郑子产:儒家和法家思想的先行者

Zheng Zichan: the forerunner of Confucianism and Legalism

郑国的子产崇仁尚德,一生清廉。他言行举止庄严恭敬,侍奉君主竭诚敬忠,以恩惠养育人民,以道义使用人民。在外交事务方面,他运用语言艺术化险为夷。他认为：只有道德高尚的人才能够用宽松的政策使百姓顺从,否则就要实行严厉的政策。这就好像火一样,因为火势威猛,大家望而生畏,所以相对说,人们是很少被火烧死的。水就不同了,水的性情很柔弱,百姓就放心大胆地到水里去玩,结果很多人就死在水里。可见,仅用运用宽松的政策是难以治理国家的。可见他是儒法思想的先行者。

Zi Chan of Zheng advocated benevolence and virtue and was honest in his life. What he speaks and acts was modest and serious; he was conscientious in serving his superiors; he was kind in nourishing the people and just in his calls upon the people. In diplomatic business, he could use linguistic force to come out safely from danger. He thought that he who is virtuous can make the people submission by use of clemency. Besides, there is no better than severity. It is just like fire which is fierce and violent that the people fear, so few die from it; water is weak, which the people think lightly of and like to play with, so many die from it. It is much difficult to practice mild government. So he was called as the forerunner of both Confucianism and Legalism.