On The Change Of Manner Of "Man Of Honor" In The Pre-Qin Dynasty

The phrase of"man of honor"is a high frequency in the books in the Pre-Qin Dynasty. The manner of"man of honor"described in the series of the literature of the period has rich connotation covering different behaviors of"man of honor's", making us comprehend the unique charm of the culture in the Pre-Qin Dynasty. The manner of"man of honor"reflects the values, ideal and the cultural norms of the society of that time."The Book of Odes"and"Tso Chuan"(a commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals) are the earliest books representing the manner of"man of honor". This paper will comb the manner of"man of honor"appearing in the two books, focusing on the change of manner of"man of honor"as well as the development of the culture of the Pre-Qin Dynasty.The Introduction gives a general overview of the present research situation and the significance of the research of the paper.In the first part of the main body, it discusses the manner of"man of honor"described in"The Book of Odes"in the following 3 aspects: joy, awesome and virtue accompanied by fortune, prosperity and longevity.The second part of the main body exposits the manner of"man of honor"in"Tso Chuan". Firstly, it briefly illustrates the implications of"man of honor says", which is different from the manner of"man of honor"mentioned in the paper. Then it describes the manner of"man of honor"in"Tso Chuan"in the respects of etiquette and faith.Through comparison study of the manner of"man of honor"in"The Book of Odes"and"Tso Chuan", the third part of the main body states the change of the manner in the Pre-Qin Dynasty. In both of the books,"man of honor"has the social status of nobility, and he is virtuous. However, they are somehow different. In"The Book of Odes", joy, awesome as well as fortune, prosperity and longevity are the outward manifestation of virtue, while in"Tso Chuan", etiquette, justice and faith becomes concrete representation of virtue. All these changes are the necessary outcome of the changes of the society, politics and economy, as well as the result of the rules of the literature development. Finally, this paper states how the two books influent Confucius's on"man of honor".