Adult and Sage: Essence of Confucian Ethical Morality

Author: Tang Kaixin / Zhang Huacheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The Spring and Autumn Period was a time of social upheaval and turmoil, known as the "decline of rites and the disintegration of music." The old social order faced a severe crisis. From the social root, this was due to the emergence of a new representative of productive forces—the landlord class. These newly privileged social elites possessed strong economic power and were dissatisfied with their political status, which did not match their economic strength. They demanded more political rights and challenged the old system and old order. Various political forces stepped onto the social stage, proposing their own interests and demands, forming numerous political and cultural centers, and giving rise to diverse schools of thought. The Confucian school emerged against this social and historical backdrop.
First, the bloodline family and the patriarchal hierarchy, based on small-scale natural economy, served as the social foundation for the emergence of the Confucian school. Ancient China transitioned from tribal clans to a state society. From the perspective of state formation, it had an inseparable connection with the bloodline family. However, during the Xia and Shang dynasties, the succession of power was not yet strictly regulated. By the Zhou Dynasty, with the perfection and strengthening of the patriarchal system, it permeated all aspects of social life. The modern scholar Wang Guowei conducted a detailed study of the Zhou Dynasty system, revealing its typical feature of the unification of succession (the line of state power) and lineage (the line of bloodline families). In this social and historical form, the Son of Heaven was the highest patriarch, with his eldest son succeeding as the Son of Heaven and the remaining sons becoming vassals. Vassals were the patriarchs of their states, with their eldest sons succeeding as vassals and the remaining sons becoming high ministers. High ministers were small patriarchs of their states and also the heads of local communities. Below them, in order of the patriarchal system, came scholars and commoners. The political line of succession completely coincided with the patriarchal line, with the family and state being structurally identical. Administrative heads at all levels were also the highest leaders of bloodline clans. The patriarchal system became the most fundamental institution of society.
After the Qin and Han dynasties abolished feudalism and established prefectures and counties, the family and state no longer coincided in form. However, due to the development of ancient productive forces, the small-scale natural economy of the family and household remained the economic foundation of social life, and the family and state did not fundamentally separate. In the Zhou Dynasty, upholding this bloodline and patriarchal hierarchical social system was primarily manifested in the practice of rites. Confucians were originally ritual specialists who implemented and promoted rites, serving the ruling aristocracy to consolidate the existing social system, which was the fundamental duty of Confucians.
During the turmoil of the Spring and Autumn Period, the aristocratic class gradually declined, and Confucians transitioned from being dependents of the aristocracy to a relatively independent social class. Forced to survive by leveraging their cultural advantages, they evolved from ritual specialists into strategists and teachers. However, they remained supporters of the existing social system, consciously taking on the task of promoting and justifying rites, gradually forming a relatively complete theoretical system.
Due to the unity of the political and patriarchal aspects of rites, the Confucianism that interpreted and promoted rites carried a strong patriarchal and ethical tone. It understood and handled interpersonal relationships based on the concepts of bloodline and family, emphasized tradition, advocated the value of the collective, stressed hierarchical order, and pursued social harmony. The benevolence and righteousness it advocated were derived from the respect for one's own elders and care for one's own children, as expressed in the saying, "love your own old and young, and extend that love to others." This gave rise to a logical chain of analogy: from father and son having affection, to ruler and subject having righteousness; from brothers having respect, to friends having trust.