The formation of the thought of ruling by virtue in the Zhou Dynasty has its inevitability. First of all, Zhou people are a tribe that started from farming. According to Historical Records? Zhou Benji, the ancestor of Zhou people, was taught by Shun Di? Broadcast a hundred times? Hou Ji. Hou Ji's descendant, Gu Gongqi's father? Restoring Hou Ji and Gong Liu's career, accumulating virtue and doing justice, is worn by all Chinese people. ? Xibo said that King Wen, following Hou Ji's and Gong Liu's inheritance, is the law of the ancient public and the public season, respecting benevolence, respecting the elderly and being less kind. ? Zhou people were able to defeat Yin Shang and take its place. In essence, the farming mode of production defeated and replaced the semi-farming and semi-grazing mode of production. For Zhou people, a new vassal state that started from farming, it is an inevitable choice to pay attention to the construction of social relations and the regulation of personal behavior. Secondly, vigorously propagating the idea of ruling by virtue is not only the political need of Zhou people to unite their hearts at home, but also the need of Zhou people to establish a good and emerging political image abroad. In fact, it was through the propaganda of the emerging idea of ruling by virtue that the Zhou people not only successfully won wide political support inside and outside Zhou State, but also successfully shaped the political image and public opinion base of Zhou people replacing Yin Shang. ? The princes heard it, saying? The king of Xibogai? . ? ("Historical Records? Third, after the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, the thought of ruling by virtue became the ideological and theoretical basis for restraining the behavior of the emperor and nobles at all levels, standardizing social relations, and then consolidating the political power.
Generally speaking, the content of Zhou Ren's thought of ruling by virtue includes the following aspects. First of all, the most basic meaning of rule by virtue is the rule by virtue. The ancient word "from the heart" means to put your mind right. If you have a correct mind, you will have a correct behavior. This, for the ruler, is the virtue of ruling. According to the relevant records in The Book of Songs and Shangshu, as well as the textual research and explanation of Gu Tinglin and Wang Guowei, most of the titles of kings in the Zhou Dynasty were based on the principle of moral address. For example, Wen Wang's? Text? Word, that is? Yunwen? The meaning is the same as that of German; King Wu's? Wu? The word contains the meaning of self-improvement and great achievements; ? Into? 、? Kang? The word contains the meaning of appeasing the world and laying the foundation of the country; ? Zhao? Indicate virtue? Mu? Refers to virtue and so on. For rulers, the virtue of rule is mainly manifested in three aspects: first, respect for heaven, that is, we must treat heaven with a respectful attitude. The son of heaven is the son of heaven, and he was sent by heaven to perform duties on behalf of heaven on earth, so he must treat heaven respectfully and be responsible for it. If you don't respect heaven, you are not responsible for it, which is actually a manifestation that the son of heaven doesn't do his job. If you shoot the sky with a bow and arrow like Shang Zhouwang, it is extremely incompetent; Second, to protect the people, that is, to govern the people with a caring attitude, if there are achievements and achievements in this respect, that is, if there is virtue, it will be continuously blessed by God; Third, the ruler must transform his personal integrity and innocence into the achievement of governing the people, that is, let the people be widely gracious. This is a great virtue, and destiny decides to choose accordingly. "Zuo Zhuan" said? Heaven listens to the self and the people listen to it, and heaven sees the self and the people? That is to say, God's judgment on the quality of the son of heaven (whether there is virtue or not) is based entirely on the opinions and judgments of the people.
The virtue of ruling is the basis for the ruler to get the blessing of God, that is? God has no relatives, but virtue is auxiliary? ("Zuo zhuan? Five years "). Zhou people logically explained the inevitability of Yin Shang's loss of political power. If you don't respect Juede, you will die early. ? ("Shangshu? Call "); At the same time, it also demonstrates the rationality of Zhou regime: However, Pi Xiankao, the king of Wen, was cautious in punishment and didn't dare to insult widows. I heard from God, Emperor Hugh, that heaven is the king of life. ? ("Shangshu? To sum up, the Yin people lost their virtue, so they lost the protection of heaven and thus lost their political power; Zhou people were virtuous, so they gained the blessing and political power from heaven.
Secondly, the thought of ruling by virtue emphasizes the new structure of social relations, especially the relationship between monarch and people. According to Zhou people's understanding, Jun and the people are the people of God, and Jun was elected by God from these people? Genko of heaven? , abbreviation? Son of heaven? . Its responsibility is to govern the people as its own agent on earth. If the son of heaven has virtue, he will be blessed by God, while if he has no virtue or loses virtue, he will choose someone else, that is? Change Jue Yuanzi? ("Shangshu? Call the patent "). The relationship between the son of heaven and other people is an equal relationship like family, and it is also an interdependent and supportive relationship like family.
once again, the idea of ruling by virtue advocates a new way of governance. Because the monarch and other nobles at all levels are herders, and both the monarch and the people are the people of God, and the relationship between the monarch and the people is family-like, therefore, first, when managing the people, the monarch and the nobles at all levels should take the attitude of caring as the starting point, not the attitude of possession and domination as the starting point; Second, when the monarch and nobles at all levels manage the people, they must first establish all kinds of laws and norms that should be abided by for the people, that is, immediately? Min Yi? ; Third, in the established? Min Yi? On the basis of persuasion, education and guidance should be the main and basic ways.
finally, what is the starting point of the thought of ruling by virtue? Filial piety? . Zhou people are often called virtuous and filial, and virtue is to the sky and filial piety is to the ancestors, that is, the Book of Songs? The so-called Daya? Have filial piety and virtue? . Zhuangzi? "The World" said Zhou people? Take heaven as the religion and morality as the foundation? Actually, it can also be changed to? Taking ancestors as ancestors and filial piety as the foundation? . Because it is through filial piety that all the ideas of Zhou people's rule of virtue can be completely penetrated and formed into one.
The significance of the thought of ruling by virtue lies in that, firstly, the thought of ruling by virtue initiated the people-oriented concept and became the source of the people-oriented thought in the Spring and Autumn Period; Secondly, the thought of ruling by virtue pursues the overall situation and the long-term perspective in the main aspects such as the choice of management objectives and the determination of management methods, which is very enlightening; Thirdly, the thought of ruling by virtue effectively combines political management with ethical education, so it has the characteristics of high comprehensive management; Fourthly, the thought of ruling by virtue initiated the tradition that China ancient management attached importance to the personal accomplishment of leaders, self-discipline of leaders, setting an example first, and teaching by example was more important than teaching by example.