The Research On Dong Zhongshu's View Of Sages

Applying Confucianism to integrate the view of sages during the pre-Qin period and the early Han dynasty,Dong Zhongshu developed a new sage ideology by interpretation of Spring and Autumn Annals and construction of Yin-Yang and Wu Xing theory,which intended to restrain the behavior of the monarch.The sage in Dong Zhongshu's thoughts referred to the ideal monarch when comprehended the principle of Tian and referred to the realistic monarch in practice.He regarded Tian as the ancestor of humans and the origin of all things,deemed Spring and Autumn Annals as the result of Saints' imitating the principle of Tian.In accordance with the historical events in Spring and Autumn period,he illustrated that being benevolent government and benefiting the people was the purpose of Saints' imitating Tian's virtue,discipline and will,if the monarch passed out along the way of benevolence,Tian would scourge the calamity as condemns.Dong viewed Yin-Yang and Wu Xing as a tool of manifesting the principle of Tian,utilizing ‘Unity',‘Compatibility' to demonstrate that ‘Object' must be comprised by Yin and Yang while Yin's fame all attributed to Yang,he treated the sequence of Wu Xing as ‘the sequence of Tian' and endowed the corresponding moral duty,by feat of Yin-Yang and Wu Xing Saints expressed ‘Yang superiority to Ying' to expound that the principle of Tian is near virtue and far punishment,on that ground formulated the etiquette ‘Three cardinal guides'.The dilemma of Dong zhongshu's view of sages is that after the integration of the saints and monarch,the absolute authority of Tian will be subordinated to the political power of the monarch,and the ‘power' of the saints to communicate with Tian is occupied by the monarch.