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  1班李言言 • 2022-11-16

  In recent hundred years, there were several anti-traditional and anti-Confucian incidents in China. Some people were sick of the old wives' tale. This trend has been going on for a long time, and was even more serious during the May Fourth Movement. The May Fourth Movement completely negated the traditional culture, which alleged the traditional culture were equated with the feudal backward culture, and so did Confucianism. This resulted in unfair evaluation of Confucius and Chinese classic culture, especially the misunderstanding of the Confucian classic "the golden mean". Its influence extends even into the 21st century.

   

  However, today, with the growing strength of China, Chinese traditional culture has glowed again, and Chinese sinology has gradually flourished. Chinese civilization has shown its prosperity and greatness to the world in an unprecedented manner. Therefore, people began to hold a new attitude to examine and look at these traditional Chinese culture.

   

  "Zhong Yong"has given many people misunderstanding, which may first come from the word "Yong", which easily reminds people of "mediocrity", an ordinary and inaction attitude. But in fact, the core of  "Zhong Yong" is not the word "Yong", but the word "Zhong".

   

  The Analeptics of Confucius(《论语》)read:"How useful is the Golden Mean! It is the highest virtue, but it has not been followed for a long time." Confucius believes that "Zhong Yong" is the highest moral standard. The doctrine of the mean, from the perspective of thinking methodology, is the study of what is the best state of things and how to achieve this best state in a complex contradiction. The Doctrine of the Mean(《中庸》) says: "Not moving is middle;not changing is normal.Middle is the right choice in the world .Normal is the fixed word on earth.'That not moving and not changing is the Chinese traditional thinking for getting along with others." That is to say, "Zhong" is a philosophical concept. It is a kind of "right way". According to the current understanding, it is a kind of truth, a law, and the basis for the existence of things.

   

  In my opinion, Tne Golden Mean can be interpreted  in two aspects.

   

  First, the balance between human's own internal desire and reason.

  The core of the doctrine of the mean is to advocate "holding both sides of the road". The meaning of "Zhong" is "neither going too far nor not far enough" (《论语先进》). It objects to both "too" and "not enough". " That is to say, do not bias to one extreme, paying attention to appropriate. "Yong" means constant and common. The golden mean is impartial, just suitable, that is, moderate and in accordance with the conventional. The Analects of Confucius(《论语》) said, "Ji Wen thought twice before he acted. Zi Wen said, 'Again, I can do more.'" Ji Wenzi said that he always looked before he acted. The Master corrected him by saying that two thoughts were sufficient, for there were only two sides to a thing. Thinking over and over again is a lack of decision, not thinking is domineering, Hamlet's indecision and Don Quixote's blind impulse are typical. One is less than one is too far, both are not appropriate.

   

  Second, the balance between people.

  Confucianism advocates "benevolence", which clearly means loving others: "Fan Chi asked about benevolence. The Master said, 'Lover. '" Several successors in the history of Confucian thought, such as Mencius, Xunzi and Dong Zhongshu, also believed that "benevolence is the name of lover" and "Benevolence is the name of lover". According to Confucianism, the basic connotation of lover is to regard others as one's own kind, that is, to regard others as the same as oneself. Therefore, The Golden Mean(《中庸》) says, "Benevolence is also human." This means that benevolence is first of all to recognize others as human beings and to treat them as such. With this premise, we can transcend our selfish instincts, reaching a level to love, empathize, and respect others.

   

  In today's world, more than ever before, needs The Golden Mean. It is the essence of Chinese culture and the wisdom that the ancients summed up from their survival and development for thousands of years. There must be its reason that The Golden Mean can be passed down for thousands of years in our country. It has no limitation of times in fact, because the angle of it is not based on any era, but all things in nature. As long as we survive on nature, The Golden Mean is still effective, we may even say, more and more effective.

   

  The modern world is dominated by Western civilization. After hundreds of years of development, it has formed its own unique personality: modernity. The typical feature of modernity is the acquisition of individual rights. The individual-oriented concept regards individual as the only real existence in life, while regards collective and social groups as "fictitious groups" without independent meaning. It may lead to extreme selfishness and indifference of group consciousness, and even cause the loss and defeat of traditional collective ethics and morals. The pursuit of greater benefits has become the value orientation of modern society, which has resulted in the decline of some of the more precious ideologies, such as the spirit of dedication.

   

  In the face of the major concerns of modern society, Confucianism offers an alternative philosophical paradigm for thinking about social issues. In the final analysis, the hidden worries of modernity are the result of a failure to manage the interrelationship between human beings, science and technology, and nature, and the failure to maintain a proper balance inevitably leads to various social problems. Whether we are dealing with interpersonal relations in society or with human beings and science and technology, it is important to strike the right balance. The principle of proportionality is not only at the heart of Confucianism's Middle Way ideology, but is also a basic guideline for modern society as a whole. Adherence to the middle way is not a matter of rigid dogma and obsequiousness, it is a genuine philosophical reflection and a valuable spiritual source in traditional Chinese culture. It is a genuine philosophical thinking, a valuable spiritual nourishment in traditional Chinese culture. Adherence to the philosophy of the middle ground will enable modern society to develop in a more harmonious direction, and this is also a contribution of the Chinese spirit to the world.

  From my perspective, The Golden Mean is not a hollow thing. It is a truth, which already exists in our life, ever time and everywhere. The sages just summed it up and called this kind of truth as "Zhong Yong".

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  1班刘睿朴 • 2022-11-17

  What is Zhong Yong?

  I. From the theoretical level

  Generally speaking, Zhong Yong is a form of "Way"(道). The author, Zisi, mentioned that "what heaven imparts to man is called human nature. To follow human nature is called the Way. Cultivating the Way is called teaching. "(天命之谓性。率性之谓道。修道之谓教。) I think this sentence laid a foundation of the whole theory.  Meanwhile, he integrated "the mandate of heaven" with the "Way", which showed the theory of "the unity of man and heaven(天人合一). " If a person wants to know the content that the heaven imparts to us, he need to follow the human nature, as a result, "Way" appears. In the process of practicing human nature, the accomplishment of human is being cultivated. The view of "the unity of man and heaven "could also been seen through the last sentence of Chapter 1: "To cultivate centrality and harmony with thoroughness is the way to bring heaven and earth to their proper place and all things their proper nourishment. "(致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉。) From this piece of words, we can know that Zhong Yong is also a method to maintain the order of the whole universe. We need to cultivate centrality and harmony to reach the Way of Zhong Yong.

  Actually, there is no words which can define "Zhong Yong"exactly, and I suppose it is this characteristic that makes Zhong Yong a more creation of human nature, because everything in the world all has no exact meaning, it is us, human, who give meaning to all of them.

   

  II. From the practical level

  Before put the way of Zhong Yong into practice, we still need to look at some of the views of the concept of Zhong Yong. ZhengXuan from the Eastern Han Dynasty once said : "Zhong Yong is the function of neutralization. Yong, the goal is to use."(名曰中庸者，以其记中和之为用也。庸，用也。) ChengYi defined Zhong Yong as: "Being without inclination to either side is called ZHONG; admitting of no change is called YONG. By ZHONG is denoted the correct course to be pursued by all under heaven; by YONG is denoted the fixed principle regulating all under heaven.(不偏之谓中；不易之谓庸。中者，天下之正道。庸者，天下之定理。）ZhuXi said : "The moderate and mediocre people will not take sides, nor exceed or be less than the original degree, and will only act according to ordinary principles and rules. (中者，不偏不倚，无过不及之名。庸，平常也。）To sum up，Zhong Yong means to be a man who lives in the right way, not biased or inclined, and to treat everything with the pure human nature.

  When Zhong Yong is applied to practice, an important principle is to be strict with yourself. That is to say: "Wherefore it is that the moral man watches diligently over what his eyes cannot see and is in fear and awe of what his ears cannot hear. "(君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐惧乎其所不闻。) But the thought of the golden mean of harmony between man and nature is also the right reason for people's normal desire. People have desires because of the destiny of heaven, and as long as such desires and needs are moderate and conform to the golden mean, they also conform to the heavenly principle. And that's why we need to strict with ourselves.

  Once I always thought that the golden mean was an act of avoiding contradictions, but actually it was not. Zhong Yong advocated by Confucianism is not to avoid extremes, nor to balance the two sides, but to do things in accordance with "Tao" and "yi"(道义). And it should be behaved to be just perfectly. This could be explained by a sentence from Zhuzi Genre: "If thick is appropriate, thick is the golden mean; If thin is appropriate, thin is the golden mean."(当厚而厚，即厚上是中；当薄而薄，即薄上是中。)

   

  What is the use of such a topic for today's world?

  I would like to describe the role of Zhong Yong in modern society from two aspects: for China itself and for the relationship between China and other countries.

  I. For a nation

  Since Zhong Yong was proposed and advocated in China, so here we mainly discuss Zhong Yong 's function in China. Zhong Yong opposes the polarization between rich and poor, so Confucius put forward: "Those who have a state-owned family do not suffer from poverty but from inequality; they do not suffer from poverty but from insecurity."(不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安。）He advocates a harmonious society in which all people enjoy peace, respect and love each other, and disinterest for the public. Today, China has also inherited the doctrine of the mean, gradually narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, promoting common prosperity, so that everyone has a sense of gain.

   

  II. For the relationship between China and other countries

  At the beginning of The Doctrine of the Mean, it was mentioned that "To cultivate centrality and harmony with thoroughness is the way to bring heaven and earth to their proper place and all things their proper nourishment. "With the development of Chinese culture, this peace loving thought has directly affected the character of the entire China, making it a nation advocating peace, kindness, and reconciliation. It is this kind of thought that has created the great cohesion of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, there is also the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" that New China has reached a high degree of international consensus. Zhong Yong plays a vital role in China's national self-improvement and harmonious development. Under the current world situation, we should seek a long-term and stable situation. Peace is the most fundamental element, and the idea of "harmony" contained in the Doctrine of Mean is reflected in these aspects. It also provides a stable and strong social environment for the development of China's economy. At the same time, in the face of complex and volatile international and domestic situations, the cultural wisdom of the Doctrine of the Mean enables the government to stand in an objective, fair, rational and balanced position when dealing with various issues.

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  1班李欣桐 • 2022-11-17

  “Zhong Yong”, as an indispensable component of Confucius ideological system, is a moral norm which was maintained and pursued by Confucius. However, many people misinterpret “Zhong Yong” as eclecticism or “折中主义”, which is entirely wrong and far from what Confucius insists.

  First of all, in my understanding, “Zhong Yong” means the avoidance of extremes. In《论语·先进》, there is a conversation between Confucius and his student Zigong. “子贡问：‘师与商也孰贤？’子曰：‘师也过，商也不及。’曰：‘然则师愈与？’子曰：‘过犹不及。’”Confucius insists “中道”, which refers to a moderate degree, requiring people to act properly in real life. Confucius supports “执两用中” and opposes to “过犹不及”, which mean that in real life practice when performing “Zhong Yong”, one should not only avoid overdoing things but also prevent doing too little. When confronting with a problem, one should ponder it over from both two sides, considering it from two extremes and finding the most appropriate solution to settle it.

  Secondly, “Zhong Yong” is not a fixed concept and it is always changing according to actual situation. In 《论语·子罕》, Confucius said that “可与共学，未可与适道；可与适道，未可与立；可与立，未可与权。” What Confucius supports is “权变”, which refers to the flexible practice of “Zhong Yong”. One should act cleverly depending on different time and space as well as different objects. A wise man should not stick to any fixed principles or dogmas, instead, he is always managing all things to the point.

  Finally, in Confucius’s view, if one is really performing “Li”, he will be able to avoid going to extremes and act moderately in all situations. The “Li” here does not refer to any etiquette norms but the internal values and moral principles of men. Confucius advocates “以礼制中”, which refers to the real understanding and performance of “Li” instead of the external dogmatic and robotic compliance with “Li”. If one truly understand “Li”, he will internalize the norm on the first place then transform his understanding into actions. Eventually, one will live in harmony between his inner emotions and outer actions.

  To sum up, the correct understanding and accurate grasp of “Zhong Yong” has important guiding significance and reference value for dealing with interpersonal relations, international relations, human and natural relations, as well as for social harmony.

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  2020级1班栗志童 • 2022-11-17

  According to Origin of Chinese Characters (《说文解字》), the character “zhong” means “inside” (中，内也。从口); the character “yong” means “use” or “change”, which has a further implication that “those who are useful can change their jobs freely” (庸，用也。从用从庚。庚，更事也). In my understanding, Zhong Yong is the practice of altering your manner in accord with the circumstance, following the principle of “usefulness”, namely, “appropriateness”. And this “appropriateness” is based on “The Nature” (天性). In the second chapter of Doctrine of the Mean, Confucius remarked that “The like of the moral man is an exemplification of the universal moral order” (君子中庸). In the thirteen chapter of Doctrine of the Mean, it says that “Wherefore the moral man in dealing with men appeals to the common human nature and changes the manner of their lives and nothing more” (故君子以人治人，改而止). From this we can know that “the moral man”, who follows the principle of “Zhong Yong”, is actually following the common human nature.

  But what is the common human nature? In the first chapter of Doctrine of the Mean, it says that “The ordinance of God is what we call the law of our being. To fulfill the law of our being is what we call the moral law” (天命之谓性；率性之谓道). However, the “law of our being” does not equal to natural desires, but the “complete sincerity” (至诚), which is to be sincere to the ordinance of the universe. This can be illustrated in the twentieth-two chapter, which says “It is only he, in the world, who possesses absolute truth, who can get to the bottom of the law of his being. … He who can influence the forces of creation of the Universe, is one with the Powers of the Universe.” (唯天下至诚，为能尽其性；能尽其性，则能尽人之性；能尽人之性，则能尽物之性；能尽物之性，则可以赞天地之化育；可以赞天地之化育，则可以与天地参矣). And how to be sincere? Confucius tells us that “Truth is not only the realization of our own being. It is that by which things outside of us have an existence. The realization of our being is moral sense. The realization of things outside of us is intellect. These, moral sense and intellect, are the powers or faculties of our being. … Therefore with truth, everything done is right (诚者，非自成己而已也。所以成物也。成己仁也。成物知也。性之德也，合外内之道也。故时措之宜也). 

  Therefore, “Zhong Yong” demands men to act flexibly while not straying from the principle of moral sense (“ren”) and intellect (“zhi”). “Zhong Yong” definitely not equals to indifference, coldness or moderation under any circumstance. For example, Confucius opposes to recompense injury with kindness. In the book of “The Than Kung” in The Book of Rites, Dze-hsiâ asked Confucius, saying, ‘How should (a son) conduct himself with reference to the man who has killed his father or mother?’ The Master said, ‘He should sleep on straw, with his shield for a pillow; he should not take office; he must be determined not to live with the slayer under the same heaven. If he meet with him in the market-place or the court, he should not have to go back for his weapon, but (instantly) fight with him.’(子夏问于孔子曰：“居父母之仇如之何？”夫子曰：“寝苫枕干，不仕，弗与共天下也；遇诸市朝，不反兵而斗。”) If “Zhong Yong” demands people to always be moderate, does it mean that Confucius is self-contradictory? The answer is obviously “no”. From this we can see that what “Zhong Yong” demands is to adjust our specific actions with specific situations, following the “the law of our being”. In the fourteenth chapter of Doctrine of the Mean, it says that “In a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a position of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what is proper to a poor and low position. Situated among barbarous tribes, he does what is proper to a situation among barbarous tribes. In a position of sorrow and difficulty, he does what is proper to a position of sorrow and difficulty. The superior man can find himself in no situation in which he is not himself (素富贵，行乎富贵；素贫贱，行乎贫贱；素夷狄，行乎夷狄；素患难，行乎患难。君子无入而不自得焉)”. Only in this way can a man truly practice the doctrine of the mean.

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  1班龚芷菁 • 2022-11-18

  when Zhongyong is mentioned, the fisrt thing occures to my mind is the Eight Diagrams, the mixture of yin and yang.So it's a perfect blance of different powers, which can be applied to a person himself,the relationship between people and people, human and nature. And there's a old saying in Chinese, 物极必反, whose hiden philosophy comes from Laozi. The most stable and healthy situation is to being in a balance, nothing in extreme. In Yijing, it is said 群龙无首，there appears a flight of dragons without heads, good fortune. 

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  1班胡曼 • 2022-11-20

  1.My understanding of Zhong Yong.  

   Zicheng（程颢、程颐）said: "Not moving is middle;not changing is normal.Middle is the right choice in the world. Normal is the fixed word on earth.'That not moving and not changing is the Chinese traditional thinking for getting along with others.（不偏谓之中，不易谓之庸。中者，天下之正道也；庸者，天下之定理也。）"

  Then how can we understand the golden mean in an easier way? Zhu Xi explained: “ what makes juni a man of Zhong Yong is his virtue and lives in the right way, not biased or inclined.”(君子之所以为中庸者，以其有君子之德，而又能随时以处中也。) The human way requires that one’s inner morality become actualized in concrete daily affairs.  

  According to The Doctrine of the Mean, “Before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are aroused it is called centrality. When the feelings are aroused and each and all attain due measure and degree, it is called harmony.” (喜怒哀乐之未发谓之中，发而皆中节谓之和）Contrary to Western philosophy, Chinese philosophy focuses on human feelings and emotions rather than rational logic. As Professor Wang Defeng(王德峰)said: “ Not a minute are humans out of emotions. The emphasis of Chinese philosophy lies in the restrain and sublimation of feelings, which can be regarded as philosophy of life.” The words of The Doctrine of the Mean suggests “the poetic mode, with emphasis on internal human resonance”(杜维明). As Confucius said that “The 300 verses of the Book of Odes can be summed up in a single phrase: Don't think in an evil way.” Not thinking in an evil way is “sincerity(诚)”, which can be illustrated to the right temperament(性情之正) by Professor Wang. Hence, to sum up, to achieve the state of Zhong Yong is to obtain sincerity.

  2.The way to be sincere.  

  As the very first statement in The Doctrine of the Mean suggests that, although our nature is imparted from Heaven, it is our duty as human beings to cultivate the Way in order to follow our heaven-endowed nature. “It is due to education that sincerity results from enlightenment.”（自明诚，谓之教。）

  But the awareness of inner morality vary among people. Despite of the inequality, “a person can always improve himself through self-effort no matter how adverse his existential situation”, according to Du Weiming（杜维明）. And that’s why Yan Hui（颜回）was highly praised because “ Hui was a man who chose the course of Zhong Yong.”（回之为人也，择乎中庸。）His courage to cultivate himself in a most unfavorable environment was characterized by Confucius as a true indication of his “love for learning”. But without the willing participation of the learner, no knowledge or experience can be transmitted. Education itself is founded upon the moral resolution of the learner who, is his own teacher. “Education is essentially a self-enlightening process.” Therefore, only with the inner motivation for learning can we realize the heaven-endowed nature, which is also a way of “the unity of man and heaven”（天人合一）。

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