“六经”的价值论理和中国文化精神

刘梦溪【中国】

中国艺术研究院终身研究员/中国文化研究所所长/中央文史研究馆馆员

一 中华文化的精神旨趣

20年前，我在《中国现代学术要略》中曾经提出：“学术思想是人类理性认知的系统化，是民族精神的理性之光。”以我多年研习中国文化的心得，于今思之，中华文化能够贡献给世界的，我认为是人之为人的、群之为群的、家之为家的、国之为国的一整套精神价值理念。这些价值理念的精神旨归，是使人成为健全的人，使群体成为和谐的群体，使家成为有亲有爱有敬的和睦的家，使国家成为讲信修睦、怀柔远人的礼义文明之邦。

二 六艺和六经

中国文化的最主要的价值理念都在“六经”。“六经”指《易》《诗》《书》《礼》《乐》《春秋》六种文本经典。《乐》这一经没有文本传下来，是为“五经”。但也有一种说法，认为《乐》本来就没有文本，它是跟《礼》结合在一起的，所以“礼乐”并称。尽管后来看到的是“五经”，可是学者们习惯上仍然称为“六经”，直到清代还是如此。所以清初的大学者王船山的一句有名的话是“六经责我开生面”。“经”是晚些时候的说法，开始的名称叫“六艺”。孔子教学生，就是以“六艺”作为教材。但当时有两种“六艺”,《易》《诗》《书》《礼》《乐》《春秋》是文本经典的“六艺”，另一种是“礼、乐、射、御、书、数”，我称之为实践课。这里的“书”，是指跟文字有关的“六书”，是识字课。“数”是计算，射是射箭，“御”是驾车。

文本经典的“六艺”即“六经”，孔子之前就有了。像《周易》，相传是伏羲画卦，文王演易，孔子作传。所以《论语》里记载孔子的话，说“五十以学《易》，可以无大过矣”。《诗经》是周代的诗歌，最早有三千多篇，经过孔子的删订，存留305篇，所以《诗经》也称“诗三百”。《书》是《尚书》，是包括虞、夏、商、周在内的上古文告、文献汇编。《礼》有三礼，包括《周礼》《仪礼》和《礼记》。作为“六经”的《礼》，一般指《礼记》。《春秋》是鲁国的一个大事纪，应该是孔子所作。如果不是孔子的原创，也是孔子在原有的一个大事纪基础上加工润色而成。因为记事简，措辞晦，寓意深，由此形成史家称道的所谓“春秋笔法”。

“六经”都经过孔子删订，是中国现存的最原初的文本经典，是古人智慧的结晶，也是现代人做人和立国的基本精神依据。20世纪的大儒马一浮，称“六经”为中国文化的最高的特殊的形态，大哲学家熊十力则说，“六经”是现代人做人和立国的基本精神依据。这些大判断，时至今日也没有过时，反而愈见其精彩绝到。

三 六经的价值论理

我近年从“六经”里面，也包括后来成为“十三经”的《论语》《孟子》《孝经》里面，抽绎出几组价值理念，包括诚信、爱敬、忠恕、廉耻、和同（“和而不同”）五组概念。我觉得这些概念范畴，是中国文化中的具有永恒性、普世性的价值理念，既适用于古代，也适用于今天，不仅适用于中国人，也适用于全世界所有的人。

1.诚信

首先是诚信，这是中国文化里面非常重要的价值理念。孔子讲，“民无信不立”、“人而无信，不知其可也”。孟子说，“朋友有信”。老子也讲，“信言不美，美言不信”。中华文化的原初经典把“信”放在非常高的位置。

信和诚是连载一起的，内里面有诚，外面才有信。无诚，便不可能有信。讲“诚”讲得最多的是《中庸》，其中说，“诚”是“天之道”，是“物之终始，不诚无物”。而想要“立诚”，是“人之道”。《中庸》把“诚”视作“天道”和“人道”的核心问题。

明代思想家王阳明的一个学生，他跟王阳明向学的时间很长了，最后需要离开老师，回到自己的家乡去。辞行的时候他对王阳明说：“下次见面不知何时，老师可有什么嘱托，让我一生受用。”王阳明说：“立诚。”这是个年龄比较大的弟子，他说天下的万事万物太多了，需要解决的问题无穷无尽，难道光一个“诚”就可以？还有没有其他的东西？王阳明回答说：“立诚。”

后来这个弟子终于体验到了“立诚”的确是应该终生以之的立德之本。

“立诚”的理念，早在《易经》里面，就明确提出来了。《易经》乾卦的倒数第三爻的爻辞写道：“忠信，所以进德也；修辞立其诚，所以居业也。”这里的“修辞立其诚”，就是明确提出的“立诚”。

人活在世界上，究竟何欲何求？仔细想来，《易经》乾卦这两句话全包括了。人生在世，一个无非是想把自己变得更好一些，使自己成为一个有修养的人，成为受人尊敬的人。而要做到这一点，首要的是要讲诚信。这就是九三爻辞说的“忠信所以进德也”。“进德”的核心价值理念是“忠信”。“忠”字的直接涵义是把自己的心放正，成为一个诚实的人，讲信义的人。这是人生的第一层要义。人生的第二层要义，就是事业有成，在哪一方面的专业上有自己的建树，能够安居乐业。而“居业”的前提是“立诚”，所以是“修辞立其诚，所以居业也”。

“立诚”是“居业”的前提。兹可见诚信的重要。“诚信”两字，是人的一生成败得失的关键，可以视为中国文化的核心价值理念。

2.爱敬

中国文化的另一个核心价值理念是“爱敬”。“爱敬”是《孝经》里面的话，引用孔子的话说：“爱亲者，不敢恶于人；敬亲者，不敢慢于人。爱敬尽于事亲，而德教加于百姓。”

“爱敬”是从家庭秩序中衍生出来的。父子、夫妇、弟兄之间的关系，都有爱和敬存在。如果一个人对自己的尊长亲人能做到有爱有敬，对家庭以外的其他人也不至于太不好，至少不会轻慢别人。因此《孝经》还说：“生事爱敬，死事哀戚，生民之本尽矣，死生之义备矣。”把爱敬看做了人生之本和生死的大义。人的哀愁和悲痛的情感，最初也是从家庭亲人的困厄、不幸中因感同身受而产生的。夫妇之间，一般以为有爱就行了，其实光有爱是不能持久的，还须有敬，既亲密无间，又相敬如宾，才是典范的夫妇关系。

对“爱敬”这个价值理念，魏晋时期刘劭的《人物志》解释得最为恰切。《人物志》是一部很特别的书，既是相人之书，又是伦理之书，又是哲学之书。或者说是一部特殊的《人论》。只有魏晋时期的人，能写出如此奇书。刘劭在《人物志》里写道：“盖人道之极，莫过爱敬。是故《孝经》以爱为至德，以敬为要道。”把“爱敬”看成是人道之极，可见“爱敬”这个价值理念在中华文化中的位置。

“敬”当然可以包括尊敬师长、尊敬前贤、尊敬长辈。但“敬”的价值的哲理义涵，是指人作为生命个体的“自性的庄严”。“敬”是人的内在性格、性体、本性的精神安顿之所，传统文化中很多道德规范都跟“敬”有关系。

譬如“孝”,《论语》的一个例子说，一次子游问老师，到底什么是“孝”。孔子回答说，现在的人们以为“能养”就是孝，如果“能养”就是“孝”，那么犬马也“能养”，没有“敬”，何以别乎？所以人跟犬马的一个区别在于，在“孝”这个问题上，人有“敬”，犬马不会有敬。

由此可以看出，“孝”的精神内核是“敬”。所以人们通常把对老人的“孝”，称作“孝敬”，甚至泛称为“敬老”。中国传统社会对官员的察选，如果不孝敬父母，就没有做官的资格。忠敬、诚信的人，一定孝敬父母，能孝敬父母才能成为忠于职守、仁爱天下的贤者。

举凡一切礼仪，都必须有“敬”的精神。所以《孝经》里面讲：“礼者，敬而已矣。”孔子一段有名的话说：“为礼不敬，临丧不哀，吾何以观之哉？”礼是需要有人看的，因此有“观礼”之说。但礼仪如果没有“敬”，就不值得看了。孔子还有一句话，认为“祭神如神在”。他的意思是说，在祭祀的时候，要相信神是在场的，只有这样，才能使祭祀者保持诚敬之心。

祭祀在古代是头等重要的事情。《左传》里的一句话说：“国之大事，在祀与戎。”祀就是祭祀，戎则是军事行动。但无论祭祀还是军事行动，都不能没有“敬”。军事行动也要懂礼仪。《左传》有很多记载，很多战争的发生，都是由于“不敬”或“大不敬”，引起强者一方的军事行动。现代社会，处理国家与国家的关系，涉及外交事务，讲礼仪、懂敬，同样非常重要。

礼仪、敬，是文明的指标；文明与不文明的重要分野，在于文明讲礼仪。

3.忠恕：“己所不欲，勿施于人”

“忠恕”是孔子的重要思想。一次孔子说：“吾道一以贯之。”曾子（曾参）说，是的。后来孔子离开了，其他弟子问曾参：“这话怎讲？”曾子说：“夫子之道，忠恕而已矣！”这说明，“忠恕”在孔子那里是通贯全体、贯彻始终的思想。忠和诚可以互训，诚者必忠，“主忠信”是孔子的至高的道德律令。弟子樊迟问什么是“仁”，孔子回答说：“居处恭，执事敬，与人忠。”可知“敬”和“忠”都是仁的构件。

“忠”和“信”更为密切。取信的要道是“忠”。曾子“吾日三省吾身”的一、二两项内容，第一是：“为人谋而不忠乎？”第二是：“与朋友交而不信乎？”忠和信是与人交往的随时需要反省的问题。

孔子还说：“言忠信，行笃敬，虽蛮貊之邦行矣。言不忠信，行不笃敬，虽州里行乎哉？”如果做到了“忠信”，而在行为上又能体现出庄重和礼敬，即使走到不那么文明的异邦，也能立得住脚跟。相反，如果言不由衷，对人不能以诚相待，得不到交往对象的信任，行为上又轻慢无礼，即使在自己的家乡也照样吃不开。

至于忠恕的“恕”，其重要性更显而易见。按孔子的解释，恕就是“己所不欲，勿施于人”。“恕”这一价值理念所蕴含和所要求的涵义，通俗地说，就是设身处地，将心比心，换位思考，自己不喜欢不希望的东西不要强加于人。我认为“恕”这个价值理念，彰显了中华文化的异量之美。这是中国文化贡献给人类的一个伟大的思想。世界人文学界非常重视孔子的这一思想，把它奉为人类共同遵行的道德金律。

4.廉耻：“行己有耻”

《礼记·中庸》有一段讲修身，引用孔子的话写道：“好学近乎知，力行近乎仁，知耻近乎勇。知斯三者，则知所以修身。”这等于把好学、力行、知耻，当作了修身的三要素。一个人的修为，自然离不开吸取知识，这也就是《礼记·大学》所说的“格物致知”。因此“学”是修身的第一要素。

学了以后何为？如果成为装知识的器皿，或者从知识到知识，那是学了等于不学。学的要义，在于用，在于践行。此即古人常讲的“知行合一”。所以修身的第二要素是“力行”。学习了，也践行了，离“仁”就不远了，至少是走向通往“仁”的道路上。

但无法保证所做的每一件事都正确无误，难免会发生错误。出了错误怎么办？要能够反省，善于反思，找出原因，知错改错，力戒重犯错误。当认识到错误的时候，人的良知会让自己感到羞愧，感到后悔，感到不好意思。能做到这一层，就是“知耻”的表现。“知耻”是改过的前提。所以修身的第三要素是“知耻”。

智、仁、勇在古代被称作“达德”。具有了智、仁、勇的德品，就可以做到大的判断不致发生错误，遇到困难不会感到忧虑，面对威胁无所畏惧。就是孔子说的：“知者不惑，仁者不忧，勇者不惧。”（《论语·子罕》）子贡认为，他的老师孔子是兼有不惑、不忧、不惧特点的人。

修身的三要素中，第三要素“知耻”，尤不可轻视。我给学生讲课，多次讲：修身应该从知耻开始。耻感是人成为人的一个文明指标，人的文明的表现之一是有羞耻心，孟子称之为“羞恶之心”。孟子说，恻隐之心、羞恶之心、辞让之心、是非之心，是人的“四端”。“端”是开始的意思，意即“四端”是做人的开始，或者说是最起码的人之为人的标志。若果没有羞恶之心，孟子说就不是人。同样，没有恻隐之心、没有辞让之心、没有是非之心，也不是人。恻隐之心是不忍，也就是同情心，也就是“恕”，己所不欲，勿施于人；辞让之心指文明礼貌，是非之心指社会的公平正义，而羞恶之心则是“知耻”，修身的第三要素，亦即孔子所强调的：“行己有耻。”

“耻”跟“廉”构成一个组合概念，曰“廉耻”。管子的一个著名论述，是提出：“礼义廉耻，国之四维。”“礼”是文明秩序，“义”是社会正义，“廉”是节俭廉洁，“耻”是道德的约束和自律。礼义廉耻没有了，国家的处境就危险了。

明清之际的大学者顾炎武曾经说过：“廉耻，立身之大节。”他说，如果不廉，将无所不取；而不耻，将无所不为。他还说过：“士大夫之无耻，是为国耻。”

5.和同（“和而不同”）

跟诚信、爱敬、忠恕、廉耻一样，“和同”也是中华文化最基本也是最重要的价值理念。中国文化倾向于不把人与人之间的关系搞得那么不可调和，“和而不同”是中国人面对这个世界的总原则。

“和同”的思想来源于《易经》。《易》的“同人”一卦，所演绎的就是关于“与人和同”的理念。《易》的系辞概括为：“天下同归而殊途，一致而百虑。”这是说，人们的不同，常常表现为途径和方法的不同，终极目标是相同的，所以最终会走到一起。人类社会的存在形态，人们的生活方式和风俗习惯，彼此之间是不同的，但生活的价值追求，人的心理指向，往往有相同的一面。孟子对此说得很明白：

口之于味也，有同耆焉；耳之于声也，有同听焉；目之于色也，有同美焉。至于心，独无所同然乎？心之所同然者何也？谓理也，义也。（《孟子·告子上》）

孟子这段话是说，好吃的食物、好听的音乐，多彩的颜色，人们都会喜欢，在这点上人和人是相同的。既然在这方面有同样的感受，那么人的“心”是不是也有相同的东西呢？回答是肯定的。人心所相同者，是“理”和“义”。

孟子讲的“心”，也可以做“心理”解。恰好大学者钱锺书先生说过：“东海西海，心理攸同。”所以，人与人之间的不同，远没有想象的那么多，夸大人类的不同，是文化的陷阱。而且在人类的不同之中，也有“同”的一面。正因为如此，人和人之间、文化和文化之间，才可以沟通，不同也能够共存于一个统一体中。

不同文化之间可以共存、沟通、融合，是中国文化的一个固有的理念。这个理念基于中国文化的“和”的观念。“和”是由诸多的“不同”构成的，没有不同，便无所谓和。所以孔子的著名论断是：“君子和而不同。”宋代的思想家张载，他的有名的四句教是：“为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平。”张载字横渠，所以这四句话又称“横渠四句教”。但他还有另外的“四句教”，是这样的四句话：

有象斯有对，

对必反其为，

有反斯有仇，

仇必和而解。

我把张载的这四句话称为“哲学四句教”。因为他是对整个宇宙世界发言的。大意是说，这个世界是由一个一个的生命个体组成，有人类的、动物的、植物的，这些生命个体都是不同的。古人有一句话：“佳人不同体，美人不同面。”西方也有一个说法：“世界上没有完全相同的两个个体。”这些不同的个体都是一个个的“象”。这些“象”是流动的，不是静止的。但“象”的流动方向是不同的，有的甚至相反。这就是张载哲学四句教第一、第二两句讲的“有象斯有对，对必反其为”。由于“有对”，甚至“反其为”，就会发生彼此之间的纠结，从而形成“有反斯有仇”的局面。

这个“仇”字，古代写作“雠”，左边一个隹，右边一个隹，中间是言论的言字。“隹”是一种尾巴很短的鸟。试想，这个“雠”字，其象征意涵，不就是两只短尾巴鸟在那里叽叽喳喳的说话吗？我们还可以推测，尾巴短的鸟往往叫的声音很高，那么它们就不是一般的说话，而是在讨论、争论、辩论，甚至是在斗嘴、吵架。讨论的问题我们无法得知，但结果，它们经过计较、辩驳、讨论、争论的结果，并不是这个鸟把那个鸟吃掉，而是或达成共识，或求同存异，总之是和解了。所以是“仇必和而解”。

四“冤仇宜解不宜结”

张载“哲学四句教”给我们的启示是深远的。反观现实，我们可以得出一个总括性的看法，就是：这个世界有差异，但差异不必然发展为冲突，冲突不必然变成你死我活，而是可以“和而解”的。有了这个观念，很多事情会得到更恰当的处理。

大文豪鲁迅有一首诗，这首诗是关于战后中国和日本的关系的，其中有两句：“渡尽劫波兄弟在，相逢一笑泯恩仇。”人与人之间、群体与群体之间、族群与族群之间、国与国之间，都不应该培养仇恨。“仇”是可以化解的，应该走向“和而解”。所以中国有另外一句俗语，云：“冤仇宜解不宜结。”

The Reasoning Regarding Values of the Six Classics and the Ethos of the Chinese Culture

Liu Mengxi/China

Tenured Fellow and Director of the Institute of Chinese Culture at the Chinese National Academy of Arts,Member of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History

Ⅰ.Spiritual Purport of the Chinese Culture

Two decades ago,I put forward in the Chinese Modern Academic Synopsis:“the Academic thought represents the systematization of the human rational cognition and the light of rationality of the national spirit.”Having studied Chinese culture for years and based on the experience deriving from thereof,I have thought about it again and have drawn a conclusion.On the basis of my way of thinking,what Chinese culture can contribute to the world lies in the completely whole set of value reasoning,meaning that the human being,group,family and nation being themselves.The spiritual orientation of these values is to cultivate and foster sound people,a harmonious group,a loving and cozy family,a courteous and civilized nation which embraces faith,promotes good will and cherishes talents from afar.

Ⅱ.Six Arts and Six Classics

The most important and essential values of Chinese culture rest with“Six Classics”,which refer to six classical texts consisting of the Book of Changes,the Book of Songs,the Book of Documents,Ceremonial Etiquette,the Classic of Music,the Spring and Autumn Annuals.Among them,the Classic of Music has been passed down without a written text,thus it should be called“Five Classics”.However,another saying also prevails that the Classic of Music was not originally written as a text,and it was in combination with Ceremonial Etiquette and then acquired the jointed name of“Li-Yue”(this stems from the direct pronunciation of their corresponding Chinese characters).Although“Five Classics”had always been read and popular in later times,scholars still preferred to call them“Six Classics”instead,until the Qing dynasty.Therefore,there is a famous quote from the great scholar Wang Chuanshan of the early Qing dynasty,reading“Six Classics compel me to interpret the world from different perspectives.”“Jing”(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character)is an appellation in later times while it was originally dubbed as“Six Arts”.Confucius taught students with“Six Arts”as the teaching material.What differs from modern times is that there were two kinds of“Six Arts”during that time,one of which is made up of the Book of Changes,the Book of Songs,the Book of History,Ceremonial Etiquette,the Classic of Music,the Spring and Autumn Annuals,all of which converge to become the classical“Six Arts”in the form of a written text;while that of the other consists of“Ritual,Music,Archery,Chariot-riding,Calligraphy and Mathematics”,all of which are named as practical courses.“Calligraphy”hereof refers to the“Six categories of the traditional structural theory of Chinese characters”relating to words,which belongs to the scope of a literacy course.“Mathematics”is related to calculations while“Archery”is shooting and“Chariot-riding”is driving.

The classical“Six Arts”in the form of a written text are the so-called“Six Classics”,which came into existence before Confucius.It is legendarily said that Fuxi painted the eight diagrams for the Book of Changes,King Wen deduced the remaining part of it,and then Confucius added the biography for it eventually.Therefore,Confucius's sentence was recorded in the Analects of Confucius because of the complex history of compiling,saying that“I will understand the Book of Changes without great misconceptions when I study it at the age of fifty”.The Book of Songs refers to poems in the Zhou dynasty,which occupied a number of over three thousand and maintained three hundred and five after the revision that Confucius made of it.Thereafter,the Book of Songs is also called“Poem Three Hundred”.Shu(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character)means the Book of Documents,which contains the proclamations and literary compilation of ancient times,involving Yu,Xia,Shang and Zhou.Li(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character)can be divided into three sections:Rites of Zhou,Ceremonial Etiquette and the Book of Rites.As a part of the“Six Classics”,Li generally refers to Ceremonial Etiquette.The Spring and Autumn Annuals,which should be the work of Confucius,concentrates on a historic event of great signficance in the Lu state.If not being the original creation of Confucius,it is probably a product based on the initial historic event,which was processed and polished by Confucius at a later time.Simple and easy understanding events recorded,obscure wordings employed and profound messages conveyed,jointly form the later“Techniques of Chun Qiu Writing”commended by historians.

The“Six Classics”,which are believed to have been deleted and arranged by Confucius,are the most original classical texts existing in contemporary China.This book represents the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancients,and acts as the fundamental spiritual basis for the Homo sapiens to conduct themselves and found a state.The learned and famous scholar of the 20thcentury,Ma Yifu asserted that the“Six Classics”is the highest special form of Chinese culture;while the great philosopher Xiong Shili considered the“Six Classics”to be the fundamental spiritual basis for the Homo sapiens to conduct themselves and found a state.These great judgments and comments still prevail in modern times and are not obsolete and outdated,and they continue to demonstrate their further and deeper excellence and wonder with the passage of time.

Ⅲ.The Reasoning Regarding the Values of the Six Classics

In recent years,I have deduced and summarized several sets of values,comprising the five sets of concepts naming sincerity and trust,love and reverence,loyalty and forbearance,honor and shame,harmony and diversity(meaning harmony in diversity)from the“Six Classics”,the Analects of Confucius,the Works of Mencius,and the Classic of Filial Piety,the latter three of which are included in the“Thirteen Classics”.These conceptual categories,from my standpoint of view,are the values which possess eternity and universality in Chinese culture.They apply to both ancient times and modern times,both Chinese people and those from all over the world.

1.Sincerity and trust

Honesty and integrity,which is a very important value concept in Chinese culture,comes first.Confucius once said:“Trust is the coin of the realm”,and“It remains unknown what one could achieve if he is not trustworthy”.And Mencius said:“Trust exists amongst friends”.And Lao Tzu also said:“Trustworthy words may not be fine-sounding；fine-sounding words may not be trustworthy”.“Trust”occupies a very important position in the original classic of Chinese culture.

Internal sincerity and external trust are interconnected,and they cannot exist without each other.“Sincerity”appears most frequently in The Doctrine of the Mean,in which there are words saying:“Sincerity”is“the way of heaven”,and“Sincerity is the start and the end of everything;without sincerity,there would be nothing”.However,to“establish sincerity”is“the way of people”.In The Doctrine of the Mean,“sincerity”is regarded as the core issue of“the way of heaven”and“the way of people”.

A student of Wang Yangming,an ideologist of the Ming dynasty,learned from him for a long time and he had to leave for his hometown.While saying goodbye before setting out,he said to Wang Yangming:“I don't know when we will meet again,do you have any suggestions that can benefit me for my whole life?”Wang Yangming replied:“Be sincere”.The student was an old disciple.Myriad of things occur in this world and quantities of questions need to be solved in the world,so he doubted that whether the single“sincerity”could be the answer to everything and questioned if there were any other supporting factors.Wang Yangming replied again:“Be sincere”.

This disciple did realize that“sincerity”was indeed the life-long foundation of morality in his later life.

The ideology of“sincerity”was explicitly mentioned and discussed as early as in the Book of Changes.In this book,the statements in the third to the last line of the Qian diagram read like this:“A gentleman should be loyal and trustworthy,thus his moral character will be enhanced.And he should cultivate good words to establish sincerity,and then live and conduct his career in peace and contentment.”Thus,“sincerity”is explicitly proposed hereof.

What on earth do people pursue in this world? The two sentences of the Qian diagram in the Book of Changes indeed have summarized the essence when you think about it carefully.What one wants to achieve in his lifetime is indeed to become a better,cultivated and respected person.Sincerity and trust are the first value to achieve if one wants to succeed in doing so.This is what the statement,“A gentleman should be loyal and trustworthy,thus his moral character will be enhanced”means.The core value concept of“morality enhancement”is“loyalty and trust”.The direct and literal meaning of the word“loyalty”is to put oneself in the right place to become an honest and trustworthy person,which tops at thefirst level of life essentials.The second level of life essentials goes to a successful career,meaning that one should have his own construction and achievement in whatever fields he is professional in,and should be capable of living and conducting his career in peace and contentment.And“sincerity”is the premise of“living and conducting a career in peace and confidence”,thus comes the“One should cultivate good words to establish sincerity,and then live and conduct his career in peace and contentment.”

“Sincerity”is the premise of“living and conducting a career in peace and confidence”.Sincerity and trust show their significance and importance hereby.“Sincerity and trust”is an essential element in determining the success or failure of the individual life,and can be regarded as the core value concept of Chinese culture.

2.Love and reverence

Another core value concept of Chinese culture lies in“love and reverence”,which is quoted from the words of Confucius,reading“Those who love their own parents will not hate other parents,and who respect their own parents will not neglect other parents.People shall serve their own parents with Xin and soul,and conduct moral education to people around.”in the Classic of Filial Piety.

“Love and reverence”come from family discipline and order.Love and reverence actually exist between father and son,husband and wife,and siblings.If one shows respect and reverence towards his own elders and beloved ones,he will not be unfriendly and impolite towards people outside his family,and at least will not treat them without proper respect.In addition,the Classic of Filial Piety also deems,“Serve parents when they are alive with love and reverence,and arrange the funeral with mourning when they pass away,by doing so,a filial son could fulfill his duty and responsibility in the world.”Regard love and reverence as the principle and meaning of life and death.A man's emotions of sorrow and grief usually derive from the sympathetic feelings about the distress and misfortune of his family members.It is generally believed that love is sufficient to support the relationship between wife and husband;in fact,love is not long-lasting.Reverence is also a basic necessity as well.Being intimate and respectful is the key for a couple to become a paragon.

The Records of Personages,a book written by Liu Shao from the Wei and Jin dynasties,provides the most precise and appropriate explanation about the value concept of“love and reverence”.The Records of Personages is quite special since it is a book of people,a book of ethics and a book of philosophy,or the special An Essay on Man.Only people in the Wei and Jin dynasties could write such a wonderful book.Liu Shao wrote in this book:

Nothing is more appropriate than love and reverence for ultimate humanity.Therefore,the Classic of Filial Piety deems love as the majestic moral character,and reverence as the thoroughfare.

The value concept of“love and reverence”does have its significant position in Chinese culture since it is regarded as the ultimate value of humanity.

“Reverence”can certainly include respect for teachers,for virtuous people of the older generations and for elders.However,the philosophical meaning of the value of“reverence”refers to the“dignity of self-nature”of the human being as individual life.“Reverence”is the spiritual settlement of one's inner character,sexual body and natural instinct.In traditional culture,many moral norms are related to“reverence”.

Take“filial piety”as an example.An instance in the Analects of Confucius goes like the following.Once Zi You asked Confucius what“filial piety”was and Confucius replied that people nowadays think that“being able to raise”is filial piety;if this is true,dogs can also“raise”,however,dogs are without“reverence”when doing so,thus,how can the difference be distinguished? One difference between a man and a dog is that in the matter of filial piety,people can show“reverence”while dogs cannot.

It can be seen that“reverence”is the spiritual core of filial piety.Therefore,people usually refer to the attitude and actions towards the elderly as“filial piety”,which is also known as“respect for the elderly”.In the traditional Chinese society,officials have been chosen seriously.If they do not honor their parents with filial piety,they are not qualified to be officials.Loyal and sincere people must honor their parents with filial piety,and only by doing so can they become virtuous sages who devote themselves to duties and love the world.

All etiquettes in the universe should be equipped with the spirit of“reverence”.Therefore,the Classic of Filial Piety says:“The ultimate meaning of Li(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character)is reverence”.One of the famous sayings of Confucius is,“How can I be able to stand the people who are in power,not to be lenient,not to be serious when they salute,and not to be sad when they attend funerals?”Etiquette is something that needs to be watched by others;thus comes the saying of“attend a celebration or ceremony”.However,etiquette is not worth seeing if it is without“reverence”.Another famous saying of Confucius is:“Offer sacrfice to the god as if it were there”,meaning that one should believe that god is present when offering a sacrfice and only in this way can the worshippers be kept sincere.

Sacrifice was of paramount importance and significance in ancient times.A sentence in the Zuo Commentary goes like this:“The important matters of a nation are sacrifices and wars”.The former means offering sacrifice to the god and the latter refers to military actions.However,neither sacrifice nor military action can be without“reverence”.Military action should also be about etiquette.Lots of documents and records in the Zuo Commentary show that many wars occur because of“irreverence”or“great irreverence”,which leads to the military actions of the powerful party.In modern society,it is also important to deal with the interrelationship among states,involving foreign affairs,etiquette and reverence.

Etiquette and reverence are the index of civilization.The important distinction between civilization and uncivilization lies in the fact that the former embraces etiquette.

3.Loyalty and forbearance:“Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.”

“Loyalty and forbearance”is an important thought of Confucius.Once Confucius said:“What I mean by morality is being loyal and consistent.”Zeng Zi(Zeng Shen)said:Yes.And then,Confucius left and other disciples asked Zeng Shen:“What does it mean?”Zeng Shen replied:“The morality of Confucius is loyalty and forbearance”,which suggests that“loyalty and forbearance”is a consistent and thorough thought.Loyalty and sincerity can interact with each other.Those who are sincere must be loyal.“Loyalty and sincerity”is the supreme moral law of Confucius.Disciple Fan Chi asked what“Benevolence”was.Confucius replied:“Behave properly while staying at home,be serious while dealing with daily chores and be loyal while treating friendship.”It can be known that both“reverence”and“loyalty”are the components of benevolence.

“Loyalty”and“trust”are even more closely intimate.The main way to get trust is to be“loyal”.Zeng Zi once said:“I meditate on myself three times a day”,amongst which there are two elements included,one is:“Do I try my best when I handle affairs for others?”and the other one is:“Am I trustworthy when I make friends with others?”Loyalty and trust are problems that need to be reflected upon in relationships with others.

Confucius also said:“It works even in the undeveloped and uncivilized areas if one is loyal and trustworthy,and behaves himself in a respectful way.However,if one does the opposite,it will not work even in his own country.”If one can keep being“loyal and trustworthy”and behave solemnly and respectfully,he will be able to stand on his feet even in the less civilized state.On the contrary,if one is not sincere and not honest with others,and cannot win the trust of his partners and he behaves rudely,he will not be able to win respect in his own hometown.

“Forbearance”demonstrates its significance and importance more apparently.According to the explanation of Confucius,forbearance means:“Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.”The meaning contained in and required by“forbearance”as a value concept generally means to be considerate,feel for others,show mutual understanding and empathy and do not impose what is undesirable for oneself on others.I think the value concept of“forbearance”demonstrates the beauty of Chinese culture.This is a great idea that Chinese culture contributes to mankind.The literary world attaches great importance to the idea of Confucius and regards it as the moral golden rule of human beings.

4.Honor and shame:“One shall not do what he thinks is shameful.”

In the Book of Rites:the Doctrine of the Mean,there is a paragraph about cultivating moral character,quoting from Confucius,“One is approaching wisdom if he is full of curiosity,getting close to benevolence if he practices diligently,and gets access to bravery if he is familiar with the sense of shame.Knowing these elements,one will know how to cultivate character.”Therefore,being curious,practicing diligently and knowing the sense of shame are treated as the three basic elements of cultivating character.Cultivation cannot be separated from knowledge absorption;this is what the sentence“Study the nature of things and gain knowledge”in the Book of Rites:Great Learning means.Therefore,“learning”ranksfirst place in the cultivation of character.

What does it mean to learn? If the ultimate purpose is to become a vessel for knowledge,and nothing is transformed at all,then it is useless to learn.The key to learning is to use it in practice,this is what the ancients meant by“unity of knowledge and action”.Thus,the second element goes to“practice diligently”.If one has studied and practiced,then he is not far from“benevolence”,at least he is on the way to it.

However,there is no guarantee that everything you do is right since mistakes always occur.So what if something goes wrong? One shall be able to carry out selfreflection and be good at it,thus to find out the reason,to correct mistakes and to avoid making mistakes repeatedly.When one realizes his own mistake,he will feel ashamed,regretful and embarrassed about what he did.If one succeeds in doing so,then he“knows the sense of shame”,which is the prerequisite for correcting mistakes.Therefore,“knows the sense of shame”is the third element.

Wisdom,benevolence and courage were called an“unchanging morality”in ancient times.With wisdom,benevolence and courage,one can make great judgments without mistakes,and will not be worried when encountering difficulties,and will not be afraid of threats,which are of the same meaning with“One should constantly seek knowledge to reduce the confusion about the world,should be honest with others,and no longer worry about personal gain or loss and should practice bravely and not be afraid of any difficulties”by Confucius.(Analects of Confucius:Zi Han)Zi Gong believed that his teacher,Confucius,was a person who had no worries,doubts or fears.

Amongst the three elements of the cultivation of character,the third one is“knowing the sense of shame”,which can especially not be despised.I have told students so many times:The cultivation of character should begin with a sense of shame.Shame is a civilized indicator of human beings,and one of the manifestations of human civilization,which Mencius called the“sense of shame”.Mencius said that the sense of compassion,the sense of shame,the sense of modesty and yielding,and the sense of right and wrong are the“four starts”of human beings.The word“Duan”(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character)means“start”,meaning that the“four starts”is the beginning of a human being,or at least the symbol of a human being.According to Mencius,a man without a sense of shame is not a human being.Similarly,a man without a sense of compassion,a sense of modesty and yielding,and a sense of right and wrong is not a human being either.The sense of compassion is intolerance,which is sympathy,meaning“forbearance”.Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.A sense of modesty and yielding means to be civilized and polite,a sense of right and wrong refers to fairness and justice of society,while a sense of shame,which is the third element of the cultivation of character,means“know the sense of shame”.Also,it is what Confucius means by“One shall not do what he thinks is shameful”.

“Chi”and“Lian”(the direct pronunciation of their corresponding Chinese characters)constitute a combined concept,naming“Lian Chi”(“honor and shame”in English).One of the famous arguments of Guan Zi goes like this:“Etiquette,righteousness,honor and shame constitute the four dimensions of a state.”“Etiquette”is the civilized order,“righteousness”is social justice,“honesty”is being thrifty and“shame”is moral restraint and self-discipline.A state will be in danger without these four elements.

Gu Yanwu,the great scholar of the Ming and Qing dynasties,once said:“Honor and shame is the vital element of getting on in the world and behaving oneself.”According to him,without thriftiness,one will take everything;and without shame,one will do everything.Still,there is another sentence from him:“The shamelessness of scholar-officials is the national humiliation.”

5.Harmony and diversity(harmony in diversity)

Like sincerity and trust,love and reverence,loyalty and forbearance and honor and shame,harmony and diversity is the most basic and important value concept of Chinese culture.Chinese culture tends not to make the relationship among people so irreconcilable.Harmony in diversity is the general principle for the Chinese to interact with the world.

The idea of“harmony and diversity”derives from the Book of Changes.The diagram“Tong Ren”(the direct pronunciation of their corresponding Chinese characters)in this book interprets the concept of“Harmony and diversity with human beings.”The precepts of the Book of Changes are summarized as follows:“Different paths lead to the same destination,and different intentions and thoughts have the same purpose in this world.”This is to say that differences in people are often expressed in diverse ways and methods with the same ultimate goal.Therefore,by doing so,people finally gather together.The form of existence of human society,people's lifestyle as well as customs and habits are different among each other,however,the value of their life pursuit and their psychological orientation are often of the same.Mencius made this point clear:

People have the same taste for food,deriving from the mouth;people have the same taste for sound,deriving from the ear;people have the same taste for color,deriving from the eye;thus,when it comes to the Xin(the direct pronunciation of its corresponding Chinese character),is there no such thing as the same? What do people have in common about Xin? It lies in principle and righteousness.(Mencius·Gao Zi Shang)

What Mencius means by this paragraph is that people all like delicious food,wonderful music and diverse colors,the respect for which is the same with human beings.Since there is a similar feeling in this respect,what about“Xin”? The answer is without any doubt.The same point of Xin lies in principle and righteousness.

“Xin”,which is from Mencius,can be understood as“psychology”.Qian Zhongshu,the great scholar,once said:“The psychological states of the east sea and the west sea are the same.”Therefore,the differences among people are far fewer than imagined.It is a cultural trap to exaggerate the human differences.And there is a“same”point within human differences.Because of this,there is intercommunication among people and among cultures,and therefore,difference can coexist in a unity.

The coexistence,communication and integration of different cultures are an inherent concept,which is based on the concept of“harmony”in Chinese culture.“Harmony”is composed of a myriad of“diversities”.It will not come into existence without diversities.Then,here comes the famous claim:“Gentlemen seek harmony but not uniformity.”Chang Tsai,a famous ideologist of the Song dynasty,is famous for his four teachings:“Ordaining conscience for the public;securing safety and fortune for common people;preserving cultural property from elder generations and carrying it forward;establishing peace for all future generations.”Since Chang Tsai is famous with the pseudonym of Heng-chu,thus the famous four sentences are called the“Heng-chu Four-Sentences Teaching”.Another“four teachings”are also well-known,which go like this,

All phenomena in this world consist of opposite sides,which will lead to opposite moving directions,which will further lead to revenge and battle,however,leading to an ultimate result of harmony.

I refer to these four sentences as the“four philosophical teachings”,which specifically aim at the entire universe.These teachings generally mean that the universe is made up of single individuals,including human beings,animals and plants,and all of these individuals are different.The ancients had a saying that reads“Beauties do not share the same body and the same face.”There is also a famous saying in the west,which reads:“There are no two identical individuals in the world.”These different individuals are single“phenomena”,which are fluid instead of static.However,these individual phenomena flow in different directions,some even move towards the opposite direction,and all of these consist of the first and second sentences of Chang's philosophy.Since“opposite”exists,there will be a conflict between each other,thus forming a situation of“revenge and battle”.

The word“revenge”was written as“雠”in ancient times,with a letter 隹(zhui)on the left,a letter 隹(zhui)on the right,and a letter 言(yan)in the middle.“隹”is a bird with a short tail.It can be imagined that the word“雠”symbolizes that two short tail birds are flapping there,just as if they were talking to each other.It can also be speculated that birds with short tails tend to cry very loudly,so they are not just talking,but arguing,debating,or even bickering and quarreling with each other.We have no idea about what they are communicating,but the result of their deliberation,rebuttal,discussion,and argument will not be that the birds have eaten each other,but that they have reached a consensus,or a common ground or harmony in diversity.Therefore,there follows the phrase“an ultimate result of harmony”.

Ⅳ.“Better to Make Friends than to Make Enemies”

The implications of the“philosophical four teachings”from Chang Tsai are far-reached and profound.In reality,we can get a sweeping view:The world is different,but the difference does not necessarily develop into a conflict.Conflict does not necessarily become a zero-sum game,but can be“solved in harmony”.By bearing this idea in mind,a lot of things will be dealt with more appropriately.

A poem,coming from the great literary expert Lu Xun,is about the relationship between China and Japan in the postwar period.Two sentences of this poem are:“Disasters are never powerful enough to separate real friends.A smile is all they need to eliminate the gratitude and resentment.”There should be no enmity among people,among communities,among ethnic groups and among nations.“Revenge”can be resolved with a result of“harmony”.Therefore,there is another saying in China,which reads,“Better to make friends than to make enemies.”