Imperial Examination System and Confucian Classics

Common sense of Confucian classics 1. What is the common sense of Confucianism?

Confucianism is one of the pre-Qin hundred schools of thought, and its founder is Confucius.

In the pre-Qin period, Confucianism was on an equal footing with other schools. Qin Shihuang's "burning books to bury Confucianism" suffered a heavy blow, which arose after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty put forward the idea of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" in order to maintain autocratic rule. The concepts of Confucianism, Confucianism and Confucianism should be distinguished.

Confucianism, as a theory, as a stratum and as a belief, has similarities and differences and needs to be distinguished. Confucian classics mainly include thirteen classics.

There are six Confucian classics: The Book of Songs, Shangshu, Yili, Jing Yue, Zhouyi and Chunqiu. Qin Shihuang "burned books to bury Confucianism". It is said that Yue Ji was lost after the Qin fire. On this basis, the Eastern Han Dynasty added The Analects of Confucius, The Book of Filial Piety and The Seven Classics. Zhou Li, Book of Rites, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Beam, Erya and Twelve Classics were added in the Tang Dynasty. Mencius was supplemented in the Song Dynasty, and later the Notes to Thirteen Classics was handed down from generation to generation.

Thirteen Classics is the basic work of Confucian culture. Traditionally, Yi, Shi, Shu, Li and Chunqiu are called Jing, while Zuo Zhuan, Yang Gongzhuan and Gu Liangzhuan belong to the biography and ceremony of Chunqiu Jing. The later four books refer to Daxue (one in the Book of Rites), The Doctrine of the Mean (one in the Book of Rites), The Analects of Confucius and Mencius, and the Five Classics refer to Zhouyi, Shangshu, The Book of Songs, The Book of Rites and Zuo Zhuan.

2. Some knowledge related to Confucian culture

abstract

Confucian culture was founded by Confucius, carried forward by Mencius and Xunzi, continuously expanded and enriched by Dong Zhongshu and Zhu, and was regarded as an authentic school by the rulers after the Han Dynasty. Although Confucianism contains a lot of feudal toxins, it also contains countless ideological treasures, which has become the precious spiritual wealth of China people.

basic feature

The development of Confucian culture has a history of 2500 years, and the whole process has gone through four stages, namely:

(1) Pre-Qin primitive Confucianism initiated by Confucius.

⑵ Confucianism in Han Dynasty represented by Dong Zhongshu

(3) Neo-Confucianism of Song and Ming Dynasties marked by Neo-Confucianism of Cheng and Zhu.

(4) Modern Neo-Confucianism under the impact of Western learning.

The pre-Qin primitive Confucianism took benevolence and propriety as its basic contents, ethics as its standard and humanity as its center, which embodied the humanistic spirit of Confucian sages and was a "distinguished scholar" at that time. Basic characteristics of Confucianism in pre-Qin period;

First, the transfer from ritual culture to legal culture.

Second, the theoretical orientation based on ethics and humanity.

Third, humanism is high.

Confucianism in Han Dynasty is a kind of royal learning supported by the government. It takes the Confucian classics as the form of expression, combines with divination, and integrates the thoughts of Yin and Yang, name, dharma and Huang Lao, forming a new system of superstitious Confucianism, which is different from the pre-Qin period. New features of Confucianism in Han dynasty;

First, the politicization of Confucianism.

Second, Confucian classics.

Third, the apotheosis of Confucianism

Fourth, it is inclusive.

The important feature of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties is to philosophize traditional Confucianism. While adhering to the principle of ethical standard and moral center, we should absorb the thinking methods of Buddhism and Taoism, enrich the thinking content, improve the theoretical level, and build the universe ontology with reason, qi and heart as the highest category. New features of Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties;

First of all, introduce the philosophy of Buddhism and Taoism.

Second, eradicate desire and rebuild the moral ideal of etiquette system.

Third, hold high the "inner sage" style of study.

Modern Confucianism continues orthodoxy, revives Confucianism, and follows the theory of mind and nature of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. Take Confucianism as the standard, absorb and integrate western learning, and carry forward Confucianism in reality. New features of modern neo-Confucianism;

First, aid western learning into Confucianism and integrate Chinese and western learning.

Second, the new Confucianism did not regard traditional Confucianism and western modernization as opposites.

Third, the feelings of cultural conservatism.

3. The influence of Confucian classics on later generations.

The most important point is that Confucianism advocates hierarchical system and strengthens centralization. After studying, these thoughts became natural and had a positive impact on the stability and development of China's imperial power system in 2000.

Confucian classics make this idealistic ideology of Confucianism become the mainstream ideology. After the appearance of the imperial examination, Confucian classics has always been one of the examination subjects, and Confucianism has become the spiritual core of intellectuals.

Of course, the study of Confucianism also made China's other thoughts and theories rejected as "non-mainstream". With the development of history, China's thoughts have gradually developed towards a single trend, but there are always a few "heresies" with fresh ideas, which seriously hinder the formation and development of democratic thoughts.

4. What do you mean by Confucian classics, Confucian mind, Confucian Neo-Confucianism and Confucian Qi? How do you understand them?

Words are allowed to rise, and the number is integer. Taihe (now Jiangxi) people.

Jinshi He served as editor of Hanlin, secretary of Nanjing imperial academy, right assistant minister of Nanjing official department, left assistant minister, and minister of Nanjing official department.

After resigning, he took up writing. On the relationship between reason and qi, he thinks that reason lies in qi, which is the source of all things. He gave his own explanation to Zhu's viewpoint of "one principle is different", and thought that after everything was created by Qi, one principle was divided into different principles, which was a book with different principles.

Taiji is a general term for many principles, but it is based on qi. In the relationship between mind and matter, mind is regarded as a cognitive organ and a thing.

The mind can "infer the number of things and know the reason of things", but it can't "set the world". In sexual relations, he disagreed with the distinction between the nature of destiny and the nature of temperament, and thought that there was only one kind of sex, that is, the principle of qi.

He criticized the viewpoint of preserving justice and destroying people's desires, and advocated the unity of reason and desire to abstain from desire. However, he accepted the view that sex is reason, and admitted reason in his heart, that is, the nature of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom.

He is the author of Puzzled Stories, Stories of the Whole Temple and Continued Manuscripts of the Whole Temple. A thinker between Neo-Confucianism and Qi. )

Wang Tingxiang (1474~ 1544) was a thinker of Ming Dynasty in China. Zi Ziheng, named Jun Chuan.

Yifeng, Henan (now Lankao, Henan) was born. metal and stone―hardness and strength

He used to be a military attache, a judge in Bozhou, a censor, a minister of war in Nanjing, and a censor in Zuodu, Duchayuan. Philosophically, he advocated "the theory of vitality".

It is believed that primary energy is the ontology of the universe. The universe is not "silent", but an "endless" dynamic process.

In epistemology, it advocates "both knowing and doing", emphasizes "practice" and pursues "true knowledge". In the view of history, it is believed that history is evolutionary and heaven and man are one.

Politically, we advocate change, develop social production, and restrain the mighty. His thought is an important link in the development from Zhang Zai to Wang Fuzhi, and it has a certain position in the history of philosophy.

He is the author of Wang Ji and Wang Junchuan. There is Selected Works of Wang Tingxiang's Philosophy published by Zhonghua Book Company.

Wang Tingxiang inherited the materialistic thoughts of Wang Chong, Fan Zhen and others, absorbed the essence of the philosophical thoughts of Confucius and Zhu, and became one of the shining materialistic philosophers in the history of China philosophy. Wang Tingxiang is very good at studying Confucian classics, and has made many criticisms on the arguments of some Confucian scholars, especially Neo-Confucianism, and published his own independent opinions.

He is also very good at natural science, and has also contributed to astronomy and geography. He talks about agriculture and writes about temperament.

Wang Tingxiang is a materialist thinker. He believes that "Qi" is the origin of the world and "Qi" is immortal. Only when there is "qi" can there be "reason" What he called "qi" is material, which is contrary to the idealistic worldview of Song Confucianism that "this is the only reason before heaven and earth".

He opposed mysterious superstition and theocracy, and emphasized the idea that "man can conquer nature". Wang Tingxiang thinks that "asexuality without qi" means that there is sex when you are alive, which denies the so-called "naturalness" invented by some Confucians outside qi, and also disapproves of the transcendentalism of "good nature" and "evil nature".

He supported Kong Qiu's view that "although sex is similar, learning from each other is far away" and advocated that "sex becomes learning". Therefore, he advocates that children should form good habits from childhood, not keep them at home, let them contact with social reality and broaden their "knowledge". Wang Tingxiang attached great importance to "knowledge of knowledge" and strongly opposed the so-called "knowledge of virtue" of Song Confucianism and "to conscience" of Wang Shouren.

He believes that knowledge is the product of the combination of "thinking" and "seeing". It is "true knowledge" to ask for practice in practice, and it is against empty and useless lectures and reading in learning.

He demanded that "learning" and "thinking" should not be neglected, and "speaking" and "practicing" should be carried out simultaneously. He not only requires the combination of "thinking" and "learning", but also requires the combination of "thinking" and "doing"

So he put "thinking" in a particularly important position in the learning process. He believes that there are two ways to learn, namely "knowing" and "doing", both of which are superior, and it is necessary to "know and do at the same time" to achieve the goal.

With regard to moral cultivation, according to his materialistic epistemology, Wang Tingxiang put forward the method of opposing the emphasis on introspection and rest, and advocated the method of observing internal and external affairs, combining dynamic and static, being guilty and harmonious, and advancing with the times. He called those who cling to old knowledge, can't keep pace with the times and are unreasonable "shallow" and those who flatter the country regardless of the national plan "despicable". Such a person cannot be appointed.

He advocated starting from self-denial and gradually achieving no desire and no self, in order to achieve "great harmony." In addition, you should always make up for your migration and make yourself brand-new.

Let everything be in its proper place. This is "benevolence". Gu (16 13~ 1682) was a materialist thinker in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

The word Ning Ren, No.,is from Kunshan, Jiangsu. In his youth, he participated in the "Restoration Society" which criticized the disadvantages of the late Ming Dynasty.

When the Qing soldiers went south, they mobilized troops to resist the Qing army. Gu's academic achievements are manifold.

He inherited the tradition of China and ancient naive materialism, criticized Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties, and put forward the famous proposition that Confucian classics is Neo-Confucianism. His legal thought also echoed the progressive social trend of thought at that time, with the color of opposing absolutism.

In view of the bad style of study of scholar-officials in the late Ming Dynasty, he advocated reading, being pragmatic and applying what he had learned, and linked academic research with solving social problems. He is the author of Disease Records of Countries and Counties in the World, Japanese Knowledge Records, Five Books of Phonology, and Poems of Lin Ting.

Under the historical conditions of social unrest in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Gu realized that feudal rule was on the verge of crisis, so he opposed Gu Ni's invariability and stubbornness, and pointed out that the laws formulated by predecessors could not predict the development of the situation, which had long been a "land of flexibility", and future generations, such as "sticking to the old chapter" and "sticking to its unchangeable name", would certainly form "great disadvantages". In order to adapt to the trend of "having to change", he put forward a series of social reform programs, such as reforming taxes, limiting land rent, implementing equal land system and reclaiming land; Reform the monarchy and replace it with bureaucratic rule; Cancel stereotyped writing system, implement county recommendation, and so on.

Although he also called for "learning from the past", he intended to help the past and serve the current reform.

5. What are Confucian classics?

Confucian classics, of course, refers to the knowledge of interpreting Confucian classics, so when it comes to Confucian classics, we must first make clear what Confucian classics are.

In Shuo Wen Jie Zi, Jing is taught as weaving, and Duan Yucai notes it as vertical line, which is extended to silk thread for binding books, and then refers to books. But the "classics" here certainly do not refer to all books, but specifically to Confucian classics. It is not enough to clarify this point, because previous Confucian scholars have made a lot of arguments because of the scope of "Jing", and even a knowledge called "Jing Ming Kao" has appeared. Some people only refer to Confucius' works as Jing, while others claim that Jing is an officially designated Confucian classic.

The work of Confucian classics research is mainly to annotate and sparse classics. The so-called "annotation" is to explain the meaning of the words in the classics, but some annotations are too brief or outdated, so later people interpret them as annotations and call them "sparse".

Other names such as Xie, Textual Research, Ji Jie and Justice are different except the notes, but their practices are mostly similar. They all studied the Confucian classics in detail, hoping to understand their true meaning. The contents of Confucian classics are difficult to understand and controversial, but they also include the principles and proper sources of explaining the order of the universe, politics, moral norms and even daily life. Therefore, the study of Confucian classics has become the most important academic activity since the Han Dynasty.

In addition, the reward given by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to the study of Confucian classics made people familiar with Confucian classics receive courtesy. It was precisely because of this that more people devoted themselves to the study of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty that there was a saying that "it is better to teach a son once than to leave a son full of money". Hanshu? The Five Classics and Confucian works are still two categories. During the Six Dynasties, seven books gradually changed to four books, but in Sui Shu? The annals of Confucian classics formally classified the academic research at that time into four categories according to "group classics, history, philosophy and collection", that is, Confucian classics came first, and this classification method was still accepted by people until the Qing Dynasty.

However, from a historical point of view, the study of Confucian classics is to explain variable annotations through unchanging texts, which is equivalent to the publication and elaboration of scholars' thoughts. Considering the sanctity of classics, we can find that the activities of Confucian classics at the political level are very complicated. After obtaining the "legal system", all dynasties hoped to gain the recognition and support of Confucian scholars, that is, intellectuals, that is, the "sacred system." Different from the "orthodoxy", which is derived from the concept of family law and the study of law and symbolizes the authority of classical interpretation, the acquisition of orthodoxy symbolizes that a * * * not only gained the sovereignty by force, but also recognized the social culture and value.

A typical example is the Qing Dynasty. As an alien, it is not easy to break through the concept of "Hua Yi" in the Spring and Autumn Period. They actively exercise political power, either killing (such as literary inquisition), wooing (such as taking scholars to learn), or releasing (such as compiling Siku Quanshu, Shi Ming, and Secret Records of Yi Jue), or banning burning. In order to display their political ambitions, scholars should not only gain the support of political forces from legalists, but also find the basis for their arguments from orthodoxy. Therefore, they often influence the political thinking of the ruling party through the interpretation of the sacred classics. Under the premise of "interaction between scholars and gentlemen", Confucian classics have become an important medium of political interaction.

6. What ideas do Confucian classics advocate?

Confucian classics, that is, the knowledge of interpreting Confucian classics, is one of the four major disciplines in ancient China.

There are two theories about the time when Confucian classics came into being. One is from Confucius, because Confucius revised the ancient classics into "Six Classics" and taught his disciples by it, which opened the Confucian style of study with "spreading classics" as "preaching"; On the other hand, the study of Confucian classics began in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, marked by the establishment of a doctor of the Five Classics in the imperial court, and the selection of officials was based on proficiency in Confucian classics, thus making Confucian classics a specialized knowledge and a prominent study. In the period of Confucius, the annotation of Confucian classics was limited to private teaching, and did not form universal knowledge in society. Strictly speaking, the formal formation of Confucian Classics was after Confucian Classics became official knowledge in Han Dynasty.

From then on, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, although the form was different and the content changed, the study of Confucian classics was always the highest knowledge set by China officials and played a very important role in the operation of the whole feudal social system. After the formation of Confucian classics, due to the different texts of ancient books, there was a distinction between modern Confucian classics and ancient Confucian classics in Han Dynasty. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to the division of political geography, the difference between "southern learning" and "northern learning" was formed; After the unification of Sui and Tang Dynasties, there appeared a more progressive theory of righteousness and sparseness. Confucian classics developed into Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties; In the Qing Dynasty, the Confucian classics scholars inherited the tradition of ancient Chinese classics in the Han Dynasty, carried forward textual research and exegesis, made unprecedented achievements, formed the so-called "Ganjia School", and reached the peak of the development of ancient Confucian classics in China.

The development of Confucian classics originated from Confucian classics, and at the same time it was regarded as the imperial theory of monarchy. Although restricted by various factors, scholars of past dynasties still put forward many thoughtful views in the discussion of Confucian classics, which showed the glorious side of China scholars. For more than 2,000 years, Confucian Classics has continued and developed China's ancient social concepts and national thoughts. A history of Confucian classics is also a history of China's ancient thoughts.