I often hear people say, "I'm just an ordinary person." In fact, in ancient China, the word "people" did not refer to the common people of all sentient beings, but to the rich and powerful "nobles".
Tracing back to the roots, the word "people" was first found in the Shang Shu Yao Dian ( Shang Shu Yao Dian ), which contains clouds: "The Nine Tribes are harmonious, the people of Pingzhang; the people are clear, the concord of all nations, and the people of Li are in the changing times!" Here, "the people" and "Li Min" are symmetrical, not equivalent. Therefore, the ancient scholar commented on the day: "The people, the people, the nine tribes, and peace and chapter Ming." A scholar named Zheng Xuan commented more clearly, saying: "The people are the surnames of the hundred officials, and the nations are the people of the world." ...... The disciples of the people, the disciples of the courtiers, are also. ”
The Shang Dynasty after Pan Geng's migration to Yin reached the heyday of slavery. Under the Shang Dynasty, the largest slave owner, there were large and small slave owners such as princes, many births (surnames), many sons, hundred officials, and Shu Yin. Slave owners of the Shang Dynasty were also aristocrats, and these nobles were collectively called "the people". For at that time only slave-owning nobles had surnames, and slaves had no surnames.
According to Sima Wengong's "Records of Xia Benji", it is also mentioned that "Yu was ordered by the emperor to order the princes and the people, and the Xingren people were disciples." It can be seen from this that in the ancient period of our country, the word "people" actually referred to those "nobles" whose status was only second only to that of the princes. They were able to accept the fiefdoms, but in fact they were the ruler's concubines.
The most clear explanation of the word "people" is the famous Qing Dynasty scholar Yu Zhengxie, who directly expounded the true meaning of the word "people" in his book "Decoction of The Class", and its cloud: "The people, speak exclusively of eunuchs." ”
It can be seen from this that the word "people" did not originally refer to the ordinary people of all sentient beings. It was only after the Warring States period, with the complete replacement of slavery by feudalism, that the term "common people" gradually evolved into a common name for commoners.