“民可使由之,不可使知之”新解

A New Interpretation of the Saying ‘Citizens Should Obey,but not to know’

自古以来,学者对于孔子在《论语》中"民可使由之,不可使知之"这句话的理解是:"民众,可以让他们怎么做,但是不要让他们知道为什么。"这不仅是错误的,也与孔子思想格格不入。现从传世文献以及新出土的古籍中,可知这句话的真实含义是:对于民众,可以引导他们,但是,不可以强制他们。作者认为,对于这句话的误解始自汉代,由于专制政权现实政治需要孔子"为汉立制",是其主要原因,其次,在古代,当政者向来蔑视民众,认同"愚民"思想。

Since the ancient times,scholars believe in the understanding of the sentences that ‘Min ke shi you zhi. Bu ke shi zhi zhi. ＇as ‘citizens should obey,but not to know＇This is not only wrong but also not in conformity with the thoughts of Confucius. According to the research of the classic articles and the newly unearthed ancient books,the author finds that the meaning of these sentences is that citizen should be guided,but not be forced. The error of the translation came out in the years of the Han Dynasty during which the ruling class in the feudal society did not want to make citizens know.