絜矩:一个已消亡的文化概念

Measuring Square: a Disappeared Culture Concept

“絜矩之道”是《礼记·大学》篇所提出的一个思想文化概念,后经朱熹的重新阐发,在宋元明清时代有重要影响。其基本含义有君子应重视对人民大众行为的师范表率作用、恕道、均平思想等。但是,这个文化概念在近代以后则湮灭不彰。其根本原因,在于它的基本思想内涵被消解在已有的更成熟的也更为深刻的文化概念中,它实际上是中国古代“均平”思想的另一种解说,而缺乏一个文化概念所应具有的独立性品格。思想的历史证明,思想概念的生命力,永远属于那些新生的富有活力的东西。

The way of “measuring square” is an ideological cultural concept put forward in the Great Learning, a chapter of the Book of Rites, which has a great influence in Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties through the new explanation of Zhu Xi. Its basic meaning is that the Superior Man should pay attention to setting up a good example to the masses and act with the thought of forgiveness and equalitarian and so on. But the cultural concept has disappeared and become a discard in modern time, the prime cause of which lies in that its basic ideological intention has been dissoluble in the more mature and profound concept of culture. Actually, it is just another kind of commentary of the thought of equalitarian in ancient China and lacks independence that any cultural concept should have. The history of thought proves that the vitality of ideological concept belongs to those that is new and vigorous forever.