Confucius, China's most famous scholar and educator, is also a recognized sage in China since ancient times. In the political field, he paid attention to "benevolent people love benevolence" and advocated the implementation of benevolent government and etiquette to liberate the people from the suffering of the Spring and Autumn War. In terms of education, Confucius advocated "teaching without class, teaching according to aptitude." Under the efforts of Confucius, the Confucianism he founded became the prominent school of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it became the only official doctrine in China and occupied a dominant position. In the years that followed, Confucius's thought deeply imprinted all Chinese. To this day, his words and ideas are still regarded as truth by many. Therefore, the upsurge of "Sinology" has once again risen in mainland China.
Although Confucius was called a "saint", in history, he was not "white and flawless". Among them, the most controversial "stain" of Confucius is the "killing of Shao Zhengdi" incident. So, who is Shao Zhengdi? Why did Confucius kill him?
Like Confucius, Shao Zhengdi served as an official and ran a school in the state of Lu. The so-called "Shaozheng" refers to the official position of the person; and "卯" is the surname of the person. In the state of Lu, Shao Zhengdi was not of low status, and he was a doctor with a fief. In the era when that person's mind was changing and the storm was turbulent, Shao Zhengdi, like Confucius, also thought of running a school and teaching, and passed on his own knowledge to everyone.
Confucius had always been known as erudite and eloquent, and Shao Zhengdi's wisdom was not under him at all, so there was an endless stream of students who followed him, even more than Confucius. Because the place where Shao Zhengdi ran the school was not far from Confucius, many confucius students also went to Shao zhengdi's school to listen to lectures in their leisure time, but Yan Hui refused to go.
In 496 BC, Confucius became the Grand Sikou of the State of Lu. The new official took office with three fires, and confucius had just seven days after he took office, he made a surprising decision to kill Shao Zhengdi. Confucius arrested and imprisoned Shao Zhengdi for "confusing the people", and soon beheaded him and violently executed him for three days.
Even his disciples felt deeply unundergeful about Confucius's decision. Didn't Confucius pay attention to "benevolence and righteousness"? Hasn't it always been against the abuse of killing? Why did you kill Shao Zhengyi? You know, Shao Zhengdi is also a "smeller". Many people even believe that Confucius was jealous of Shao Zhengdi and hated him for robbing his own students. Just as the so-called peers are wrongdoers, the reason why Confucius killed him is to declare a personal vendetta!
Therefore, Zigong threw this question to Confucius, hoping that the teacher would give an explanation.
In this regard, Confucius replied: "Shao Zhengwei has five bad qualities: "Shao Zhengwei has five bad qualities of being dangerous with a heart (or "going against the odds"), acting in a perverse and firm manner, arguing with falsehood, remembering ugliness and being knowledgeable, and following the wrongs, and as long as a person's character has one of these "five evils," he cannot but impose the "curse of a gentleman.", and Shao Zhengwei is a "villain" who is also a "five evils" and has the ability to confuse the masses and rebel. ”
In Confucius's view, Shao Zhengdi was a typical "mistake in line", so "the more knowledge, the more reactionary". So what kind of thinking is Shao Zhengyi preaching? According to research, Shao Zhengdi may be preaching the ideology of the Legalists, propagating "hegemonic thoughts," and propagating war, harsh law, and power techniques. In the Spring and Autumn Period, when wars and chaos were still frequent, this kind of thinking was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire, and would only bring more wars and deaths to the world, and only bring greater burdens and sufferings to the people. Therefore, Confucius would carry out this "gentleman's curse" and pull out the first harm, so as to achieve the effect of the great rule of the world.
Judging from the example of Confucius who killed Shao Zhengdi, the Confucianism he founded is a doctrine destined to dominate the world and cannot be compatible with any kind of doctrine. If the state is based on Confucianism, it must exclude other doctrines. Therefore, the Han Confucian Dong Zhongshu would suggest to Emperor Wu of Han to "depose the Hundred Families and respect Confucianism alone." An empire can only have one kind of thought. Only by abandoning other ideas can people's thinking not be confused, and a unified empire can remain stable.
Therefore, after Confucius killed Shao Zhengdi, his concept of benevolent government was fully implemented. For a time, the country was ruled, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the road was not left behind. Even the neighboring state of Qi was terrified, believing that if Confucius was not expelled, the state of Lu would sooner or later seek hegemony. Coincidentally, the Han Dynasty finally achieved real stability after "deposing hundreds of families" and extended the state of Zuo to more than 400 years.
Since then, the Chinese Empire has formed a "super-stable structure" with the help of Confucianism, although inefficient, but stable, and stability is also the basis of the successive Chinese Empires, which have always been able to be a world-class power. Although in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, Confucianism was no longer appropriate. But it must not be said that Confucianism is useless learning, or even a delay in China's 2,000 years of learning.
Therefore, Confucius's killing of Shao Zhengdi was not unkind, nor was it a communiqué of personal vendetta and oppression of his peers. What Confucius wanted to kill was not only the person Shao Zhengdi, but also the idea of "killing" Shao Zhengdi. Confucius must not only curse people, but also curse the heart!