtue." There is a dialogue in the Analects of Yang Goods: "Yuya! Female smell six words six hidden? "No." "Ju, my whispering woman." Good benevolence is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also foolish; good knowledge is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also sloppy; good faith is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also thief; good straightness is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also cunning; good courage is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also chaotic; good is not easy to learn, and its concealment is also crazy. This shows Confucius's emphasis on "eagerness to learn". Of course, Confucius's "learning" does not simply refer to learning, but also refers to the study of benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, faith, rigidity, courage, and so on. Confucius emphasized that the pursuit of "ethical virtue" cannot be separated from being eager to learn, and must be combined with "eagerness to study" and in harmony with various "virtues" in order to become a true "benevolent person." Through Confucius's remarks, we can see that he not only regarded eagerness to study as a good quality and excellent ability independent of "morality," but also regarded "eagerness to study" as a value orientation of a good mind, and only "eagerness to study" can embody a person's "moral character," so Confucius combined "ethical virtue" with education and study." In the first part of the "Three Character Classic," the main content is to advocate education and study, believing that human nature is good, but like a blank piece of paper, it will change with the changes in the social environment, and if it is not studied, the character will become bad. Therefore, he asked children to first learn good moral behavior, to restrain themselves with the code of conduct in society, and then to learn. This idea of combining moral education with education is also consistent with the Confucian view of education. And the section also indicates the responsibility of parents as teachers in the process of children's learning, that is, "it is the fault of the father to not teach." If the teaching is not strict, the teacher is at fault." As the Tang Dynasty Confucian scholar and educator Han Yu said, "Teachers, so preach and teach karma to solve puzzles." This shows the importance of the Three Character Sutra to education and learning.
Ii. The Influence of Neo-Confucianism
For example, Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty added the concept of heavenly induction to Confucianism, and Confucianism was not only carried forward in the Song Dynasty, but also pushed to a new height by the world, that is, the rise of Neo-Confucianism. However, at that time, there were quite a few schools of Confucianism in the Southern Song Dynasty, and at that time, the authors who had a relatively great influence on the composition of the "Three Character Classic" believed that there were two schools, one was Cheng Zhu Lixue, and the other was the later Zhejiang Eastern Shigong School. Although the two schools of thought are different, they are different branches of traditional Confucianism. Therefore, although the two factions have some ideological controversy, Wang Yinglin has integrated the excellent ideas of each school into his own works.
(i) The influence of science
First of all, the science of science, which emphasizes righteousness, advocates that the existence of heavenly reason destroys human desires, and heavenly reason is the principle of nature, it is the source of all things, it is also the master of all things in the world, and it is also the norm that people must abide by in their own behavior and activities. Human desire, on the other hand, is the evil side of human nature, including greed, lust, and so on. The existence of heavenly reason and the desire to destroy people are two opposing aspects, which express the opposition between collective interests and individual interests, and long-term interests and immediate interests. In reality, The Heavenly Principle originates from the principles of society, and as a member of society, we should correct people's hearts, know honesty and shame, and revere righteousness. In the "Three Character Classic", Wang Yinglin spent a certain amount of space introducing some disciplined concepts such as the Three Principles, Five Constants, Six Meanings, and also taught that children should have the qualities they should have morally, such as knowing filial piety and respecting elders. These are all codes of conduct that can be binding in society, and the opposite of these is the "human desire" that society denies. Therefore, Wang Yinglin brought these important theoretical knowledge into the book in a simple form for children to learn, which not only demonstrated his theoretical thinking, but also conducive to children's enlightenment. Second, self-cultivation, family unity, governance of the country, and peace in the world are a kind of governing concept advocated by Song Dynasty scholars, that is, what we often call "repairing Qi and ruling the world." Although traditional Confucianism also proposes this kind of "inner saint" and "outer king" personal cultivation advanced model, "these ideas are expressed in the theory of moral statehood, but the political and moral tendencies that can be manifested in practice are biased toward the "outer king." That is, to emphasize the spirit of the public and the character of the world, and to emphasize the external value of the moral personality, rather than the moral aesthetic requirements and internal cultivation values of the individual's self-consciousness." In the Song Dynasty, Confucians paid more attention to the establishment of their own moral personality and the accumulation of personal cultural accomplishment. They believe that the reason for the collapse of the former dynasty was political corruption caused by the disregard of government officials for the ethics and morality of the program. Therefore, the focus of the advanced model of the Song Dynasty's "Xiu Qi Zhi Ping" shifted from "outer king" to "inner saint." In the "Three Character Classic," its main content is to expound moral etiquette, introduce human ethics, teach children to recognize things, briefly describe history, and so on, and finally come to express that the purpose of study is to obtain meritorious fame and fame. This teaching model, which focuses on establishing a good personality and accumulating cultural accomplishment, not only embodies the Confucian "cultivation of peace and governance," but also embodies the ideological transformation from the "outer king" to the "inner saint" of the Song Dynasty.
(2) The influence of the Zhejiang Eastern School of Meritorious Service
The meritocratic school is the spokesman of utilitarianism, advocating that reading books is aimed at "economy"; they pay attention to reality and base themselves on reality, believing that people should pursue certain meritorious names to reflect their own value, but at the same time, they also advocate pragmatism, practicing practical government, and building practical merits. Although the meritocratic school emphasizes "attaching equal importance to utilitarianism," patriotic thinking is still their main theme. Although the theme of the "Three Character Classic" is exhortation, the purpose is to require children to "promote their reputation, show their parents, and be light in the front and more than in the back." This utilitarian view was clearly influenced by the meritocratic school. Although this concept is somewhat flawed today, this concept of "applying it to the world" had a certain cultural accumulation in the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was precisely this unique concept that created the "Zhejiang model" that is full of vitality today. The strong vitality of the Three Character Classic not only comes from its incisive language, but also from the excellent connotation of Confucianism, which conforms to the interests of the ruling classes of various dynasties, and is also the inexhaustible driving force for the source of its life. The "Three Character Classic" captures the essence of Confucianism. Although his thinking is full of the interweaving of old and new Confucianism, its content is neutral and practical, and its thinking is impartial; it is only a simple introduction to the principle ethics, subsets of scripture and history, and common sense of history, and the theme of persuasion is also positive and progressive; this kind of content and ideological softness conforms to the requirements of various eras, and this is precisely the important reason why the "Three Character Classic" can become a classic of Mongolian studies.
References [1] Jia Haitao. A Political Study of "Confucian Governance" in the Northern Song Dynasty[M].Jinan:Qilu Book Society,2006:301.] WANG Yinglin. Chinese Classics Collection. Translation of Li Yi'an. Zhonghua Bookstore[M].Beijing:Zhonghua Bookstore,2006:5-7.