Moral Education Thought In Family Instructions Of Yan Clan And Its Enlightenment

Yan Zhitui’s Family Instructions Of Yan Clan was written during the Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties,and it was the first family instruction work in the form of monographs in ancient China,with the reputation of Ancestor of Family Instruction.Needless to say,it contains rich essence of family education thoughts in the ancient world.In the meantime,this literature is widely circulated among the Gentry Class and has been valued by readers of many dynasties.Family Instructions Of Yan Clan is a representative literature of the traditional Chinese moral education culture,which has a higher research value.Based on the careful study of the original text content of Family Instructions Of Yan Clan and its related achievements,this article conducts research on the moral education thought contained in Family Instructions Of Yan Clan by means of literature research and historical analysis.First of all,taking Yan Zhi ’s life and his family background as a clue,this paper examines the formation and establishment process of moral education thought of Family Instructions Of Yan Clan,and clarifies that its theoretical origin is mainly Confucianism between human relations and daily use,and also draws on some components of Taoism and Buddhism.Secondly,it focuses on explaining the system content of moral education thought in Family Instructions Of Yan Clan.Specifically include: Different levels of moral education goals for individuals and families;Various moral education ideological content such as Self-cultivation,Learning,Governing,Being an Official,Being Worldly;Abundant and diverse ways and methods of moral education,etc.Through the above research,it is obvious that a clearer and complete understanding of the moral education thought in Family Instructions Of Yan Clan has been formed.Finally,the positive aspects and historical limitations of moral education thought of Family Instructions Of Yan Clan are objectively evaluated and its modern enlightenment is discussed.Family Instructions Of Yan Clan has a pioneering significance in the history of moral education culture of family instruction in ancient China.It defines the research object,scope of adaptation and goal pursuit of traditional family instruction,establishes the basic framework of traditional family instruction writing,adopts the narrative mode of mellow truth,and points out the guiding principles and behavior norms of all family members to protect and prosper their families.It has become a model of family instruction writings in later generations.At the same time,the theory of the unity of righteousness and benefit proposed by Family Instructions Of Yan Clan and the bold attempt to aid Buddhism into Confucianism have played a perfect role in the ideological concept and content system of traditional Confucian moral education.Restricted by its times,it is inevitable to retain the content of feudal superstition.The modern enlightenment of moral education thought of Family Instructions Of Yan Clan includes to cultivate people’s survival ability and practical ability and achieve the harmony of people’s inner and outer world through inheriting the experience of the survival theory of relatives.By straightening out the ethical relations within the family,adhering to the correct concept of parenting and cultivating the national conditions of family members,we can expand the space for family-level education.Through the use of family training and cultural resources to improve the quality of the main body of social governance at the grass-roots level,cultivate the socialist core values,and build a collaborative governance system for the construction of family teachers’ style,the new pattern of social governance at the grassroots level is promoted.