Confucius was a great thinker, politician, educator and founder of Confucianism in ancient China. His theory not only influenced the development of China for thousands of years, but also profoundly influenced everyone's thinking and behavior pattern in China, and became the theoretical basis of oriental personality and psychology. Confucian culture founded by Confucius is extensive and profound, which constitutes the mainstream and foundation of China traditional culture and still plays a huge positive role in today's social life. Confucius belongs not only to history, but also to the present, not only to China, but also to the world.
Confucius lost his father in his early years and his family declined. He once said: "I am cheap because I am few, so I can despise." When I was young, I worked as a "Commissioner" (in charge of granaries) and a "farmer" (in charge of cattle and sheep). Although Confucius lived in poverty, he was "determined to learn" at the age of fifteen. He is good at learning from others. He once said, "When we have a threesome, we must learn from each other. Choose good and follow it, but change it if it is not good. " (The Analects of Confucius) He never tires of learning from an ordinary teacher. The villagers also praised him as "knowledgeable".
After the founding of Lu, the regime was in the hands of Sanhuan, headed by Ji. In the early years of Zhao Gong, the three families divided up the military power of the Lu army. Kong Liao once expressed indignation at Ji's trespassing behavior of "eight steps of court dance". In the 25th year of Zhao Gong (5 17 BC), there was civil strife in Lu, and Confucius left Lu to Qi. Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics, and Confucius said, "Jun Jun, minister, father and son." He added: "Politics is about saving money." The ruler of Qi is doctor Chen. Although he likes Confucius' words, he can't use them. Confucius was frustrated in Qi, so he returned to Lu, "retiring to learn poetry, etiquette and music, and attracting many disciples". People come from far away to study in almost all the waiting countries. At that time, Lu was under the control of Ji, and Ji was controlled by his retainer. Confucius was dissatisfied that the government was not in the hands of the monarch, but in the hands of doctors, and was unwilling to be an official. He said, "Being unjust and rich is like a cloud to me."
After Confucius returned to Lu, people in Lu praised "the country is old". At first, Lu Aigong and Ji Kangzi often asked each other about political affairs, but they were not reused. In his later years, Confucius devoted himself to sorting out documents and continuing to engage in education. In the 16th year of Lu Aigong (479 BC), Confucius died and was buried in Surabaya, north of Lucheng.
Confucianism
Facing the rapidly changing social reality at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius absorbed the cultural nutrition of Xia and Shang Dynasties, inherited the cultural tradition of Zhou Dynasty, and established a complete theory with "courtesy", "benevolence", "moderation", "teaching" and "learning" as its main contents, including philosophy, politics, ethics, morality and education. Confucius' theory is rich in connotation and self-contained, which has had a far-reaching influence in the history of China.
"Li"
"Rite" is an important category of Confucius' thought and theory. As a social behavior norm, "Li" has a long history. Confucius once said: "because of yin, gains and losses are also known;" Zhou's gains and losses are all known. Its successor or successor, though immortal, is also known. "
Confucius believes that in the Zhou Dynasty, the "rites" developed most perfectly, so he admired the "rites of the week" most. Confucius believes that "courtesy" is a code of conduct that everyone from Tian Zi to Shu Ren must abide by. Confucius' so-called "ceremony" includes both internal spirit and external form. Its internal spirit is to maintain the patriarchal hierarchy and the corresponding ethical relationship at that time. In the Book of Rites, he clearly pointed out: "Don't be rude to the gods of heaven and earth if you are indecent." The position of monarch and minister, regardless of age, cannot be distinguished; There is no indecent assault, and there is no kinship between men and women. Therefore, he believes that what is more important is not the form, but the realization of its inner spirit.
"benevolence"
Confucius particularly emphasized the value and function of "benevolence". He believes that "benevolence" is not only a quality that everyone must have, but also a principle that must be followed in governing the country and leveling the world. For personal cultivation, he advocates that "a gentleman who has no food will violate benevolence, and he will do it in due course." ("Li Ren"). "People with lofty ideals are benevolent, and there is no harm to benevolence, but killing benevolence" (Wei Linggong). Teach students to work hard for "benevolence" with perseverance. For governing the country, he advocates that education should be the goal of governing the country and safeguarding the country, based on caring for the people.
"golden mean"
Confucius' thought of "golden mean" has both the significance of philosophical methodology and moral cultivation. As far as methodology is concerned, there are two main points: one is "neutralization" and the other is "harmony". For this kind of "harmony" and "harmony" thought, Confucius advocated that it should not only be regarded as a way to understand and deal with things, but also be integrated into one's own sexual conduct and quality through cultivation and exercise, and become a human virtue. He once lamented: "The golden mean is also a virtue, even worse, and the people have been fresh for a long time." ("Eternal Night") So put forward: "Quality is better than literature, and literature is better than quality. Gentleness is a gentleman. " ("Ode to Leaves") In his personal style, he achieved "combining rigidity with softness, being strong but not fierce, being respectful without fear" ("Shu Er"), which was respected by his disciples.
"Teaching" and "Learning"
Confucius never tires of learning and never tires of teaching all his life, and has accumulated rich teaching experience. The thoughts of "teaching" and "learning" are important parts of his ideological theory. Confucius used to "learn from officials", and educators and educatees were aristocrats. Confucius founded a private school and put forward that "there is no class in education", which changed the old situation of "learning to be excellent and being an official" and broke the monopoly of nobles on culture and education. Confucius claimed that "I have never been ignorant of self-discipline" (Book II), and his students came from eleven vassal states and people of various backgrounds. For the purpose of learning, Confucius put forward the idea of "learning to be excellent is to be an official" through his disciples' remarks, and supported students from civilian backgrounds to display their talents in politics.
In teaching methods, Confucius is good at discovering students' characteristics in personality and learning, and advocates teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. He said: "Seek to retreat, so enter; Because it is also a person, I retired "("Advanced "). He is persuasive, pays attention to inspiring students to think independently, stimulates students' desire for knowledge, and advocates that "no anger means power, no anger means resentment." If you don't take a corner and use three corners instead, it will no longer be "("Shu Er ").
Respondent: Wu Tiantian-Juren Level 4 10-5 09:39.
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Kong Zi
Confucius (55 BC1-479) was a great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism in the late Spring and Autumn Period. The name is Lu. According to the Family History of Confucius, the year of Confucius' birth is generally recorded as twenty-two years of Duke Xiang of Lu, but the Historical Records does not record his date and birthday, and the Biography of Gu Liang records that Confucius was born in October. Converted into the current Gregorian calendar, it should be born on September 8 +0, 5565438 BC.
Confucius was born in Shandong. Lu, his son, is the fief of Boqin, where intact cultural relics and ancient books of the Zhou Dynasty are preserved and known as the "hometown of rites and music". In the 29th year of Duke Xiang of Lu (544 BC), Wu's son was amazed at Lu. In the second year of Lu (the first 540 years), the doctor of Jin Dynasty visited Lu, and after reading it, he praised "Zhou Li is in Lu!" Lu's cultural tradition and academic decline at that time had a great influence on the formation of Confucius' thought.
Confucius lost his father in his early years and his family declined. He once said: "I am cheap because I am few, so I can despise." When I was young, I worked as a "Commissioner" (in charge of granaries) and a "farmer" (in charge of cattle and sheep). Although Confucius lived in poverty, he was "determined to learn" at the age of fifteen. He is good at learning from others. He once said, "When we have a threesome, we must learn from each other. Choose good and follow it, but change it if it is not good. " (The Analects of Confucius) He never tires of learning from an ordinary teacher. The villagers also praised him as "knowledgeable".
Confucius "stood at thirty" and began to give lectures. Whoever brings a little "Liang Xiu" will be accepted as a student. Such as Yan Lu, Ceng Dian, Luz, Berniu, You Ran, Zigong and Yan Yuan. Is one of the early disciples. Lu Zhishen's sons, Meng and Nangong, both came to learn etiquette, which shows the merits of Confucius in running a school. The establishment of private schools broke the tradition of "learning is in the official" and further promoted the downward movement of academic culture.
After the founding of Lu, the regime was in the hands of Sanhuan, headed by Ji. In the early years of Zhao Gong, the three families divided up the military power of the Lu army. Kong Liao once expressed indignation at Ji's trespassing behavior of "eight steps of court dance". In the 25th year of Zhao Gong (5 17 BC), there was civil strife in Lu, and Confucius left Lu to Qi. Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics, and Confucius said, "Jun Jun, minister, father and son." He added: "Politics is about saving money." The ruler of Qi is doctor Chen. Although he likes Confucius' words, he can't use them.
Confucius was frustrated in the state of Qi, so he returned to Lu, "retiring to learn poetry, books, rituals and music attracts many disciples". People come from far away to study in almost all the waiting countries. At that time, Lu was under the control of Ji, and Ji was controlled by his retainer. Confucius was dissatisfied that the government was not in the hands of the monarch, but in the hands of doctors, and was unwilling to be an official. He said, "Being unjust and rich is like a cloud to me."
In the ninth year of Lu (50 1 year), Yang Huo was expelled and Confucius was appointed as the commander of the capital of Lu at the age of 5 1 year. "After a year's work, it's dry on all sides." Therefore, it all moved to Sikong and was promoted to be a big shepherd. In the tenth year of Lu (the first 500 years), Confucius attended the Qilu Oracle Bone Conference. Confucius believed that "those who have military affairs must have weapons, and those who have military affairs must have weapons." Early prevention frustrated the premeditated plan to hijack the Lu army by force, and recovered the land of Lu' an, Guanfu and tortoise occupied by Qi through diplomatic means. In the 12th year of Ding Dynasty (498 BC), in order to strengthen public office and contain Sanhuan, Confucius cited the ancient system that "the family does not hide armor, and the city has no pheasants", and put forward the plan of "reducing the three capitals", which was implemented through Ren Jishi's sub-road. Because Confucius took advantage of the contradiction between Sanhuan and courtiers, Ji Sun and his uncle Sun Shi agreed to destroy Fei Yi and Houyi respectively. Dan Shi was incited by his ministers, the people and his father and opposed the siege. It is impossible to set up a public encirclement. Confucius' plan was frustrated.
Confucius was an official of the State of Lu. People in the State of Qi were afraid that the State of Lu would become powerful and merge with themselves, so they enjoyed their daughters in the State of Lu and Ji. Ji was entertained by seven women and refused to listen to political affairs for three days. It is difficult for Confucius to exert his political restraint, so he led more than ten disciples, including Yan Hui, Luz, Zigong and Ran Qiu, to leave the "land of parents" and began a wandering career of 14 years. Confucius was 55 years old that year. Chen went to defend the country first, received courtesy first, and then was monitored for fear of being convicted. After crossing the quarry, he was besieged for five days. After the pass, I wanted to go to Jin in Puzhi, but I had to go back to Wei because of the civil strife in Jin. I met Nanzi, which aroused many doubts. Wei Linggong was lazy in politics and didn't need Confucius. Confucius said, "If you use me, it will only take one month and three years." The guards were in chaos at home, and Confucius left Wei Cao Jing to send Song directly. Sima Huankui of the Song Dynasty tried to kill Confucius. When he disguised himself as Zheng of the Song Dynasty, Confucius was sixty years old. Later, Confucius traveled to and from Cai Chen many times, which was "between Cai Chen and Cai Chen". According to historical records, King Zhao of Chu came to hire Confucius, and Dr. Chen and Dr. Cai surrounded Confucius, causing famine for seven days. After the clearance, Confucius went to Chu, and soon King Zhao of Chu died. Wei wants to use Confucius. Confucius answered Lutz's question and said that "correcting the name" must be the first thing in politics. After returning to Wei, Confucius was regarded as a "sage", but it was still useless. In the eleventh year (484 BC), Ran returned to Lu and led the army to defeat the Qi army in Lang. Ji Kangzi sent someone to greet Confucius with coins. Confucius returned to Lu at the age of sixty-eight.
After Confucius returned to Lu, people in Lu praised "the country is old". At first, Lu Aigong and Ji Kangzi often asked each other about political affairs, but they were not reused. In his later years, Confucius devoted himself to sorting out documents and continuing to engage in education. In the 16th year of Lu Aigong (479 BC), Confucius died and was buried in Surabaya, north of Lucheng.
Responder: Zhan Chao-Trainee Magician II 10-5 09:39
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Zi is a cultural giant and is called a "saint" by later generations. Confucianism with his theory as the core is an important part of China's national ideological and cultural construction, which not only plays an important role in the historical development of China, but also has a far-reaching and extensive impact on the enrichment and development of world history and culture. In sharp contrast, there are few accurate records about Confucius' words and deeds. Confucius himself is a "storyteller", and his descriptions in ancient books are mostly exaggerated, deformed and fabled. The most concentrated and authoritative materials about him are The Analects of Confucius and Historical Records. Confucius family. However, The Analects of Confucius is only a disciple's memory record of his teacher, which is inevitably inaccurate, untrue and self-contradictory, and the materials used in Tai Shigong's Confucius' Home are mostly legends at that time. In a word, Confucius left his back and silhouette to future generations. Perhaps, it is the ambiguity of history that arouses people's heart to explore and guess the truth of Confucius, so a series of legends about Confucius have evolved.
First, Confucius in history
Confucius, the famous hill, the word Zhong Ni. "Zi" is an ancient title of respect for men, and "Zhong" is the second child. Confucius was born in the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu (55 BC1) on August 27th in the summer calendar. Born more than ten years later than the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni (according to legend, born in 566 BC); Born more than 80 years earlier than the famous Greek philosopher Socrates; Born 550 years before Jesus Christ.
Confucius' ancestors were nobles in the Yin Dynasty, who were enfeoffed to Song State, and later moved to Lu State to live in order to escape the war. When it reached Confucius' father Shu, it was no different from the common people. Shu Lianggan was a samurai, who made great achievements and became a doctor in the city in his later years. Shu died when Confucius was three years old. Mother Yan Zhizai moved to Qufu, the capital of Lu State, with Confucius since childhood, and lived a poor life. Confucius was eager to learn from childhood and played games in childhood, so he imitated sacrificial ceremonies. When he was old, he herded sheep for a living, and even served as a trumpeter at people's weddings and funerals. Confucius himself once said: "I am cheap because I am few, so I can despise." The harsh living environment tempered Confucius, making him strong-willed and noble. He studied hard, lost his appetite, and was glad to forget his troubles. Since the age of fifteen, he has established his ambition to study and studied tirelessly. Through self-study and consulting others, I mastered the "six arts" that society must master to evaluate whether a person has knowledge at that time. "Six Arts" refers to etiquette (etiquette), music (music), archery (archery), martial arts (driving), books (reading and writing) and numbers (arithmetic). At the age of 30, Confucius further mastered the advanced six classics, namely, books, poems, rituals, music, the Book of Changes and the Spring and Autumn Period. And began to accept apprentices to give lectures, which opened the road of cultural decline and created a precedent for private schools. Due to the profound academic virtues of Confucius, countless students gathered under the door. He claimed to be a 3000 disciple and a 72-year-old master of six arts.
At the age of fifty-one, Confucius became the commander-in-chief of the capital. He served people with virtue and taught the people with courtesy, and formulated the system of "keeping in good health and never dying", so he did a very good job. Within a year, the surrounding counties and cities followed suit. Duke Ding of Lu promoted Confucius as an ordinary official (an official in charge of construction projects) in Lu, and soon promoted him as a scout (an official in charge of justice and diplomacy). Confucius has been in politics in Shandong for only four years, but during this period, he showed extraordinary political talent. At the age of fifty-five, Confucius abandoned his official position and left Shandong, but in order to "seek an official position", he began to travel around the world in order to have the opportunity to govern the country and implement his thought of "benevolent government and rule by virtue". I have been to Wei, Chen, Cao, Song, Zheng, Cai, Chu and other countries, mainly in Shandong and Henan provinces. Under the extremely inconvenient traffic conditions, Confucius took a group of students and spent fourteen years traveling around some countries to publicize his thoughts of benevolent governance and rule by virtue. Although he experienced many difficulties and hit a wall everywhere, he still didn't lose heart. This spirit of unremitting struggle is still worth learning from our descendants.
At the age of sixty-eight, Confucius returned to Shandong after a bumpy ride and was honored as "the old man of the country". During this period, Confucius mainly sorted out the ancient literature materials represented by "Six Arts", which played an important role in connecting the preceding with the following. Confucius initiated the academic atmosphere of private writing and laid the foundation for the famous "A hundred schools of thought contend" in the history of China. In his later years, Confucius was given a cold shoulder politically and suffered many misfortunes in his life. His wife Guan Shi, son Kong Li, disciples Yan Hui, Luz and other close relatives and loved ones all died before Confucius. In the 16th year of Lu Aigong (479 BC), Confucius died at the age of 73 on February 1 1 day.
Confucius is not only the most influential thinker and educator in the history of China, but also a world-famous figure. As early as the Han and Tang Dynasties, Confucius spread to Southeast Asia, especially to South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, which played a certain role in promoting the feudal political, economic and cultural development of these countries. /kloc-in the 0/8th century, Confucius' theory was introduced to Europe and then spread all over the world. Therefore, Confucius' thoughts and theories are an important part of the treasure house of human culture.
Second, folk Confucius.
The activities of Confucius and his disciples, due to the crudeness of ancient historical documents, are not enough to fully and completely reflect their true features, while folk legends and stories have played a role in making up for this defect. Moreover, Confucius and his disciples in folklore seem to be more approachable and credible, because in the creation of folklore, besides authenticity, more are the wishes and ideals of ordinary people.
The legends about Confucius mainly focus on the following aspects:
Diligent and studious Confucius. Confucius once said, "In a threesome, there must be a teacher." He is famous for his eagerness to learn. Legend has it that he studied etiquette from Laozi and piano from Shi Xiang. In my thirties, I also paid a New Year call to Xiang Tuo, who was only seven years old. According to the legend of Confucius, a fisherman's daughter, a mulberry picker, a farmer, an urchin and an old man all worked as Confucius' teachers. The cultural information hidden in this kind of story is that knowledge is in the folk, and the sage is impermanent in the teacher's life philosophy.
A knowledgeable Confucius. Legend has it that Confucius once knew strange birds, distinguished bones, picked up arrows and told history, showing profound knowledge. "1000 Wen Liping" tells the story of Confucius' identification of plant fruits. Legend has it that when the monarch of Chu crossed the Han River, he found a plant fruit on the water, which was red and round. I don't know his name, so I sent an envoy to ask Confucius. Confucius said this is the fruit of duckweed, called Shi Ping. He also said that although there are many duckweeds, it is not easy to get fruit because of the heavy wind and waves. Confucius also said that he once heard a fisherman sing a song by the Han River: "As big as a fist, as red as the sun, the wind and waves have no fixed roots, and the taste is as sweet as a honey bird peck. Once in a thousand years. " It can be seen that Confucius' erudition is not innate, but the accumulation of observation in daily life. As a ballad says, "The sage knows things through the ages because he has a heart."
Confucius who teaches. Confucius pioneered the practice of running a school in a private school, and it is said that regardless of class, teaching is complementary to each other and teaching students in accordance with their aptitude is known as a beautiful talk. Confucius has three thousand disciples and seventy sages. Among Confucius' students, those with good quality, such as Yan Hui and Zi Gong; There are also people with poor quality, such as Zeng Shen and Gao Chai. As for Zeng Shen, who was slow to reflect, after Confucius' "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude" and good guidance, he finally became a famous scholar and Confucian leader after Confucius.
Confucius in charge of politics. Confucius paid special attention to the words "benevolence" and "virtue" in his administration. Legend has it that when he traveled around the world, he once walked to the foot of Mount Tai and saw an old woman crying at the grave, and asked why. She said that her father-in-law, husband and son came to the mountain to escape the tyranny of the government and were all eaten by tigers. Confucius said with emotion after listening: "Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger!" "So he advocated" rule by virtue "to save money, benefit the people, enrich the people and make the people timely. He wants to realize an ideal society by implementing "benevolent governance" and "rule by virtue". Once, four students sat next to Confucius, and Confucius asked them to express their ambitions. Confucius was not satisfied with Lutz's theory of governing the country by force, Ran Qiu's theory of governing the country by economy and Gong Xihua's theory of governing the country by diplomacy. Later, Ceng Dian said: "In March, in the warm wind of Xi, I accompanied five or six adults and six or seven children, took a bath by the water, blew a breeze on the stage, and sang songs all the way back." Confucius expressed great appreciation for this ideal. What he means is that if a country is rich and strong, it needs moral education and cultural edification. Only in this way can the world be truly peaceful, and the situation of "old people are safe, friends are trusted, and a few are pregnant" can be achieved.
Confucius in life. There are many life stories of Confucius in Jining, such as borrowing grain, handling cases and mourning. From this, we can see that some personality traits of Confucius, such as wisdom, kindness, affection and friendship, may be more in line with the true face of Confucius and the wishes of the people. For example, it is said in "Master Strives for Treasure Land" that Confucius, Laozi and Tathagata met unexpectedly in Qufu and all took a fancy to this treasure land. In order to take it for themselves, the three men used their own means. Agreement: Put a treasure in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Cave, first come, first served, then first served, and ask the gods to rule that the next person who owns the treasure belongs to Qufu. Tathagata rides Xiangyun, and Lao Tzu rides Qingniu. Only Confucius walked, and naturally he walked the slowest. Tathagata and Laozi put rosary and blast furnace respectively. When Confucius put the inkstone, he had a plan and put it at the bottom. When the gods ruled, naturally Confucius won. Confucius' opportunism made Tathagata, a lifeless Buddha, furious and helpless and never came to Qufu again. This story is not only an answer to why there are no temples in Qufu, but also an attitude towards Confucianism. This kind of understanding humor can only be reflected in folk literature.
These legends and stories constitute the basic framework of Confucius prototype: Confucius is a wise man from the people and a benevolent person who benefits others. Wisdom and benevolence are the basic qualities of folk saints, and various legends about him generally revolve around these two themes. In fact, this image is the real Confucius in cloth, and it is also a common image of wise and kind old people in rural areas. This image may be closer to the true face of Confucius, different from Confucius as a scholar in the pre-Qin period, different from Confucius as a politician in the Han Dynasty, different from Confucius as the "king of the plains" and different from Confucius who was completely deified in divination. This is the special charm and cultural value of this book.
There are many legends about Confucius' disciples. Yan Hui, Ceng Dian, Zeng Shen, Luz, Zi Gong, Zai Yu, Xia Zi, Min Ziqian, Gongye Chang, Mi Zibian, Gao Chai, Ran Qiu, Fan Chi, You Ruo, Zi Mu, Yuan Xian, Tan Tai, Yu Zi, Gong Liangru, Ran Boniu, Zi You and Yuan Tu have been collected. These stories mainly reflect the personality and talents of Confucius' disciples, such as being virtuous, filial, brave, talented, honest and eager to learn.
The legend of Mencius. Meng Ziming is another great scholar after Confucius. He inherited and developed Confucius' Confucianism, and formed the Confucian orthodoxy that ruled China for more than two thousand years, that is, the way of Confucius and Mencius. Therefore, Mencius was honored as a "saint" by later generations. However, there are many legends and stories of Confucius circulating among the people, almost all over the country, and it is not uncommon to arrange and publish them in newspapers and periodicals, while the stories of Mencius are not widely circulated among the people, and even less are compiled and published in words. From the content point of view, the legend of Mencius in this book can be roughly divided into three aspects:
One is the story of Meng Mu's godson. China's old Mongolian textbook "Saint Amethyst" contains "Meng Mu chose a neighbor in the past; If you don't learn, you will break the loom, which tells the story of Meng Mu's "three strokes to choose neighbors" and "breaking the loom to teach children". Stories widely circulated among the people, such as "Kill the pig without deceiving the son", "Listen to the book outside the window" and "Meng Mu's broken machine", reflect Meng Mu's spirit of making contributions to his godson from one side or with words and deeds. Meng Mu's method of educating children is simple and scientific, which is very instructive for parents who want their children to succeed today.
The second is the story of Mencius preaching benevolence and righteousness. Mencius traveled around the world like Confucius in order to publicize his political opinions to kings of various countries. In the process of traveling around the world, many touching stories have been interpreted. For example, Zou Gong asked about politics, rewarded without accepting bribes, the origin of four beams and eight pillars, the persuasion of hunting grounds, and the discussion of music. "Reward Yong" tells the story of Mencius' first visit to Qi, but he was not valued by Qi Weiwang and was about to leave Qi. Qi Weiwang specially gave him 2200 gold, which Mencius declined. Mencius went to Song State again, and the King of Song adopted Mencius' idea of "implementing benevolent government" and promoted the way of benevolence and righteousness throughout the country. When Mencius was about to leave the State of Song, the King of Song gave Mencius 1,420 gold, which Mencius gladly accepted. On the way home, Mencius' disciples expressed their incomprehension about Mencius' practice and asked, "The King of Qi gave 2200 gold instead, but he accepted the 1420 from the King of Song. Which of these two practices is right? " Mencius said: "Both are right. To give me money without contributing to the King of Qi is to buy me off. If I accept it, it's a bribe. I sent money to me because I did something for Guo Song, which was a reward. If you don't accept bribes, you will naturally be rewarded. " Mencius spared no effort to advocate benevolent governance and treat money differently. Stories like this all illustrate Mencius' people-oriented thought. Only with the support of the people can the regime be consolidated and the country be strong.
The third is a moral story, which shows Mencius' contempt for powerful people and his integrity. Legendary stories such as Mencius' going to Qi, Mencius' being proud of the Prince, calling but not seeing, etc., concentrated on Mencius' noble character of being upright and not afraid of powerful people in his contacts with the upper class. Mencius' pursuit of his own coordinates is: "wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and power can't be bent." Mencius said, "I am good at nurturing my noble spirit." "Success depends on people; If you are frustrated, go your own way. " It's all about Mencius' moral integrity. Mencius looked down on those who only obeyed the monarch's orders in order to get rich by hook or by crook, calling it "the way of concubinage". It is in accordance with these remarks that Mencius left to future generations that the people shaped the image of Mencius in their minds.
Third, the myth of Confucius.
Confucius once said that he "does not speak strangely, forcefully, confusedly or divinely". Legend has it that Confucius also denied myths, such as "the Yellow Emperor's Four Sides" (dead bodies) and "Kui Yi Zu" (Han Feizi), but Confucius didn't believe them. He said that "the Yellow Emperor has four sides", not that the Yellow Emperor has four sides, but that he sent four people to divide and rule; When he said "Kuiyi's feet", he didn't mean that Kuiyi had one foot, but that people like Kuiyi were enough. Confucius turned myth into history. In fact, Confucius spread folk myths, though unintentionally. Behind Confucius, he and several of his famous disciples were gradually attached to many mythical factors in folklore, which made them unconsciously move from historical figures to mythical figures, and finally the two became one.
First, let's look at the appearance of Confucius. Historical records? Confucius said, "Yan's daughter prayed in the mud mound and got Confucius. She was born with her head on top of her head. " "Ding Wei" is a concave head with high sides and a concave middle. "Taiping Yu Lan" Volume 69 quoted "Notes on the Implicit Meaning of the Analects of Confucius": "The coffin of Confucius is one foot four inches long, which is different from ordinary people." "Lu Chunqiu? Shen Da said: "The strength of Confucius is the most important thing in the world." In the folklore of Jining area, Confucius descended to earth as a champion, but he was ugly. His head is not only like an inverted jar, but also has eye dew, nose dew, ear dew, mouth dew, eye dew, ear dew and nose dew, which are called seven dew. His mother, Yan Zhizai, thought it was a monster. Under her husband's persuasion, she threw him in a Berlin on Mount Nai. Later, the tiger fed him. This kind of birth and maintenance method and appearance characteristics are really different from ordinary people.
Let's look at Confucius' ability again. It is said that when Confucius traveled around the world, Chen was deprived of food. Many people were hungry, so he sat on the ground and played the piano. At night, in the darkness, a freak who was more than nine feet tall suddenly jumped out, took Zigong hostage and turned away. Lutz immediately fought with it and didn't win or lose for a long time. Confucius looked at it for a while and found that the armpits of this strange man were always open and closed, like two big hands clapping their hands. Confucius rushed to Luz and shouted, "Put your hand into his armpit and catch him!" Lutz did so, and with a hard pull, the weirdo fell to the ground and immediately became a big silver carp. Confucius said, "Everything is old, and all kinds of elves must attach it, making it a demon. This big silver carp may be an old monster. It saw that we were in trouble and came to rob us. " After Confucius finished speaking, he continued to play the piano and sing, while Luz cooked silver carp. This story tells that Confucius was not surprised, commanding his disciples to fight monsters, eat monsters and solve their difficulties. His ability obviously comes from myths and fantasies. There are also myths such as "Elegy moves the world" and "Confucius inkstone" circulating in Jining area, which also shows that Confucius' ability is beyond ordinary people.
The widely circulated story of Confucius becoming an immortal can best illustrate the myth of Confucius. It is said that many years after the death of Confucius, a Lu native crossed the sea for business and was caught in a storm and drifted to an island. On the island, he met Confucius and his 72 disciples. Confucius said to the businessman, "Lu is about to be invaded by foreign enemies, and disaster is coming." Please go back and report to lujun and repair the city wall to prevent the invading enemy. " Confucius gave the businessman a stick and told him to close his eyes and ride on it. The businessman stepped on a stick and came to the seaside. He threw the stick into the water and turned it into a dragon. Merchants rushed back to Lu to take risks, but Lu Jun didn't believe them. The next day, thousands of swallows built walls with mud in their mouths. As soon as the city wall was built, the Qi army came to attack, and Qufu City was impregnable. The Qi army ran out of ammunition and had to retreat. Many years after Confucius' death, people found him safe and sound. He swam with seventy disciples on an island at sea. Moreover, inspired by patriotism, businessmen were asked to report to lujun with their dragon sticks and build a city for the enemy. Later, things went as expected. Confucius and his disciples in this story are obviously gods or immortals.
In addition to Confucius, several famous disciples of Confucius also have myths of different degrees, such as Yan Hui's sword killing snake spirits, killing monsters, killing dragons in the water, and Gongye Chang's understanding of bird language.
Legends are mostly fictional, with mythical characteristics and real historical factors, so that some people call them "fuzzy memories" of past history or "folk narratives about some past events". Legends produced in later generations have more important historical value.
In addition to historical colors, legends have also changed the center of the story. Myths are dominated by supernatural gods, and legends are dominated by famous historical figures with surnames. However, legend is not a history in a strict sense, but a beautiful and moving story after artistic processing such as material selection, tailoring, fiction, exaggeration, rendering and fantasy, and the same story is more and more typical because it has been passed down from generation to generation.
Confucius is a cultural giant and a historical mystery in the history of our country. To be sure, in the ancient history of China, no one played such a huge role in the evolution of China culture and the formation of national character like Confucius. From the time when Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty ousted hundreds of schools and held Confucianism in exclusive esteem until the end of the Qing Dynasty, although Taoism, Buddhism and western civilization repeatedly impacted China's ideological field, Confucius' theory, like imperial power, always maintained an absolute advantage. a Chinese