Mencius Ideological Origins Probe

This paper mainly deals with the ideological original relationship between the Six classics, Pre-Qin Confucianists, such as Confucius, Tseng, Tzu-Si(Zi-Si), as well as Pre-Qin other schools and Mencius.The Mencius' theory is characterized by: the theory of Benevolent Government, the thoughts of the Heaven(tian) and Human in perfect harmony, the theory of natural goodness of mankind. This ideological system has formed on the basis of profound ideological origin.Mencius not only studies the Six classics but also inherits and develops the thoughts of them. Such ideas in the Songs, as the view of providence, the political thoughts, the view of ethics, and so on, have effect on Mencius.He inherits and develops the political thoughts of the Book in particular. The courtesies of Mencius originate from " YILI"and "LIJI". He not only absorbs the view of rank but also develops the method for interpreting from the point of morality and ethics. Mencius does not mention "ZHOUY1", but his theory of honesty(cheng) derives from it. He inherits the idea to govern by virtue of Ceremony(Li) and Music(Yue). Meanwhile he gives Music ethical connotation. He inherits and develops critical method of "CHUNQIU" with Benevolence(Ren) and Righteousness(Yi) as the criterion. He not only criticizes the history and the reality but also the classics such as the Book of Songs and the Book of History.Mencius inherits and develops Confucius' theory: fist, on the view of the Heaven and Human, he respects the Heaven and making much of Human; on political thoughts, he develops Confucius' theory of governing by morality to the theory of Benevolent Government; on the view of ethics, he follows and develops Confucius' Benevolence(Ren) and Ceremony(Li). Tseng's theory on politics and ethics, in chief, his view of behaving well towards their parents and elder brothers, has great effect on Mencius. Mencius mainly inherits and develops theory of Tzu-Si(Zi-Si) on mentality advocating that the Heaven and Human are in perfect harmony.Mencius criticizes Pre-Qin other schools, renovates and absorbs their thoughts as well. He absorbs Taoist's view of Heaven and Tao, assertion of fewness of desires and antiwar while Taoist's theory of never doing yet all things being done and naturalism on human nature, and so on, also have influenced him. He renovates Mohism and enriches his theory on politics and ethics. He criticizes the thoughts of Jurist(Fajia), Strategist(Bingjia) and Xu-Xing(Longjia) while his ideas show the influence of the Jurist's theory. Mencius enriches and makes progress in Confucianism by criticizing, renovating and absorbing Pre-Qin other schools' thoughts.