minister英语文章：论语中看孔子思想

2021年1月21日发(作者：擅自)
Xiaonan Jiang
Midterm Paper (Confucius and the Analects)
The Analects is a famous book that has influenced Chinese thoughts for thousands of
years. As the saying goes, half Analects rules the world, thus it can be seen that the
Analects is very important to the political field. Now I will characterize the political
philosophy of early Confucianism as it is expressed in the Analects.
First,
the
Analects
suggests
that
the
government
should
build
a
good
leadership.
Confucius attaches great importance to the leadership in the function of the political
field, and he asks the leader must first make some achievements in morals, otherwise
will
be
unable
to
lead
the
lower
class
of
people.
Confucius
divides
people
in
the
society into two classes, namely
meanings
of
these
two
words
were
leaders
and
their
subordinates.
In
the
era
of
Confucius,
these
words
began
to
having
the
moral
sense.
The
Analects
says:
The
relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and the grass.
The
grass
must
bend,
when
the
wind
blows
across
it.
Combing
the
moral
elements
into the words which represented the the regulators and the regulated previously, the
Confucians thinks that a leader should be a virtuous person. Also, Confucius suggests
that
the
leader
should
set
a
good
example
to
the
masses.
When
Chi
K’ang
asked
Confucius
about
government,
Confucius
replied:
to
govern
means
to
rectify.
If
you
lead on the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct? Confucius also
said that if a person was not covetous, although you reward him to do it, he would not
steal. These examples illustrate that the governor should lead his men in a charge and

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take the lead in doing good.
Then the Analects proposes a right strategy of administering the country: Ruling the
country
by
virtue.
The
Mater
says:
If
the
people
are
led
by
laws,
and
uniformity
sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but
have no sense of shame. If they are led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given
them propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.
Confucius here compares two kinds of ways to run a country: ruling the country by
laws
and
by
virtue.
He
thinks
using
laws
to
deter
citizens
from
crimes
will
only
scratch the surface. But through the rule of virtue, people will establish the view of
honor and disgrace, having the sense of shame, so they will measure their behaviors
with this standard before doing anything. Obviously, leading by virtue is better than
leading by laws because of its effect of a permanent cure. Particularly, I summarize
three specific methods that Confucius advises. First, the government should win the
trust
of
the
people.
When
Tsze-kung
asked
about
government,
Confucius
said
that
from of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if the people have no faith in their
rulers,
there
is
no
standing
for
the
state.
In
Confucius’
view,
the
faith
is
more
important
than
economy
and
military
and
it
is
the
fundamental
factor
of
ruling
a
country. If we have to abandon two out of three, we should hold the faith. Second, the
government should appoint officials on their merits. Whether an official is talented or
not
is
suggested
by
the
will
of
the
people.
According
to
the
Analects,
an
official
should advance the upright and set aside the crooked, then the people will submit. If
he
advances
the
crooked
and
set
aside
the
upright,
then
the
people
won’t
submit.

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