Research on Dong Zhongshu’s Five Elements Thought

Dong Zhongshu reordered the Five Elements,that is,wood,fire,soil,gold,and water,and believed that this was the order given by heaven and could not be changed.The Five Elements are related to each other.The relationship between the two adjacent to each other is the relationship of generation and father-son;the relationship between the two separated is reciprocal.The soil is in the middle,and the soil has the noblest morality.Therefore,Dong Zhongshu’s view of“Filial piety is natural”originates from the father-son relationship between the Five Elements and the nobility of soil virtue.According to the Five Elements,the state management should set up five kinds of official posts in order to achieve the purpose of interdependence,mutual restriction,balance,and promotion.Dong Zhongshu matched the Five Elements with the four seasons,and believed that each of the Five Elements had its own virtues,and thus extended it to the virtues of the monarch.Dong Zhongshu linked the Five Elements with the five things,thinking that the five things of the king will affect the Five Elements;the five things are appearance,speech,sight,listening,thinking,which is given by heaven.To govern the country and the people the king must have five important cultivations.

How Confucian Philosophy of Balanced Harmony Promotes World Harmony

Harmony is the general principle for dealing with various social problems and promoting world harmony.China regards“harmony is most precious”as its ultimate value goal.Harmony is the core value and moral sentiment of the Chinese nation and it is the criterion for dealing with the relationships between people,between people and society,and between countries.The principles and methods of harmony should be used to govern a state so that it can be in a state of mutual integration.Harmony is a theoretical prescription for solving many crises and contradictions today.It is the meaning and value of learning and understanding universal rule.Harmony is the core value of the Chinese nation,the noumenon and universal rule of human existence,and the well-being of human existence.Harmony has various levels of expression,and its value is mainly reflected in harmony of oneself,harmony of the people,and harmony of nature.Benevolence is the core value concept of balanced harmony,and the philosophy of balanced harmony is realized through propriety.No matter for the communication between individuals,or the relationships between groups,nations,and countries,harmony is the eternal value pursuit and propriety is its eternal value carrier.