An Exploration On Zeng Zi’ Ritual Theory

Confucian System of Rites makes great contribution to China’s long-lasting reputation of "a state of ceremonies" and abundant research has been conducted upon its early period.Most scholars cast their focus on the role played by Confucius,Mencius and Hsun Tzu,yet ignore contributions made by other Confucians.Zeng Tzu is one of the being-ignored ones.Compared with Confucius’ early students,Zeng Tzu as a late student is more profoundly influenced by Confucius because at that time,Confucius thought has reached a higher level.Zeng Tzu inherits and then develops Confucius’ thought and must have played essential role in Rites after Confucius’ death,which could be demonstrated by his influence upon Tzu-ssu and Mencius.To gain a better understanding of the Confucian System of Rites after Confucius’ death,it is thus of great importance to study Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites.This paper aims to explore the background against which Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites came into being and to present the origin and development of Rites systematically.There ’s a detailed introduction of Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites,its practice and his position in the development of the Confucian Rites in the main body of the article.The article is divided into three aspects,namely Zeng Tzu’s inheritance and development of Confucius’ thought of Rites,Zeng Tzu’s influence upon Tzu-ssu and Mencius,an overview of the impact on the later ages and the realistic significance of Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites.The view held in this article is that the essence of Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites reflects in the human relationship and Rites could only be meaningful when it is combined with human beings.Filial piety is the foundation of Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites since parent-child relationship is the basis of human relationship.Moreover,he places more emphasis on the nature and intends to embody the nature through rituals.The pursuit of the essence requires self-reflection and self-cultivation,which forms the core of Zeng Tzu’s thought of the Rites.Unlike Confucius’ emphasis on humaneness,Zeng Tzu makes filial piety the core of the Rites and furthers Confucius,emphasis on the essence of the Rites.These two aspects pose great influence upon Tzu-ssu and Mencius and possess an essential position in the development Confucian Rites.