由“生”到“仁”——先秦儒家成己成仁的观念诠释

From“Living”to“Benevolence”:An Interpretation the Idea of“Becoming Oneself”and“Realizing the Ideal of Men”of the Pre-Qin Confucianism

“生”的问题是中国哲学的核心问题,蕴涵着中国哲学的根本精神,理解“生”也就是理解中国哲学关于“人”之存在的关键。在中国哲学的视域里,“生”是儒家哲学追问人与世界存在的根源,“生-生”是人与世界生生不息,天地化育万物的存在形式。“仁”将儒家对天地“生生之德”的体悟由天道贯穿于人道,由此展开了儒家“成己”“成仁”的追求。“成己”意味着主体的挺立,是人之所以为人、自我意识觉醒的关键;“成仁”意味着主体的超越,是人如何存心养性,体悟天地生生之德而成就圣人境界和理想社会追求。正因如此,先秦儒家“成己”“成仁”的理论论述,奠定了儒家内圣而外王,修己以成仁,这一贯通天道与人道、并以人道参赞化育的理论基础。

The issue of“living”is the core issue of Chinese philosoph,which contains the fundamental spirit of Chinese philosophy.Understanding“living”is the key to understanding the existence of“human beings”in Chinese philosophy.From the perspective of Chinese philosophy,“living”is the origin of the Confucian philosophy’s inquiry into the existence of man and the world.“Life and growth”is the form of existence in which humans and the world are constantly evolving,and heaven and earth transform and nurture all things.“Benevolence”embodies the Confucian understanding of the“virtue of living”of heaven and earth from the natural way through humanity,thus launching the Confucian pursuit of“becoming oneself”and“realizing the ideal of men”.“Becoming oneself”means the standing up of the subject,which is the key to the reason why a person is human and the awakening of self-awareness.“Realize the ideal of men”means the transcendence of the subject.In other words,it is how people cultivate their minds and realize the virtue of heaven and earth to achieve the realm of saints and the pursuit of an ideal society.For this reason,the theoretical discussion of“becoming oneself”and“realize the ideal of men”of the pre-Qin Confucianism has laid the foundation for the Confucian life realm and ideal pursuit of“Inward Sageliness and Outward Kingliness”and self cultivating to realize the ideal of men,which links the way of heaven and humanity and counsels the cultivation with humanity.