Research On Xunzi’s Filial Piety

Filial piety is one of the prominent characteristics of Chinese traditional culture,Xunzi’s thought of filial piety combined with his emphasis on ritual,not only the emotional growth behind filial piety,but also the external norms of filial piety.This thesis makes a systematic discussion on the historical background,theoretical basis,main contents,basic features and significance of Xunzi’s thought of filial piety,and reveals its profound connotation and important enlightenment significance for building up the confidence of culture and cultivating the culture of filial piety suitable for modern society,This thesis is divided into four chapters:The First Chapter discusses the historical background and theoretical basis of Xunzi’s filial piety thought.Firstly,the Warring States Period in which Xunzi lived was a period of great change from consanguinity patriarchal system to centralization system,and the reform of social system and thought in this period was an important objective reason that influenced the formation of his filial piety thought.Secondly,Xunzi’s thought of filial piety does not exist in isolation.It is based on his view of heaven and man and the theory of human nature,but also runs through his thoughts of rites.The Second Chapter discusses the main content of Xunzi’s filial piety thought.The pre-Qin Confucian theory of filial piety includes two aspects: life and death.Filial piety is embodied in the whole process from life to death.Xunzi not only attached importance to the principle of supporting relatives and respecting relatives advocated by other Confucians,but also emphasized the thought of remonstrating relatives.He took morality as the criterion to measure loyalty and filial piety.He proposed the idea that “ from the way,not from the king,not from the righteousness,not from the father”.He promoted filial piety to the way of the minister,and connected the way of the king,the way of the minister and the way of the son.Xunzi,when discussed the principle of death,regarded careful pursuit of far as filial piety,attached importance to the fusion of funeral sacrifice emotion and etiquette,advocated saying love and setting up the text,and raised love with ceremony,and finally made the filial son realize all the love and texted in the process of death.Chapter Three discusses the basic characteristics of Xunzi’s filial piety thought,First,Xunzi inherited his predecessors’ idea of “ the king is the parents of the people”,moved filial piety as loyalty,and gradually improved the status of the king.In the face of the problem of loyalty to the king or filial father,he advocated that loyalty to the king is better than filial father.This idea was innovative and in line with the trend of unification at that time.Secondly,as the core content of Xunzi’s thought,he combined the practice of filial piety with the system of rites,he claimed use politics to maintain filial piety,the rule of rites,and in turn through the filial piety,to govern the country and maintain social stability.Chapter Four discusses the significance of Xunzi’s filial piety thought,Xunzi’s filial piety thought is not only the inheritance and innovation of the Confucian filial piety thought,but also to establish the culture confidence in today’s society and rebuild the contemporary filial piety culture.His filial piety thought is of great significance to link the past and the future.When absorbing Xunzi’s view of filial piety,we should also pay attention to its historical limitations,and combine self-discipline with other disciplines in the specific practice of filial piety construction.