The Research On Etiquette Of LiGou

Li Gou is a philosopher in Naive Materialism and an advanced scholar in Earlier Song Dynasty. Holding the idea that "to heal a nation, to master the people", he constructed a theoretical system of Etiquette from the perspective of philosophy. Etiquette is the core concept of his ideology. This paper explains Li's ideology from the following three aspects: the foundation of Etiquette, the content of Etiquette, and the specific requirement of Etiquette. He considered the temperament of human beings as the foundation of Etiquette. Etiquette is our inside need, as well as the criterion of our actions. From the view of the content, Li believed that Etiquette is the foundation and basis of political administration, education, governing the country and the people, and cultivating oneself. Etiquette is the foundation of benevolence, justice, wisdom and integrity. As for the specific requirement, he thought that Etiquette has important guiding function to economics and politics. The operation of economics and politics is restricted by Etiquette. When in accordance with the requirement of Etiquette, the economics and politics could develop smoothly. Li's theory of Etiquette not only contains the virtue of benevolence, justice, wisdom and integrity, but also the criteria of the economic and political life. Meanwhile, it demonstrates the relationship among benevolence, justice, wisdom, integrity, music, punishment, politics and etiquette. It insists on behaving and administrating according to etiquette. It also proposes the views which are anti-tradition, such as "you have to treat people politely even he's not a nobleman". He listed a series of requirements to the governors and showed the humanism to common people. This paper researches on Li Gou's Etiquette theory, in the hope to give us a better understanding of the ideology of Etiquette and absorb the essence of the traditional Chinese culture so that we could combine them with the modernization construction of our country, building a positive, progressive and harmonious cultural atmosphere.