论儒家之“义”的三重维度——兼论儒家理想人格的尚义特质

On the Triple Dimensions of Confucian Righteousness——On the Moral Traits of Confucian Ideal Personality

义是儒家哲学的重要范畴,尚义是理想人格的价值取向。从本质内涵看,“义者,宜也”是对义的通行解释,但义除了有适宜、恰当的“善善”之意外,也有断制、制裁的“恶恶”一面。从形上依据看,义自发生之时,就已具备天道、天理与人心、人性之形上依据,是人禽之辨的重要区分点,孟子将义提升到与仁同等重要的地位,宋儒那里的义又进一步具备了本体的地位;从伦理价值看,儒家的尚义思想生发出了见利思义、舍身取义、集义养气等重要品格和修养方法,塑造了传统士人担当有为的道义精神和主体自觉的独立品格,对于新时代理想人格的培育具有重要的借鉴价值。

Righteousness is an important category of Confucian philosophy,and upholding righteousness is the value orientation of ideal personality.From the perspective of its essential connotation,the statement that justice is appropriate is its common interpretation,in addition to its good side of properness and appropriateness,justice has its evil side of being rule-breaking and sanctionative;From the perspective of the metaphysical basis,since its occurrence,righteousness has had the metaphysical basis of the way of heaven or the principle of heaven as well as human heart and human nature,which is an important distinction between human beings and animals.Mencius promoted righteousness to the same important position as benevolence,and Confucians in the Song Dynasty furthered its position as the main one;From the perspective of the ethical value,the Confucians’ upholding justice expanded the important characteristics and cultivation methods,namely:to act ethically not tempted by riches,to sacrifice oneself for justice,to accumulate righteousness and nourish the vital force( Qi in Chinese Pinyin),and shaped the responsibility and moral spirit of the traditional scholars and the independent character of subject consciousness,which has greater guiding value for the cultivation of ideal personality in the New Era.