The Zhou Dynasty: the Origin of the Sense of Morality

Chinese people's sense of morality started from the idea Filial Piety, which related to the clan system and ancestral worship. In Shang and Zhou dynasties, especially in the latter, clan system was complete and the sense of clan was strong; therefore the idea Filial Piety became an important moral idea.

The idea Filial Piety was based on the parent-son relationship. In Book of Documents, the model for filial piety was set up: "When a man is not busy with farming, he should take goods with oxcart and go far to trade. After he comes back, he should support his parent and show his filial piety. Only when his parent lives happily can he drink." (Edict of Prohibiting Drinking) The first meant that a man worked for his parent, and the second meant that a man should enjoy comfort after his parent has, or a man must worry before his parent worries and enjoy only after his parent can enjoy. Then the idea Filial Piety was extended to the worship toward ancestors and the respect (the idea Ti) toward brothers:

Duke of Zhou hails it as a great accomplishment so that the descendants can popularize their ancestor's achievements and follow the Heaven's order. (Book of Documents, Memorial Written in Luo State)

We should respect each other like brothers and make morality long. (Classic of Poetry, Minor Court Hymns, High Wormwood)

In Book of Documents, the idea embodied more humane color and shared similarity with Mencius and Zhang Zai's views: "You must not disesteem the old or adult, nor the parentless or young." (Pan Ceng T) In addition, the idea Filial Piety became a virtue and happiness, as well as a rule for king and citizens:

One must always bear filial piety in mind and takes it as the rule in life. (Classic of Poetry, Major Court Hymns, Successor to the Three Dynasties)

A filial man who conducts filiality forever can be blessed forever. (Classic of Poetry, Major Court Hymns, Drinking after Sacrifice)

"Being filial forever, being blessed forever." This view has been a model for Filial Piety for more than 3,000 year in China.

In Zhou Dynasty, however, people viewed the ideas Filial Piety and Morality different: "You are assisted by many talents; you are filial and virtuous. You should lead them to assist you. You are respectable king. You are the model of citizens." (Classic of Poetry, Major Court Hymns, Sinuous Mountain) Some scholars noted that "People in Zhou Dynasty equally value the ideas Filial Piety and Morality. The former to the Heaven and the latter to ancestors."

The idea Morality traced back to as early as in Shang Dynasty: "No matter distant or close relatives of the king, they must be punished with death when they commit crimes and rewarded with morality when they make contributions." (Book of Documents, Pan Geng I) The idea Morality, however, matured in Zhou Dynasty, to be specific, when Duke of Zhou assisted the ruler. Compared with other civilizations in the world, Chinese civilization boasted the earliest understanding of the idea Morality. In Book of Documents, there were many records:

King of Wen, Your great and wise father, values morality and uses punishment with caution. He never disesteems the widow That is to say, you can behave in accordance with morality if you often examine yourself. (Edict of Prohibiting Drinking)

We may ask: why did Duke of Zhou value the idea Morality so much? What did his thought on the idea Morality contain? Which kind of model did it provide or how did it impact the future?

As the above suggested, people in Shang Dynasty stressed the Heaven's order or the Divine-right Theory of Kingship, which was common among the ancient civilizations and regalism. One of Duke of Zhou's most important contribution lied in that he proposed the idea Kingship based on the Respect to Morality, which meant that the king must respect morality first to obtain the divine right: "When the king does not know and respect morality, he is no more credible to the Heaven and cannot maintain the Heaven's order long." (Duke Zhao) Moreover, Duke of Zhou indicated the lessons of Xia and Shang dynasties:

We must draw lessons from Xia and Shang dynasties. They lost the Heaven's order soon... because they did not pay attention to their morality. Now that your majesty has been given the Heaven's order to rule the country, we must explore why they rose and fell so that you can maintain the Heaven's order... Your majesty should cultivate morality soon. I hope your majesty carry out the benevolent rule to ensure that the Heaven's order will be sustained. (Duke Zhao's Memorial to the King)

Xia and Shang dynasties were the best lesson to Zhou Dynasty: The king will obtain the Heaven's order if he adheres to morality and lose the Heaven's order if he gives up morality. When King of Cheng ascended the throne, he should take lesson and respect morality to maintain the Heaven's order.

Meanwhile, Duke of Zhou proposed the idea "respecting morality and protecting people":

Only when people live and work happily will the country be prosperous and peaceful: "I hope people will live in happiness and enjoy good health. We must remember the great virtue of the ancestors and take people's living and working happily as our pursuit." (Appointment of Kang Shu)

The Heaven shows mercy to people, and the ruler should respect morality: "The Heaven expresses sympathy to people and transfers the order to us, so we must respect morality." (Duke Zhao's Memorial to the King)

The ruler must take people as mirror: "A ruler should take people rather than water as mirror."(Edict cf of Prohibiting Drinking)

It can be seen that in Zhou Dynasty, "respecting people," an essential idea in ancient Chinese politics and philosophy had come out.

Meantime, Duke of Zhou concerned benevolent rule. As we all know, Confucians like Confucius, Mencius, and Xun Zi discussed and advocated benevolent rule. In fact, Duke of Zhou had discussed it earlier. In Appointment of Kang Shu, it was mentioned that a ruler should have sense of morality and often examine himself: "You should strive to benefit people, keep calm mind, and examine your thought and conduct." And that it deviates from benevolent rule to disesteem people without fear: "If you help the petty person to do evil and abandon your duty, you act against benevolent rule." In Talented Person, it was said that benevolent rule could harmonize the king and officials and won support from people afar: "If the late king can understand benevolent rule and pacify people afar, they would come to celebrate. Then he will be respected by citizens." In Vassals, it was stated, "I, king of Zhou, worship the Heaven and value morality, so I was given the Heaven's order." Here, the remark emphasized the importance of valuing moral education and became the source of Confucian's value on cultivation. It was also recorded, "From him (Cheng Tang) to Zu Yi, no rulers did not understand morality and punish with caution, nor educate people with morality." Here, it dealt with the relationship between ruling with benevolence and ruling with law, as well as the idea "understanding morality and punishing with caution."

Benevolent ruler included the conducts of the ruler and its citizens. Duke of Zhou warned the ruler the danger of comfort and laziness:

A man who lives in comfort indulges himself in pleasure, not knowing the hardship in sowing and reaping or the farmer's labor.

When you ascend the throne, you must not indulge yourself in pleasure, comfort, play, and hunting. (No Comfort)
In particular, Duke of Zhou warned against drinking excessively: "The ruler of Shang Dynasty indulged in drinking and became ambitionless. As a result, all drank so much so that the Heaven smelled and put Shang Dynasty to end." To avoid this, he declared that people who drank excessively could be killed. (Edict of Prohibiting Drinking)

The idea Morality played an important role. It indicated both human's consciousness of morality and the development of reason. Later, the idea Morality had been the basic principle of the social norms in ancient China. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the idea Morality became the guideline for politicians. For instance, Guan Zhong, prime minister of Qin Kingdom, proposed that a country should be ruled with Four Virtues: Rite (Li), Righteousness (Yi), Purity (Lian), and Shame (Chi). In Guan Zi's view, when one is lost, the country will be shaken; two lost, the country be endangered; three lost, the country be subverted; four lost, the country be destroyed. The shaken could be consolidated, the endangered be saved, the subverted be restored, but the destroyed could not be resumed. He also stated that a country would perish if the Four Virtues were not carried out. (Guan Zi, Ruling Citizens) It was clear that the idea Morality played a pivotal role in ruling a country. It was in fact the moral foundation for political incorruptness and social stability.