立中制节 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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lìzhōng-zhìjié 立中制节

Determine the Proper Way for Expressing Human Feelings

确立适中的人情标准而制定礼仪的节度。出自《礼记》和《荀子》。儒家认为,人的情感需要获得适当的抒发与表达。但是,人情的轻重薄厚存在显著差异。礼对于人情的安顿,需要充分把握人情的差异,选择适中的人情程度作为合礼的标准,并依此对人情的抒发与表达做出节制。

This concept originated in The Book of Rites and Xunzi. Confucianism believes that human feelings need to be properly expressed. However, there are significant differences in the degree of human feelings. Rules should be established to govern the expression of human feelings based on a full understanding of their differences; and the rules for expressing people’s feelings should be developed on the basis of a moderate degree of these feelings.

引例 Citation:

◎将由夫(fú)患邪淫之人与?则彼朝死而夕忘之,然而从之,则是曾(zēng)鸟兽之不若也,夫焉能相与群居而不乱乎?将由夫修饰之君子与?则三年之丧,二十五月而毕,若驷之过隙,然而遂之,则是无穷也。故先王焉为之立中制节,壹使足以成文理,则释之矣。(《礼记·三年问》)

(将依从那些邪恶放纵的人吗?那些人早晨父母去世,到了晚上就忘了。要是依从他们的情感而制定礼仪,那就连鸟兽都不如了,怎么会在一起居处而不悖乱呢?将依从那些举止有度的君子吗?对他们而言,服丧三年,二十五个月就结束了,如同马车从缝隙前飞驰而过。如果按照他们的意愿,则是服丧没有穷尽了。因此先王为人们确立适中的标准而制定礼仪的节度,使人们一达到礼的规定,就可以结束丧礼了。)

Should we tolerate those who are under the influence of depravity? When a parent of theirs dies in the morning, they will forget it by the evening. Were we to follow them, we would be worse than the birds and beasts. How could such people live together with others and not cause disorder? Should we instead follow the example of those who are particular about observing rites? For them, the three-year mourning, actually to be completed in 25 months, passes as quickly as a four-horse team galloping past a crack in a wall. If mourning is conducted the way as they wish, it would go on forever. Therefore the former kings established a proper rite for mourning with a fixed mourning period. Once the mourning period is over, mourning may come to an end. (The Book of Rites)

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