“仁术”义辨--以孟子和朱熹的诠释为据

A Discussion on the Concept of the“Art of Benevolence”:Based on the Explanations and Commentaries by Mencius and Zhu Xi

齐宣王不忍牛觳觫而以羊易牛,孟子将此概括为“仁术”,以消解维护衅钟旧礼与倡导“爱物”的仁的新观念之间的张力。“仁术”是行仁的巧法,突出了仁心的实现问题。朱熹要求从恻隐之心出发反求其本心,出于内在仁心的一切为善且可行的举措,都可归属于“仁术”的范畴。君子“远庖厨”体现了“不见”的艺术,但关键还在仁术的扩充推广。在强调仁的普遍价值的同时,又须注意爱之实践的先后差序。注重保民爱民的本然初心,恰当把握“仁术”“合权度”的双重蕴含。反求本然初心离不开社会实践的推动。“仁术”为“讲仁爱”的社会主流价值的推广提供了方法上的参考。

King Xuan of the Qi State(齐宣王)couldn’t bear the frightened appearance of the ox which was to be butchered and had it replaced by a sheep.Mencius(孟子)summarized this act as an“art of benevolence”(仁术),which was aimed to ease the tension between the maintenance of the old rituals of sacrificing the fresh blood of a butchered ox or sheep on a newly-forged bell(衅钟旧礼)and the advocating of the new idea of being benevolent to lovely animals.The“art of benevolence”was a clever way to perform benevolence,which highlighted the issue concerning how to realize one’s benevolent intention.According to Zhu Xi(朱熹),one needed to return to his original intention out of sympathy.And all the feasible acts of doing good out of one’s innate benevolent intention could be grouped into the category of the“art of benevolence”.That a gentleman“keeps away from a kitchen”(远庖厨)embodied the art of“turning a blind eye around”.But the key consisted in the extending and promoting the art of benevolence.While the universal value of benevolence is emphasized,the sequence and order of benevolent performance should be taken into account.The original intention of protecting and loving people should be closely held and the double implications of the“art of benevolence”and“its conformity to rules and standards”(合权度)should be properly grasped.Returning to seek for this original intention can not dispense with the propelling of social practices.The“art of benevolence”provides a methodological reference for extending the mainstream value of our society in which“benevolence is stressed”.