成人与入世——基于冠礼礼义的考察

Adulthood and Entering Society:An Examination Based on the Rites and Rituals of the Capping Ceremony

冠礼,作为一种高度理性化与人文化的入世仪式,在中国古代的礼乐文明中有着重要的地位。本文通过分析先秦儒家对冠礼礼义的阐述,揭示冠礼“成人”之意涵。冠礼以礼服之尊重等为冠者加尊,标志着青年进入行礼而尽人道的新阶段,意谓要求冠者履行为人子、为人弟、为人臣、为人少的人伦责任,进而完成治理宗族、国家,维系礼乐秩序的政治责任,体现了社会责任与个体成全在共同体生活中的统一。

The capping ceremony, as a highly rational and humanistic ritual, had an important place in ancient Chinese rites and music civilization.This article reveals the meaning of the capping ceremony for “adulthood” through an analysis of the rituals of pre-Qin Confucianism. The capping ceremony, in which the candidates are honored with the respect of the formal dress,marks a new stage for them to understand what it means to be human after the ritual, meaning that they are required to fulfil their ethical responsibilities as a son, a brother, an officer and a junior, and then to fulfil their political responsibilities to govern the clan and the state and to maintain the order of ritual and music,which reflected the unity of social responsibility and individual fulfillment in the life of the community.