What do Wei Zi's parents represent?

Parents are the names of ancient local officials. This word shows a strong feudal social class concept. What the people do well and what the people hate are called the parents of the people. In the pre-Qin period, the concept of parents was vague, and it was not until the Han Dynasty that it was officially explained that it referred to local officials.

Ancient thought is feudal, advocating feudal superstition and paying attention to the unity of man and nature. Therefore, the son of heaven will hope to act in accordance with God's will, govern the country with morality, and love the people like children, so that the people will love and admire the king like their parents. Because everyone in the world belongs to the emperor, and the world is a family. Therefore, the local officials sent by the son of heaven to govern the whole country also mean to govern the party on behalf of the son of heaven. In other words, the relationship between local officials and local people is similar to that between parents and children. This is why local officials can be called "parents".

On the other hand, the ancient modes of transportation and information dissemination are not as convenient as it is now to know what's going on in the world without leaving home. Ancient local officials had great power in the local area, which, in a derogatory term, could be described as dominating the sky. Ordinary people have things and grievances, and they have to find local officials to decide. Moreover, a local official with excellent moral character and consideration for the people is not particularly common, and many of them are corrupt officials. Therefore, "parents" is actually a kind of praise and hope for local officials by the people. At the same time, such parents usually have direct contact with local people and have the power to kill and seize.

And feudal society paid special attention to filial piety. It can be said that parents are Children's Day, and parents love children best. So parents have two characteristics: leading and caring for the people. A good local official should love the people as much as his children. When people's rights and interests are violated, local officials should make fair judgments and safeguard them.