Guo Yu And Cultural Ethos In Pre-Qin Period

Chinese civilization has a very long history, in which a great many historical and cultural classics have been created. Guo Yu is one of the excellent books. Guo Yu, with a catalogue of nations, mainly records the history respectively. The real value of Guo Yu reflects in history, literature and ideology. In the paper, Guo Yu is regarded as an ideological work and important document in studying ethos in pre-Qin period. Therefore, the method, the combinition of history and argumentation, is adopted. In five parts, the paper, with the clue of cultural ehtos, elaborates the contribution of Guo Yu in passing down cultural ethos in pre-Qin period.First, the cultural ethos of Guo Yu and the prosperity of Li. Guo Yu consists of many thoughts abuout Li and they can prove each other with "Three Li" and Zuo Zhuan. From the record of Guo Yu, we can see the variation and development trace of Li in pre-Qin period from the western Zhou dynasty to spring and autumn period. In Guo Yu there are the thoughts upholding Li and the facts violating Li. Generally speaking, Guo Yu thinks highly of Li.Second, the cultural ethos of Guo Yu and the advocation of De. Guo Yu puts much importance on De. In Guo Yu De and God have a very close relationship, but the focus of ideology has the inclination to De, showing the tendency of humanism. The outlook of De in Guo Yu integrates with individual and come to be the idea of personality. Besides, De has become a force, equal to fortune, military affairs and other social forces. Guo Yu also illustrates the importance of political De. Guo Yu thinks, for example, a nation with De will be prosperous.Third, the cultural ethos of Guo Yu and relying on the people. De in Guo Yu comes to show an inclination to relying on the people. Guo Yu emphasizes that interest is the main factor to coordinate the ruler and his people. Through interest, the support of the people can be available and the people should be concerned about and taken good care of. Guo Yu also shows the requirement of the ruler, the requirement of utility, the comfort of the people, the basis of the people in military activities and so on.Fourth, the cultural ethos of Guo Yu and the emphasis of harmony. Wu Xing in Guo Yu and "He" have different levels, "He" in the different objectives of practice, in man and objectives, inbetween men and especially the political harmony between men. Guo Yu values political harmony and the employment of intellectuals. There are also thoughts about the harmony in nature in Guo Yu, which mainly appear in the theory of Yin Yang.Fifth, the cultural ethos between Guo Yu and the awe to God. Natural law primarily includes fate, in other words God's will, the moral rules and regulations of natural law and regular patterns of natural law. There is a complicated outlook that man proposes and god disposes in Guo Yu, in wich the idea that god disposes prevails. In Guo Yu the rise and fall of a nation, the control of disorder and the weal and woe are usually attributed to fate, but Guo Yu values the common aspiration of the people and emphasizes the importance of intellectuals, so the conclusion can be drawn that the clou of Guo Yu lays more emphasis on man's proposition rather than fate.In general, sorting out the ideology in Guo Yu, man can make a comprehensive survey of the basic pre-Qin cultural ehtos in it. Looking back the developing process of chinese cultural ethos, Guo Yu is an indispensible part from the xia-shang dynasty and the early western zhou dynasty to warring state period, in which various schools of thought prevailed.