Study On Zengzi And His School

Zengzi,also named Zengshen,was born in Nanwu City,Lu.He was one of the most eminent disciples in Confucious' late years.Zengzi worshipped independent personality,payed attention to self-cultivating,practicing theory of filial piety and attached importance to 'Tiandao'.He was honored as 'Zongsheng' by later people.The existing 'Dadai Liji'—Ten Chapters of Zengzi which described his theories of self-cultivating,filial piety and 'Tiandao' is a primary data except for Book of Lunyu and Mencius to study Zengzi.Zengzi taught his students in Wucheng City,and fostered many famous persons such as Zisi and Yuezheng zichun.Zisi emphasized the importance of self-cultivating,talked about Xing and Natural view and his theory was inherited by Mencius.Hanyu affirmed that Zisi' and Mencius' imparting Confuciansim postion in Tang Dynasty.From then on,the school of Simeng was got more attention widely.Furthermore, Song-Ming LiXue did their utmost to canonize the Xin Xing theory of Simeng. Yuezheng zichun developed the theory of Zengzi's filial piety well,and his idea was used in 'filial piety is controlling the world' by emperors of Han Dynasty. Inherting of Zengzi-Zisi and Zisi-Mencius had a great effect on the history of Chinese Science and Confucianism.Zengzi was not only a spreader of Confucius, but also a guider of the school of Simeng.He was a connecting link between the preceding and the following in the history of Chinese Confucianism Culture.He inherited and developed Confucianism.He made great achievements in development and spread of Confucianism.Obviously,he had an important status in science.However studies on him were far from enough.This dissertation aims to make a systematic analysis of his contributions to Confucian and a summary of his great achievements in Confucianism and science so that people can know him, his great achievements and important status in history more roundly and more accuriously.This dissertation consists of seven chapters.Chapter one introduces study outcomes on Zengzi till now.Seen from past references,though many outcomes have been gained,many questions still should be solved.Chapter two summarizes Zengzi's extraction,family and all his life on the basis of historical materials,and discusses Book of Zengzi based on chapter 'Neili' of Shangbo Text.Chapter three analyses Zengzi's characteristics according to historical data on evaluating him of pre-Qin and Song People and points out the significance for Zengzi to develop Confucian Sprit is 'Shen is also truly wise'.The features are presented by comparing Zengzi and other Confucius' disciples.Chapter four introduces the characteristics of Zengzi's theory which is composed of value orientation of 'Shi Junzi' by Zengzi,theory of filial piety and ability of self-cultivating.The relationship among Zengzi,Book of Obedience and the Great Learning is discussed in this part too.Chapter five and six studies deeply Zengzi's school according to the outcome of Guodian Confucian Texts.It can be divided into two offshoots.One is Zisi's Confucianism,the other is Yuezheng zichun's Confucianism.Zisi inherited the theory of 'Xin Xing' and Yuezheng zichun inherited the theory of filial piety from Zengzi.Other famous disciples of Zengzi also are introduced in this chapter.Chapter seven summarizes Zengzi's contributions to the Confucianism on the whole.Integration of instructions and history,join of biographic references and areheological information,and comparison among persons are used in this dissertation.Method in Edition science is used to study Zengzi Text.The dissertation detailedly introduces Zengzi's book,characteristic,academic contribution and features of his school,and proposes some innovative viewpoints based on a lot of historical data.This dissertation mainly includes several innovative viewpoints as follows.First,the relation between Zengzi's Book and Ten Chapters of Zengzi is discussed by referring to new excavated archeological data in this dissertation. Whether Ten Chapters of Zengzi included in Dadailiji was written by Zengzi has been debated after Zengzi's Book was lost.On the basis of researches of former scholars,the dissertation analyzes the content of Chapter 'Neili' of Shangbo Text by comparing with Zengzi Benxiao,Zengzi Lixiao,Zengzi Daxiao,Zengzi's Attendance on His Parents detailedly and shows some similar aspects,such as the concept of loyalty,records to attend parents,Son's concealing for his father, dissuasion and so on.At the same time,it shows that Ten Chapters of Zengzi are changed or deleted with times lapsed and Chapter 'Neili' was saved because of burying.At some extent,Chapter 'Neili' can truly reflect the inherent features of Zengzi's Book.Chapter 'Neili' was found early,so Ten Chapters of Zengzi,a reference book of Neili should be found earlier.It is not compellent that Ten Chapters of Zengzi of Dadailiji was written by latter people and Han Confucian.Second,the dissertation analyses Zengzi's characteristic deeply by comparing words and ideals of Zengzi with that of his schoolmates and indicates the feature of Lu is one of crucial elements for Zengzi to inherit Confucian ideals.Zengzi don't give up until success.So,he understood Confucian truth more deeply than others.In affiliating with Zengzi's companions,Youruo's character was following and drifting with the tide,and he was not active to be the successor of Confucius. So he didn't take on the duty to inherit Confucian Sprit.Zizhang preferred to spout and perusing appearance sedulously and forgot self-cultivating in heart.Ziyou preferred to deal with Ceremony and Music macroscopically.And it was too idealization to accomplish.It was regretted that he ignored day-to-day work.Zixia devoted his mind only to studying classics and didn't pursue Confucian meaning. So,Zizhang,Ziyou and Zixia only had one part of Confucius and couldn't inherit Confucian Sprit.On the contrary,Zengzi required himself to be 'Strong and Generous'.At some extent,Strong meant clinging which was a virtue.As a result, once he made his mind,he could try his best by clinging in heart.These characters determined Zengzi could inherit Confucian Sprit besides Yanhui.So he could be worshipped by Song-Ming LiXue.In other words,Zengzi's truly wise determined his success.Third,the dissertation affirms Zengzi's contribution to hoping Shi from the evolutive history and inherent features of Shi.In Zengzi times,most of Shi flattered dignitary and loosed dignity in order to be an official.Aiming at increasing philistinism of Shi,Zengzi proposed 'Strong and Generous'and 'Taking Dao as his task',to define the role of Shi again.In Zengzi's opinion,Shi not only had culture and knowledge but also possessed nobleness and ideal personality.So they showed disdain for emperors based on their knowledge and ideal personality. Subsequently,both Zisi's 'indicating emperor's badness regularity' and Mencius' 'no fortune corupting my soul,no poverty dampening my will and no power suppressing my pride' inherited from Zengzi's opinion.Zengzi further presented that Shi should not only use their knowledge to standardize themselves but also change society and benefit common people on the basis of Confusius 'Making Dao as One's Task'.In the long and long historic period,this generous affection to relieve people and highest ideal to govern country figured own ambition and responsibility of Chinese traditional intellectuals and embodied personality features of Chinese tradition intellectuals.Nowadays in a world full of material desires,Zengzi's personality and ideal still possesses real-life significance of guidance.Fourth,Zengzi's theory of filial piety is introduced by the numbers and some new evidences are searched for the viewpoint that Book of Obedience was not written by Zengzi which was proposed by former scholars.Firstly,seen from the essence and power to practise filial piety,Zengzi relied on his consciousness and self-discipline,but the opinion in the Book of Obedience was to practise filial piety legally.This is an essential difference between them.Secondly,Seen from loyal connotations,the essence of Zengzi's theory of filial piety is respect,while Book of Obedience is to connect Emperor and Father,which is to make fealty as loyalty.Therefore,both of them were different in essence.Furthermore,referring to Shangbo Text 'Neili',the dissertation points out that Book of Zengzi emphasized on obligation between emperors and liegemen which was consistent to the independent personality and contrary to 'absolutely loyal to emperors' in Book of obedience.So Book of obedience wasn't written by Zengzi.Fifth,the dissertation analyzes historical records and stories of Zengzi and corrects his common impression in history.In traditional views,'Blind Loyal to Emperors' was connected with Zengzi naturally.So Zengzi was always blamed for the first to practise 'Changing Fealty to Loyalty' during more than two thousand years.In fact,this is a misunderstanding about Zengzi.Han Confucians figured the image of Zengzi in order to cater Han emperors,get official titles and rewards,and find useful evidences from Zengzi.It is seen from the historical data of pre-Qin and new archeoiogical data that Zengzi is a Superior Man Confucian with strong society responsibility and independent personality of Shi.He was strong,generous and didn't yield to any force of powers and temptations of money.He was not only different to Confucians with no land and spirt but also unequal to those people who were unconditionally blind loyal to emperors after Qinhan dynasty.Later people boundlessly aired and compiled his filial stories so that he became a model of Blind Loyal to Emperors.This dissertation appraises Zengzi impersonally,gets rid of all illusive things of his records and stories and presents his true features in Chinese history.This is one of innovative viewpoints in the dissertation.Sixth,most researches of former scholars on Guodian Confucian Texts focused on schools or ideas of bamboo slips.Few of them were attention to the origin of these bamboo slips,which is Zengzi,and relation between Zengzi and Zisi.All viewpoints of Zisi's teacher and inheritance are firstly introduced and analyzed in the dissertation.Zengzi is the closer of Confucians who contacted with Zisi.They contacted each other more frequently in daily life,so it is a truth that Zengzi has more effect on Zisi.Then this dissertation analyzed the theory of self-cultivating,filial piety and Junzi collecting all from the chapters attributed to Zisi's Confucianism in Guodian Confucian Texts and affirmed that Zengzi and Zisi come down in one continuous line.Zisi inherited from Zengzi not only because the reason we had talked above,but also because Mencius inherited from Zisi's disciple and Mencius learned from Conficious and Zengzi.Mencius worshipped Zengzi too.Finally,it is argued that Zengzi is closely relative to Simeng 'Wuxing'. Zengzi related number five to virtue,and later Simeng School related virtue to 'Wuxing' and explained the moral meaning of 'Wuxing' which was 'making theory according old explanation,called Wuxing' in Xunzi's Cruiticisim Shier Zi.It is an innovation of this dissertation to analyze that Zisi inherited Zengzi's ideals based on Guodian Confucian Texts and its relative researches.In summary,all Zengzi's life and his important achievements are discussed from the aspects of Zengzi's life,literatures,characteristics,thought,contributions to science,school inheritance and so on in this dissertation.Some common points of academic views are adopted properly to study many disputable issues for a long period based on respecting historical materials.Some viewpoints proposed in the dissertation are innovative.Maybe they are useful for latter investigators to study Confucianism.