孔、孟、荀的君子观
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摘要
春秋战国时期,以孔子、孟子、荀子为代表的儒家学派思想家,不断用德、才等标准对"君子"作出新的诠释,建立起既有差异又相互关联的君子观。孔子更加强调,君子应具有高尚的道德品质,仁、礼是孔子所论君子道德品质的重要组成部分。孟子将道德修养和仁、义、礼、智、信等品质作为君子所应具备的首要条件,同时孟子更加强调君子应具有治国用兵、教育英才等卓越的能力,其君子观的内涵更加丰富。荀子所说的君子,似为战国时期士人的代名词。荀子君子观的"隆礼"特色非常明显,他更加强调了学而后行对于君子人格塑造的重要性,因而其君子观具有更加鲜明的现实主义倾向。孔、孟、荀的君子观具有一定的合理性因素和积极性意义,因而在中国数千年的文明演进过程中,主导着中国传统社会的主流价值观念,深刻影响着中国新文化的基本走向和核心价值体系的重建。他们的君子观也呈现出明显的时代局限性,其中包含一些迄今已失去合理性、积极性的内容。剔除此类已经过时的、不合理的糟粕性的内容,不断吸收积极向上、合理进步的文化因素,对于今天的社会主义新文化和社会主义核心价值体系建设具有重要的理论价值和现实意义。
During the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, the Confucian thinkers represented by Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi, constantly make a new interpretation of "gentlemen" by the standards of virtue and talent, establishing conceptions of a gentleman that are both different and interrelated. Confucius emphasizes that a gentleman should have noble moral character, and benevolence and propriety are important components of Confucius' moral character of a gentleman. Mencius regards moral cultivation and the qualities of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith as the first prerequisite for a gentleman. Furthermore, a gentleman should possess outstanding abilities such as administering the country, commanding troops and educating talents. Mencius' conception of a gentleman is richer in connotation. Xunzi's so-called gentleman seems to be a synonym for a scholar in the Warring States Period. Xunzi's conception of a gentleman has very obvious feature of "respecting propriety", with more emphasis laid on the importance of learning before acting in shaping a gentleman's personality. Therefore, his conception of a gentleman has a more distinct realistic tendency. Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi's conceptions of a gentleman have certain rational factors and positive significance; as a result, in the course of thousands of years' civilization evolution in China, they dominate the mainstream values of Chinese traditional society and profoundly influence the basic trend of Chinese new culture and the reconstruction of core value system. With some contents that have lost their rationality and positivity so far, their conceptions of a gentleman also exhibit obvious limitations of the times. Accordingly, eliminating such obsolete and unreasonable dregs, continually absorbing positive, rational and progressive cultural factors will be of important theoretical value and practical significance for today's new socialist culture and the construction of socialist core value system.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, the Confucian thinkers represented by Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi, constantly make a new interpretation of "gentlemen" by the standards of virtue and talent, establishing conceptions of a gentleman that are both different and interrelated. Confucius emphasizes that a gentleman should have noble moral character, and benevolence and propriety are important components of Confucius' moral character of a gentleman. Mencius regards moral cultivation and the qualities of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith as the first prerequisite for a gentleman. Furthermore, a gentleman should possess outstanding abilities such as administering the country, commanding troops and educating talents. Mencius' conception of a gentleman is richer in connotation. Xunzi's so-called gentleman seems to be a synonym for a scholar in the Warring States Period. Xunzi's conception of a gentleman has very obvious feature of "respecting propriety", with more emphasis laid on the importance of learning before acting in shaping a gentleman's personality. Therefore, his conception of a gentleman has a more distinct realistic tendency. Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi's conceptions of a gentleman have certain rational factors and positive significance; as a result, in the course of thousands of years' civilization evolution in China, they dominate the mainstream values of Chinese traditional society and profoundly influence the basic trend of Chinese new culture and the reconstruction of core value system. With some contents that have lost their rationality and positivity so far, their conceptions of a gentleman also exhibit obvious limitations of the times. Accordingly, eliminating such obsolete and unreasonable dregs, continually absorbing positive, rational and progressive cultural factors will be of important theoretical value and practical significance for today's new socialist culture and the construction of socialist core value system.
引文
[1]顾颉刚,刘起釪.尚书校释译论:第3册[M].北京:中华书局,2005:1396.
[2]徐中舒.豳风说——兼论诗经为鲁国师工歌诗之底本[G].“中央研究院”历史语言研究所集刊,第六本第四分,1936.
[3]崔述.崔东壁遗书:上册[M]//顾颉刚,编订.丰镐考信别录:卷三周制度杂考.上海:上海古籍出版社,2013.
[4]刘宝楠.论语正义[M]//诸子集成:第1册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[5]班固.汉书·礼乐志[M].北京:中华书局,1962:1028.
[6]李隆基,注.孝经注疏[M]//邢昺,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980:2566.
[7]司马迁.史记[M].北京:中华书局,1959.
[8]焦循.孟子正义[M]//诸子集成:第1册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[9]赵岐,注.孟子注疏[M]//孙奭,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980.
[10]顾炎武.日知录·周末风俗[M]//黄汝成,集释.秦克诚,点校.日知录集释.长沙:岳麓书社,1994:467.
[11]王先谦.荀子集解[M]//诸子集成:第2册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[12]郑玄,注.礼记正义[M]//孔颖达,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980:1682.
[13]顾颉刚.浪口村随笔:卷2[M].沈阳:辽宁教育出版社,1998.
[14]吴宁.士君子知识分子与意识形态[G]//陈明,朱汉民.原道:第32辑.长沙:湖南大学出版社,2017.
(1)荀子也有较为明确地将“士”和“君子”区分开。如《荀子·修身》:“好法而行,士也;笃志而体,君子也。”王先谦:《荀子集解》,引自《诸子集成》第2册,中华书局1954年版,第19页。
[2]徐中舒.豳风说——兼论诗经为鲁国师工歌诗之底本[G].“中央研究院”历史语言研究所集刊,第六本第四分,1936.
[3]崔述.崔东壁遗书:上册[M]//顾颉刚,编订.丰镐考信别录:卷三周制度杂考.上海:上海古籍出版社,2013.
[4]刘宝楠.论语正义[M]//诸子集成:第1册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[5]班固.汉书·礼乐志[M].北京:中华书局,1962:1028.
[6]李隆基,注.孝经注疏[M]//邢昺,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980:2566.
[7]司马迁.史记[M].北京:中华书局,1959.
[8]焦循.孟子正义[M]//诸子集成:第1册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[9]赵岐,注.孟子注疏[M]//孙奭,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980.
[10]顾炎武.日知录·周末风俗[M]//黄汝成,集释.秦克诚,点校.日知录集释.长沙:岳麓书社,1994:467.
[11]王先谦.荀子集解[M]//诸子集成:第2册.北京:中华书局,1954.
[12]郑玄,注.礼记正义[M]//孔颖达,疏.十三经注疏:下册.北京:中华书局,1980:1682.
[13]顾颉刚.浪口村随笔:卷2[M].沈阳:辽宁教育出版社,1998.
[14]吴宁.士君子知识分子与意识形态[G]//陈明,朱汉民.原道:第32辑.长沙:湖南大学出版社,2017.
(1)荀子也有较为明确地将“士”和“君子”区分开。如《荀子·修身》:“好法而行,士也;笃志而体,君子也。”王先谦:《荀子集解》,引自《诸子集成》第2册,中华书局1954年版,第19页。