孔子对周礼的超越

Confucius' Achievement over Rites of Zhou

在"礼崩乐坏"的社会转型时代,孔子虽然举起"克己复礼"的旗帜并且渴望"梦见周公",但由于他的平民身份,由于周礼的僵化和保守,由于孔子在"言"和"行"方面的众多创举和影响,如创立"仁"学使周礼工具化、对统治者提出"仁"的要求、主张"举贤才"和平等、在鲁国参政和执政、周游列国、兴办民间教育事业、著《春秋》以及他在行动中所彰显的超凡人格精神等,所有这些言行使得他不可逆转地离周礼愈来愈远,直到最后彻底超越周礼,从而对当时的社会转型做出了特有的贡献。

Although Confucius appealed to 'submitting to Rites of Zhou' against the transforming age of 'damaged rites and music', he had to, as a common folk of many influential and creative 'words' and 'deeds' confronting the rigid and conservative Rites of Zhou, play it down as an instrument by founding his 'benevolence' ideology as a must of the ruling guidelines, advocate for equality and trust on 'virtuous man of capacity', involve himself in the state affairs of Lu, travel to survey all the other states, initiate private education, compile 'Spring and Autumn Annals', as well as distinguish himself with an extraordinary personality, all of which inevitably departed him further from and finally over Rites of Zhou, thus offering a special contribution to the social transformation.