Research On Huang Zhen's Thoughts On Ritua

Huang Zhen’s book "Reading the Book of Rites" provides a detailed analysis and study of the Confucian school of ritual thought.This paper explores Huang’s ideas on the philosophy of ritual based on his discussions in the book.Firstly,Huang Zhen interprets the "Great One" as the original Qi,and explains the natural generation and evolution from the perspective of Qi,revealing that rituals originate from nature.The sages made rituals based on the development and evolution of nature,using loyalty,honesty,and righteousness as the basis for ritual creation,thus elucidating the origin and basis of rituals.Secondly,building on the foundation of Huang’s ideas on the origin and basis of rituals,this paper delves deeper into the content of rituals.Huang Zhen,from the perspective of a rationalist,provides a more comprehensive understanding of the meaning of rituals.He believes that rituals are synonymous with principle and can serve as evidence to establish the authority of rituals,highlighting the utilitarian aspect of rituals.He also categorizes the five elements of rituals,including timeliness,appropriateness,physicality,suitability,and propriety,as "principle," and discusses rituals from the perspective of physical application,making rituals consistent with reason.Moreover,he proposes the important idea that "harmony is the key to rituals," and regards "harmony" as the internal meaning of rituals,pointing out that only by conforming to the middle way can one meet the requirements of rituals.He also emphasizes the importance of practicality,stating that "ritual is the sum of a hundred deeds," and believes that the entire content of rituals must be reflected through action rather than empty words.Finally,Huang Zhen interprets the meaning of rituals from the perspective of ritual music,using music to enrich the meaning of rituals.He proposes that "ritual and music should be based on emotions," and that the shared respect and love contained in rituals and music have universal significance that can extend to all corners of the world.Huang believes that rituals and music are related to human nature and can have a transformative effect on people,enabling them to return to the right path and contribute to social governance.In summary,Huang Zhen,as a rationalist,emphasizes practicality and opposes empty rhetoric on rituals.He believes that rituals have a practical impact on individuals,society,and the state,and have multiple functions.Firstly,rituals can improve personal cultivation,by regulating people’s words and deeds to achieve the goal of moral cultivation,leading people to do good deeds and avoiding wrongdoing,thus playing a preventive role.Secondly,rituals can establish a social hierarchy,distinguishing between people and animals,men and women,and assigning different levels of status and resources,leading to his views on "distinguishing ranks according to rituals" and "letting everyone have their own place." Thirdly,rituals can contribute to political stability by acting as a means of governance for the state.Huang,living in a turbulent society at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty,saw the decline of the world and the disunity between monarchs and ministers.Therefore,he proposed using rituals as a means to govern the country,reasonably managing the relationship between monarchs and ministers,and maintaining political transparency.In conclusion,Huang Zhen’s philosophy of rituals reflects his distinctive features and illustrates his attitude of "interpreting rituals with principle." He demonstrates the idea path of "principle" leading to "rituals," and then returning to "principle," thus contributing to the rationalization process of ritual studies.