A Systematic Analysis of the"Way of Internal Sage and External King"in the Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty emphasized man over God,believing that happiness in life was ultimately decided by man himself.Therefore,different from people in the Yin Dynasty who explored the way of divination,they were keen to explore humanity instead.The"humanity"discussed by them was developed around the idea of"internal sage and external king".The former refers to self-moral cultivation,and the latter refers to the idea of"serving the country and benefiting the society".For literati and officialdom,the way of"internal sage and external king"requires adherence to the right path instead of joining others in doing evil deeds.When right principles prevailed,they would serve the country by holding official ranks;and when it was not the case,they would retire from the world,cultivating themselves alone.For the monarchs,the way of"internal sage and external king"requires that they set an example,"cultivating themselves before becoming rulers",winning people's hearts through being"internal sages"and then proclaiming themselves kings."Internal sage"is the basis of"external king",and"governing people"is merely an extension of"self-cultivation".Based on a comprehensive study of the classics of the Zhou Dynasty,this paper systematically combs,comments on and interprets the"humane"thinking and system of the"internal sage and external king"of the Zhou Dynasty for the first time.The thought of"cultivating oneself before governing people"and"internal sage and external emperor"emphasized in it contains a strong realistic warning and provides reference for promoting moral and political progress in Chinese modernization today.
Zhou Dynastyhuman-orientedhumanityway of inner sageway of external king
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