Confucianism-and-Daoism(全文).docx

Confucianism-and-Daoism(全文).docx

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1、Chinaisoneoftheearliestcivilizedcountriesintheworld,andhascontributedindeliblytotheculturaldevelopmentofmankind.ThespiritualtraditionofChinahasresultedinarichanduniquecivilization.Weareadmiredbytheworldforourgreatculturalheritage.TounderstandthistraditionwemustfocusonthehistoryofthoughtinChina,foritisthiswhichconstitutestheChineseculturalcontext.

2、ThroughoutmuchofChina’slongandfascinatinghistory,tworivalapproachestolifecompetedfordominance.OnewasConfucianism,withitsemphasisonreason,traditionalmorality,andsocialphilosophy.TheotherwasDaoism,withitsstressonintuition,mysticalidentificationwithnature,andendlesstransformation.ThetwomostimportantfiguresinChina’shistoryofthoughtareConfuciusandLaozi.Theirteachingsmaybesaidtosumupthepastandforecastthefuture.

3、BeforeConfuciusandLaoziwerelongcenturiesofnature-andancestor-orientedresponsestothesacred.TheancientChinesehadpolytheisticideasandworshipedmanygodsamongwhomwasthesupremeGod（Di）,representedasaremoteandimperialcreator,orasnaturedeities.FromthesixthcenturyBConwards,ConfucianandDaoistethicsandmetaphysicsbegantoplayabiggerandbiggerpartintheChineseconsciousness.Theyformedasystemofsocialvaluesandfulfilledvariousspiritualandethicalfunctionsverymuchlikethoseofreligion.

4、ThefollowingisabriefintroductiontoConfucianismandDaoism.

ConfuciusandLaozi

5、ConfuciusistheLatinizedformoftheChineseKongFuzi.Fuzi,orZi,means”themaster”,whichisasuffixaddedtothesurnameofalearnedmanrespectedbyothers.Confuciusandhismostwell-knowndisciple,Mencius（Mengzi）,aretheonlyChinesewithLatinizednames.HavingbeenmadefamousinEuropeasConfuciusandMenciusforhundredsofyears,itwasimpossiblethereaftertocallthemKonziandMengzi.

6、Confuciuswasthefirstwell-knownprofessionalteacherinancientChina.HehadalifelongdevotiontolearningandteachingandoccasionallyservedasapoliticaladvisortorulersofdifferentstatesofthattimecalledthePeriodoftheWarringStates.Hesummarizedhislifedevelopmentinthisway:

”Atfifteen,mymindwassetonlearning.Atthirty,mycharacterhadbeenformed.Atforty,Ihadnomoreperplexities.Atfifty,Iknewthemandateofheaven.Atsixty,IwasateasewithwhateverIheard.Atseventy,Icouldfollowmyheart’sdesirewithouttransgressingmoralprinciples.”InhislastyearsConfuciusworkedoneditingsuchclassicsasTheBookofPoetry（ShiJing）,SpringandAutumnAnnals（ChunQiu）,andTheBookofChanges（YiJing）.ThewisdomofConfuciusisbestknowntousthroughAnalects（LunYu）,whichcontainsnumerousconversationsofConfuciusandhisstudents.TheAnalectswascombinedwiththeGreatLearning（DaXue）,TheDoctrineoftheMean（ZhongYong）andTheBookofMencius（MengZi）toformthefourgreatConfucianclassicsstudiedforcenturiesbytheChineseforeducationandforcivilserviceexaminationswhichsurviveduntilthewaningyearsoftheQingDynastyinthefirstdecadeofthe20thcentury.

7、TheteachingsofConfuciusharmonizewellwiththoseofLaozi（spelledasLao-tzuorLao-TesinsomeEnglishtranslations）wholivedinthesixthcenturyBC.LaoziisregardedasthefirstancientsageinChina.HededicatedhiswholelifetostudyofDao（TaoinEnglishdictionaries）.Wecannot,however,besureofhisrealname.Laoziisadescriptionratherthananame.Itcanmean“oldphilosopher”or“oldsir”,butitalsocanmean“oldchild”or“oldfellow”.PerhapsLaozifollowedhisowndictatethatoneshouldnotbeattachedtonamesandtherebykepthimselfsowellhiddenthattodayverylittleisknownofhimexcepthiswritings.Legendtellsusthatwhenhewasoldandtiredofthecorruptionoftheworldherodeanox-drawnchariottothemountainpassofthewesternfrontier.TheKeeperofthePass,havingobservedomensandexpectingasage,beggedtheoldmantowriteabookbeforewithdrawingfromcivilization.SoLaozicomposedtheDaoDeJing（TaoTheChing,TheGreatTao）,consistofabout5,000Chinesecharacters.ThisconcisebookisprobablyoneofthegreatestwritingsintheworldandbecamethescripturalfoundationofDaoism（Taoism）philosophyandtheDaoist（Taoist）religion.“Dao”impliesanabsoluterealityroughlycomparabletotheWesternideaofGod;yetitisdescribednotanthropomorphicallybutasadynamicandnaturalprocess.“De”meansvirtueinthesenseofspiritualpower.“Jing”isthewordforbookorclassic.

8、ItistraditionallybelievedthatameetingtookplacebetweenLaoziandConfucius.ConfuciuswenttotheStateofZhouwhereLaozilivedtoputquestionstoLaoziconcerningtherites.SimaQian,thefamoushistorian,wrotehowConfuciustoldhisdisciplesafterthismeeting,thou