从“则以观德”看西周道德文明的历史生成

On the Historical Becoming of the Western Zhou Dynasty's Morality

《左传》载周公制《周礼》曰:"则以现德,德以处事,事以度功,功以食民。"历代学者训释"则以观德"皆聚焦于"则"字,且以后世的道德观念训释前人,不甚恰当。西周初年"德"的观念更为重要,"德"既源自上帝、祖先神又开始与积极主动之"敬"的观念相融合。周公"则以观德"是"仪式刑文王之德"的产物,周公所制礼乐(礼则)源自文王虔敬上天、恭敬人事而形成的"德型"。"德"为"则"之根源,"则"为"德"之具体落实。周公制礼作乐的主要目的就在于以制度典礼(礼则)落实文王之"德型",由此永葆天命。从文王树立"德型"到周公"则以观德",世俗化、人文化的礼乐制度逐渐成为维系当时社会秩序的主要力量与手段,政治秩序、社会准则与思想文化的道德化发展路向亦由是得以奠定。

Zuo Zhuan restated Rites of the Zhou＇s thoughts, that is, ＂observing virtue by rites; dealing with things by virtue; weighing credits up by things; benefiting the people by credits.＂ The past scholars focused on the word rites and used later ideas wrongly when they explained the sentence observing virtue by rites, which is inappropriate. In fact, the concept of Morality was more important in the early years of Western Zhou Dynasty. It originated both from god and ancestors and was actively integrated with the concept of reverence. Duke of Zhou＇ s rites followed in the wake of King Wen of Zhou＇ s virtue. The virtue is the origin of the rite while the rite is the incorporation of the virtue. The main aim of Duke of Zhou＇ s creating a system of rites and music is to incorporate King Wen of Zhou＇ s virtue by rites in order to rule the country eternally. Since then, the secularized and humanistic system of rites and music became a main way and force maintaining social order gradually. The moralization of political order, social principle, ideology and culture was determined.