We removed this sentence as the background of Mencius' argument. After all, this argument is handled by Mencius' personal understanding and guidance of Confucius' original words. Scarecrow instead of real people martyrdom, following Zhou Zhili. Ziyou asked Confucius in The Story of Confucius' Family: "Tombs have painted cars and grass spirits since ancient times. But if there are couples today, it is not conducive to mourning. " It also shows that people who use grass have existed since ancient times, but now people sometimes use figurines to be buried with them. In this regard, Confucius said: "Be kind to those who are humble, be bad to those who are not humble, and employ people without danger." Confucius really opposed the use of figurines for human sacrifice, and thought that it was good to use grass people and inhuman, which was similar to the use of real people for human sacrifice. Confucius has expressed his views on puppets. Why did he take special care of the initiator? ! Being a spouse is just morally heartless. Should the initiator have no children? With the development of productive forces (there is no Shang Dynasty here), it is possible and ostentatious to use figurines instead of grass figures. But the figurines are the bridge between the grass people and the more luxurious funerary objects (real people), which is the progress of productivity, but the retrogression of civilization. What should be condemned is that the "initiator" took the first step (trespassing into the ritual department), and this behavior will certainly be imitated and imitated by future generations, and finally developed into a real person to be buried with. Then a behavior or atmosphere that goes beyond the system of rites and music, if not intervened, will return to the previous behavior and system, and will eventually develop into regicide and regicide. This is the essence of Confucius' condemnation-with the first challenge, there will be a second ceremony for future generations and countless times for future generations to surpass. Therefore, the word "Hou" in "the initiator has nothing to do" is not the meaning of future generations, but the meaning of future generations. Respecting the ceremony of the king has always been Confucius' pursuit, and the allusion of "who can endure and who can't endure" is also based on this.
Another example is "Mencius Li Lou", which says: "There are three kinds of unfilial, and there are three kinds of unfilial, but if you marry and don't sue, because there is no queen, the gentleman thinks that you will sue." This "queen" does not refer to future generations, but refers to "the responsibility of future generations", which is interpreted as "there are three kinds of unfilial, and the responsibility of not following future generations is the greatest."
Why must "Hou" be translated into "descendants" and why not be translated into "descendants"! ?
The first person who made (or used) pottery figurines (made a bad start) will not be imitated by others? !