On the Confucian Thoughts of family ethics

Paper Keywords: Confucianism; family ethics; father and son; couples; Brothers
Abstract: In traditional Chinese society and family in the center correspond to the basic requirements of Confucianism for the proper handling family relationships from the start. Confucian family ethics concern was mainly targeted at parent-child relationship, husband and wife relationship, brotherhood, and its basic requirements are is the "husband wife Soon Yi," "Fucizixiao", "Xiongyoudigong." Confucian ethics in the history of the family has its limitations, also encountered a strong current challenges, but if through the creative transformation, still has a huge value.

Since ancient times, in Chinese eyes, the home are obviously of paramount importance. China's ancient "world of home and country," simultaneously, while the home in the first place, because the family is the cell of society, country and the world is to enlarge the house, social relations, but also the family the relationship between extension. Therefore, the family in traditional Chinese society, a central position, and adapt to this reality, Confucianism is also a basic requirement for people to properly deal with family relationships from the beginning. <<The Golden Mean "> said:" The benevolent people , for the big kiss. "This sentence is to say, Jen is love, but above all love their loved ones, that is the way first family. family relations include parent-child relationship, husband and wife relationship, brotherhood, and the corresponding Confucian family ethics also include "husband wife Soon Yi," "Fucizaixiao", "Xiongyoudigong" and so on.

Parent-child relationship is the most important ancient Chinese ethical family relations, "Fucizixiao" is the Confucian father-son relationship dealing with the basic requirements. "Loving father" and "Zixiao" is relative, on the one hand, the father to care for their children; On the other hand, children should honor their parents. Confucius said, "Father Father, Son Son," is to ask the father to have father's appearance, have a son like the son, is to ask "Fucizixiao", reflects the parent-child mutual moral responsibilities and obligations. parents should raise their children, children should honor their parents.

All parents love their children, which is a natural expression of affection, is human nature dictates, so much discussion of Confucianism in this regard. But how parents love their children, but it is very demanding. Confucian view that education children is the bounden duty of parents, and raised without religion, there is no duty to do to their parents. In traditional societies, parents love their children, not only nourishes, but more importantly is the education of their children to success. Confucian fully aware of the growth of family education in human important role. Mencius ambition to become a successor of Confucius, China Everbright Confucianism, "sage", his mother's home schooling is completely inseparable, "Meng Mu three-move," the story of the parents for the later set a shining example.

In the relationship between parents and children, Confucianism emphasizes filial piety of children to their parents. In view of Confucianism, filial piety to parents is perfectly justified. Parents raise the children regardless of the hardships on the children share feelings of deep honey, making the children naturally attached to their parents, love their parents repay their parents grace, grams of filial obligation as a child. Confucianism a whole book about filial piety, filial piety thinking of the classic - "<Book of Filial Piety," Han people out "seven by . "from the Han Dynasty, rulers have advocated the" Filial ", Han officials held Xiaolian of filial piety as a selection system to select officials and even the most basic standards, demonstration of filial piety in traditional Chinese society status.

The so-called filial piety, is the support and love their parents. Confucianism, as children, should make every effort to enable parents to take care of the good life, "his parents, to exhaust its power"; children should take everything as much as possible, with wine and meat To give parents access to food, "Yeah, disciples serving his labor; have food and wine, sir essays." parents support their children should do. Confucianism also believe that filial piety to their parents not only support, but also in the appropriate manners, rituals serve parents, "Health, do with propriety; death, buried them with ceremony, the festival with propriety." Parents alive, should serve them according to etiquette; parents death, burial should be in accordance with the provisions of the protocol, after the death of worship should be on time for ceremony. Confucians believe that the funeral should be rich, parents should implement elaborate funerals and mourning for parents should also be for three years . Confucian funeral rites for the requirement is very strict, it has been in the pre-Qin Mohist criticism.

Confucian emphasis on filial piety is not only the ceremony the parents of the requirements, and more important is the emotional manifestation of the true parents. Dear parents feeling that people are born with the. Mencius said: "As a child of the child, no I do not know their parents love also. "It is precisely because of this attachment to their parents feelings, in order not to worry for their parents, Confucius asked," parents do not travel to distant lands, the son. "parents love their children from time to time to make the parents miss Health in mind, "parents only in diseases of the gifted." parents died, children will love and miss their parents and "unwilling to eat fat, smell the music is not music, residence anxiety," How can swallow the bereaved children to be the next Feigan U.S. meat? how happy mood? Confucius advocated burial and observe their parents three years of mourning, and that of their children love their parents feelings. Confucius said: "The child is three years from their parents arms. ... ... there are almost three years, the love of the parents? - "After the birth of a child, three years before they can be completely out of the arms of their parents, do as the children love their parents did not do three years? in the Confucian view, the three sustenance of their children's grief is not enough. Thus, the children's filial piety to parents is the major share of the sincere feelings.


It is from the heart because of the sincere affection for their parents, which serve parents in their daily lives, we must always maintain the attitude of pious pleasure. To do this it is not easy, Confucius called the "color difficult." But as children, should strive to do this, so that parents go your way. What is wrong with her parents when, of course, should be tactfully discouraged, "his parents a few bridge, see go rather from, and respect do not violate the labor without complaining." However, parents do not when receiving admonition still have to respectfully serve parents, hard working, and should not resent their parents. Thus, the Confucian emphasis on respect for the parents to have the attitude. Confucius, the kind of severe criticism on the attitude of disrespect to their parents only grow, he said, : "those who today are filial piety, is that to raise. As dogs and horses are raised; disrespect, what is the difference?" If you keep only disrespectful to their parents, that horse and dog any different? Mencius expressed the same attitude: "Food Erfu love, pump delivery of him; love and disrespect, the animals are beasts." parents raise without love, and almost pig; love and disrespect, and the dog horses.

Children honor their parents but also in inherits the behest of their parents, to continue the cause of our ancestors. <<The Golden Mean "> said:" The husband who filial piety, good blog following the person, state the business of the people who are good. "Children should honor their parents the parent's unfulfilled aspirations are to complete the unfinished business the parents, to comfort the hearts of parents. the famous historian Sima Qian described as a filial grams. His father, Emperor Wudi determined to complete the work of a historian to fill <<Spring>> After the historical gaps, but not liking to wash away. Qian inherited his father's behest, regardless of the hardships, his pen is not decorated, and even in the body was Qihuo, the occasion suffered humiliation, insults and alleys still continue to write, was finally completed after were regarded as Shishu Dian Fan <<Historical Records>>. In the Confucian view, such behavior is the real father of filial piety. Confucius asked, "Father of three years of no change in the way", although a bit conservative, but his father's behest and career is concerned, is understandable.

Couples living together is the basic condition for a family, husband and wife relationship is the basis of a family. So Xuan Note <<Zhou small Stuart>> goes: "there are women married, and then home." Properly handle the relations between husband and wife families the core of harmony, which is the basic requirement of the Confucian "husband wife Soon Yi." In ancient China, the division of labor between men and women, men and women's status in social life are different, the overall situation is patriarchal. As early as the Warring States Period , Mencius said: "The married woman has, the mother of life. ... ... will respect must be rehabilitated, no violation of Master. to shun those who are positive, I should also women of the Road." "No violation of Master", "positive cis ", indicating that the minimum requirements of women is submission. to the Han Dynasty, Dong Yin and Yang theory to demonstrate male superiority. he was in the" <Qiu Fan Lu>> said: "The ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife the meaning of yin and yang are taken from Road. jun yang, chen, yin; father is positive, the child is yin; husband for Yang, his wife is yin. "under the" yin and yang of your cheap "theory, patriarchal to a natural conclusion. Eastern Han Dynasty," Ban Gu >> has even "never married from the parent, both married to husbands and husband died from a child" as a basic requirement for women. This moral deformity, after the feudal rulers intended to promote and nurture, as the feudal Tsunatsune imprisoned women , deprived women of legal rights. Thus, in ancient China, there is no love, marriage between men and women based on free choice at all, but on the orders of their parents, media burning words.

In family life, virtues of women as submissive to her husband Hugh was abandoned as a disgrace. The husband to his wife despite the dominant, but less Guaen conditions, the behavior must be severely Xianpinaifu the moral condemnation of traditional operas criticism of Chen Shimei values ​​to reflect this. On the contrary, between husband and wife loving to each other inalienable wealth, while the behavior of mutual encouragement was praised, long-term Erbinsimo between husband and wife, stand by the community feeling of the love generation become the common desire . Han writer Liang Hong, learned, virtuous disposition. He rejected the daughter of a number of large high-doors, and fat and ugly, black Mengguang Jie marriage. reclusive Baling Hill couple, the male farming women weaving, husband and wife Xiangjingrubin, Juanqimei, mass for the eternal stories and become a model for loving couples. Links http://www.hi138.com Research Papers Download is the relationship between parents and children vertically, and the relationship between brothers is horizontal, in the deal with this relationship, the basic requirements of Confucianism is "Xiongyoudigong." In ancient times, have called late sister, sisters are also brothers in the early match. ((Mencius million chapter on>> says: " Zi Lu Mi Son, wife and wife, brothers. "" Xiongyoudigong "principle is also applicable between sisters. other than the relationship between parents and children, brothers by blood recently, since ancient times was known as the" foot " "compatriots." Confucian emphasis on the relationship between them is often the "filial piety" and "filial piety ladder" both. <<Shangshu Jun Chen>> wrote: "Only filial piety in the brothers." Confucius asks his students " others Xiao, out of the ladder ", has a son along the staircase and filial piety as a fundamental principle in life, indicates the relationship between brothers in the family handle the important role ethics.


Handle the relationship between the brothers is the basic requirement of love. Confucius asked to do "Brother Yi Yi", that harmony between the brothers. Xunzi explicitly provides that: "What man brother? Day: love and see friends. What man brother? Date: Jing Zhuo and careful. "as a brother should love his brother; as a brother, should be respected elder brother. brothers live in harmony, both the natural result of blood kinship, but also a necessary requirement for your parents. Only brothers are like brothers, each respect and love, to family harmony, to make parents comfortable happy to be considered as fulfilled filial piety. Chinese people has always been "older brother as a father," saying that this is due to the care of his brother, brother's responsibility to take care of, especially when their parents passed away, as a brother should take over his father's duties, tending, caring brother and brother more able to honor his brother. friendship between brothers, but also extended to families, friends should love each other. When Sima cattle and anxious for no brothers, the Zi Xia tried to comfort him: "Within the four seas, all men are brothers. gentleman hang brothers? "
Since two thousand years since the Confucian generated, the Confucian family ethics played a safeguard family unity, to maintain good social order, the formation of a long history of traditional virtues and simplicity of customs, in modern society will continue to play an important role, which is not repeat. But back to, we must also see that in the history of Confucian family ethics and the limitations of the challenges in the current.

Historically, the Confucian family ethics is based on kinship, which requires father and son, husband and wife, brothers should observe certain etiquette at the same time, more attention to the emotional connection between them, and even the blood affection raised to supremacy, as a processing center of all social affairs, the result will go to the extreme. such as one party for both father and son to steal the sheep, the other question should be how to do this, Confucius that should be "implicit parent for the child, the child parent hidden "; When asked about the murder of Shun's father, how should I do when Shun, Mencius, Shun designed for the program is" stealing negative flee, follow the waterfront and the Department. " This is the situation into position above the law, even at the situation and violation of the law, this over-valuing feelings, thoughts and emotionally-pressure, to the traditional Chinese society, with serious negative impact. In our current society there are still a lot of sense of law Xunsi negative phenomena such as bending the law, and the Confucian attitude that too much emphasis on family is inseparable.

In addition, in Confucius and Mencius, who have been there, his wife, father and son, the ethical relationship between the brothers should be mutual, but because of the intentional distortion of the feudal rulers, resulting in all the three pairs of relations to an extreme, the results "husband wife Soon Yi "into a" husband wife Gang, "" Fucizaixiao "into a" parent to child link "," Xiongyoudigong "is only a beloved brother, brother stressed. The change to a departure from the Confucian family regulate family relations The basic principle of the spirit as the ideological shackles of imprisonment, and today must be identified.

From a practical point of view, the concept of market economy now has deep people. Market to benefit the center, there is heartless at all, for thousands of years been regarded as a creed has been a severe test of Confucian ethics, the Confucian family are respected by the strong impact . In the father-son relationship, since the implementation of one-child policy in China, most families only one child, the parents love their children rather, even spoiled, not only created a generation of "bully", "Little Princess", but also to give their children are not the necessary education; the other hand, the concept of children to honor their parents increasingly weak, the generation gap between parents and children is continually expanding. the husband-wife relationship, the marital crisis worsening, the divorce rate significantly increased. could have been established men and women on the basis of modern marriage, love, stability, getting low, because more and more couples everywhere to care about the phase of interest, the interests of such a marriage if there is traction, and soon collapsed. in the brotherhood, since most of the families only one child, brothers in the family is gradually disappearing, more and more friends outside the family into, gay friendly relations between. However, the worship of money, mercenary and other ideologies, the relationship between people become increasingly apathetic.

In modern society, mainly in the interests of today regulate interpersonal relationships, including relationships within the family has become increasingly cold, nervous tendencies, which makes the danger of abnormal society. The traditional Confucian ethics emphasize the ideological family still today an active role we should inherit and carry forward. Confucianism advocates love each other, Fucizixiao, brother love the idea, will improve the growing tension, apathy, atmosphere play an important role in the family. Of course, as times change, dealing with family relations will also have the form different. For example, in accelerated pace of life, housing shortage, lack of manpower today, the apartments for the elderly to get their parents to better care, while often concerned about, visit, characteristics of the times this is quite destructive in the form of not only honor the contents of their parents, but to make life more comfortable and happy parents a reasonable choice. no matter what form, father and son, husband and wife, brothers always worried about each other and care for the deep affection in any society can make people feel warm and happiness. Links to Research Papers Download http://www.hi138.com