Research On Dong Zhongshu’s Thoughts Of "Lizhi(Ruling By Way Of Rites)"

In the early Western Han Dynasty,the economic recovery,the consolidation of the centralized politics and the relaxed atmosphere in ideology made the various theories since the pre-Qin Dynasty integrated and developed in different degrees,and gradually formed new theoretical concepts and ideological patterns.Among them,Huang-Lao Daoism fully conforms to the needs of politics and society,so the most attention.But since the reign of Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty,mainly under the influence of Dong Zhongshu,Confucianism gradually gained the status of "uniqueness".In this process,the Confucian thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" attracted much attention from the government and the opposition."Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" combines morality with punishment,forming a governance model with morality guiding and punishment supplementing.Through effective management of various fields of social life,people can enjoy the fruits of civilization while achieving moral self-discipline,so as to promote the harmonious coexistence between people.It not only effectively maintains the social ethical order,but also provides a more comprehensive theoretical basis and institutional guarantee for national governance.Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" is the most typical one.On the one hand,it is because of its prestige and status in the academic and political fields,on the other hand,it is also because of its comprehensive and systematic thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)",as well as strong practical pertinence.Dong Zhongshu incorporated the pre-Qin thoughts into the Confucian thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)",and constructed a set of characteristic thought system of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" based on the realistic situation of the early Han society and The Times,the philosophical view of heaven that "honorable yang and humble yin" and the theory of human nature that "kind humanity and evil sentiment".Based on consanguinity,Dong Zhongshu first built the social governance structure of self-family-state-tianxia into a social community of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" that was closely related,clear in outline and full of vitality.Then,from the cultivation of Qi,longevity of personal cultivation;Family ethics of harmonious father and son,harmonious husband and wife,harmonious brothers;It carefully sorted out and constructed the basic elements,core content and realistic concern of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" from the aspects of political governance,harmony between the king and the minister,political wisdom of harmony between the king and the people,governance diplomacy and love for the whole world,and finally presented the three characteristics of "religious","actuality" and "contingencies",and "Zhonghe" as its core spirit.The establishment of Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" not only made the traditional Chinese thought of the rule of rites develop systematically,but also realized the practical application of the Confucian theory of the rule of Rites to a relatively high degree in the unified Han Empire,which had a far-reaching influence on the later society.But in the modern vision,Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)" still has its own limitations.Through the discussion of Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)",on the one hand,we can re-examine some preconceptions about Dong Zhongshu’s academic thought in the past,and make some contribution to the current relevant research.On the one hand,it can fully explore the practical significance of traditional rites and political thoughts based on Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of "Lizhi(Ruling by Way of Rites)",and provide certain theoretical resources for the current social governance modernization,ecological civilization construction and cohesion of the Chinese national spirit.