Historical Evolution And Modern Value Of Chinese Traditional Concept Of Happiness

The concept of happiness is the essential perspective about happiness in the system of human philosophy, and the key factor to form the sense of happiness. This article analyzes the concept of happiness of four historical stages (the pre-Qin period; Han to Tang Dynasties; Song,Yuan,Ming,Qing Dynasties; modern times before 1919) with time order. Through vertical and horizontal comparison, according to the different cognitions of the connotation of happiness, the evolution of the concept of happiness held by different schools in different historical stages would be summarized.The concept of happiness in short period before Qin Dynasty was mainly embodied in the ethic ideas and political opinions of Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism. The concept of happiness of Confucianism was a kind of deontological concept of happiness with a little moral idealism, emphasizing the pleasure coming from moral and rational satisfaction, not denying material benefits and perceptual needs of the people. In the same period, Mohism formed a kind of utilitarian concept of happiness with pleasure-sharing and altruistic feature. Legalism also regarded benefit as the essence of happiness, but Legalists utilized it as a way to accomplish the utilitarian happiness by carrying out personal achievements and building up a country under the rule of law. Taoism formed a kind of naturalistic concept of happiness, emphasizing inaction and freedom. In Han and Tang Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu strengthened the decisiveness that happiness was based on morality and rationality, constructing a deontological concept of happiness featured by three cardinal guides and five constant virtues with theological purpose. Wang Chong denied fate happiness. Accompanied with the falling of Confucianism, the metaphysical concept of happiness in the Wei and Jin Dynasties integrated Taoism with Confucian doctrine, advancing naturalistic concept of happiness featured by natural temperament, renascence immortality, spiritual freedom and unconventional activities. In the same period, there also existed Taoist concept of happiness emphasizing immortality and carefree, Buddhist concept of happiness with nirvana a Confucian s its supreme pursuit. In the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties, Confucian deontological concept of happiness with a little moral idealism was unilaterally deepened into a extreme deontological concept of happiness. Its orientation of values stepped onto the single dimension of pure morality and rationality, completely discarding the perceptual dimensionality of happiness. In the last years of the Ming Dynasty and early period of the Qing Dynasty, some Enlightenment thinkers criticized the extreme deontological concept of happiness, reconstructing the relation of rationality, justice and commonweal, hence forming balanced multi- dimensional concept of happiness. In modern times of China, facing the historical task of saving the nation from subjugation and ensuring its survival, new thinkers advocated moral revolution, formed concept of happiness featured by seeking pleasure and escaping from bitterness on the basis of Western theory of happiness and pleasure, which became the most influential mainstream concept of happiness. And it was generally and reasonably expounded in the period of May 4th Movement of 1919.Chinese traditional concept of happiness values not only subjective and internal feelings of man, but also the mutual relation between personal happiness and the nature, the others, the society. It is consistent with the modern idea of constructing harmonious society. Therefore, we should review the traditional concept of happiness, extract its precious modern value through appropriate theoretical method, and provide beneficial reference for ecological civilization construction, spiritual civilization construction and political civilization construction.