朱熹解《论语》中的“君子”“小人”

Zhu Xi’s Interpretation of“Jun-zi”and“Xiao-ren”in Confucian Analects

《论语》讲“君子”“小人”,既有“以德言”,即“君子”指有德之人,“小人”指无德之人,又有“以位言”,即“君子”指居上位的统治者,“小人”指居下位的平民百姓。朱熹解《论语》中的“君子”“小人”,较以往更多地讲“以位言”,尤其是,朱熹《论语集注》解读“樊迟请学稼”而将“小人哉,樊须也”中的“小人”解为“细民”,将“唯女子与小人为难养也”中的“小人”解为“仆隶下人”,为朱熹首次。朱熹对于“君子喻于义,小人喻于利”的解读,并非将义与利对立起来,但仍将其中的“君子”“小人”解为“以德言”,而不是“以位言”。清代的刘宝楠、俞樾解《论语》中的“君子”“小人”,又较朱熹更多地讲“以位言”,并将“君子喻于义,小人喻于利”中的“君子”“小人”解为“以位言”。研究这种解读的变化,无疑有助于当今的《论语》解读,甚至有益于对儒学的理解。

In Confucian Analects,“Jun-zi”and“Xiao-ren”can be judged in two ways.One is to judge by the morality.“Jun-zi”refers to people with morality,while“Xiao-ren”refers to people without morality.The other way is to judge by the social status,with“Jun-zi”referring to the superior ruler while“Xiao-ren”referring to the common people.Zhu Xi’s interpretation of“Jun-zi”and“Xiao-ren”in Confucian Analect interprets the two terms in social status.In particular,when he interpreted“fan Chi asked to learn from crops”in the collected annotations on the analects,Zhu Xi interpreted“Xiao-ren”in“Fan-xu is Xiao-ren”as the common people,and“Xiao-ren”in“only women and Xiao-ren are hard to be treated”as“servants”for the first time.Zhu Xi’s interpretation of“the Jun-zi understands what is righteousness,the Xiao-ren what is profitable”does not contradict righteousness with benefit,but the interpretation of“the Jun-zi”and“the Xiao-ren”was based on the morality rather than sicial status.Liu Baonan and Yu Yue in the Qing Dynasty interpreted“Jun-zi”and“Xiao-ren”in the Analects of Confucius,and more talked about them based on social status than Zhu Xi's interpretation.For example,they judged“the Jun-zi”and“the Xiao-ren”in“the Jun-zi understands what is righteousness,the Xiao-ren what is profitable”by the social status.The study of this change of interpretation will undoubtedly contribute to the interpretation of Confucian Analects and even the understanding of Confucianism.