论早期儒家对三年之丧成立依据的认识

The Study on Early Confucianists' Understanding of the Basis of Three-Year-Mourning

三年之丧是丧礼中至重的仪节,其背后蕴含着制定、施行这些仪节的理由和依据。儒家所主张的三年之丧在很大程度上影响了财富、人口的积累与增长。墨子从功利主义的立场出发的批评,说明丧制的利弊取决于它对实际利益的影响。但现实利益的获取并不是儒家的首要目标,合礼的生活才是儒家的根本追求。春秋末叶正是传统的礼乐制度加剧崩坏的时期,而三年不为礼乐专事服丧,会造成其他礼乐活动在仪式施行层面的废弛,也会对整体的礼乐生活产生消极影响。但从礼的本质层面来看,为父母服丧关联着礼所维系的社会基本秩序与价值的诸多方面,因此不会导致宰我所担忧的"礼坏乐崩"。儒家试图以服丧者内心的哀痛之情作为三年之丧的依据,并通过制中立节之说来论证这种情感的普遍性。

The Three-Year-Mourning is the highest form among the funeral rites. The Confucianists deeply explored the reasons and basis of it. Mozi believed that the Three-Year-Mourning to a large extent affected the wealth accumulation and population growth, so long he made a fierce criticism. However, the primary objective of Confucianism is not to obtain real interests, but to live according to rites. Abstaining from the observances of propriety for three years would cause lost of rites. But in essence, mourning for parents concerned the basic social order and values which rites maintained, so that it would not lead to 'the lost of rites' which Zaiwo worried about. The Confucianists considered the inner feelings of grief as the basis for the Three-Year-Mourning, and discussed the universality of the feelings.