The Comparison Between Yucong and the Meaning of Sacrifices

In the readings of this week, there is one paragraph from Yucong(3) about how loyalty compare with piety stating that: One’s father is not to be despised, and [in this] one’s ruler is like one’s father: one may despise [his ruler] no more than [one may despise] the flags or bells that lead an army. [The ruler] differs from the father insofar as [the minister] may desist if ruler and minister do not support each other, may leave if displeased, and may refuse to accept anything improper [the ruler] places upon him (Yucong (3) 878).

This line of text basically said that one should be respect to his father, and the relation between a minister and his ruler is more likely a son and his father in a way that a minister should not despise his ruler just like how one should not despise his father or the flags and bells that represent the army. However, one could treat his ruler different from how he treats his father in the way that one could leave when he and his ruler do not support each other or having different politic routes they want to imply. One also reserves the rights to refuse when he think such order from his ruler is improper. This paragraph first points out that there is a similarity between how one treats his father and how one treats his ruler, and the royalty is not quite as stable as piety in which a minister could refuse a ruler’s order or even fade away if he feels displeased. This passage shows how traditional Chinese society thinks about piety and loyalty: family bond is stronger than monarch-subject relationship.

As one of the Five Classics, “The Meaning of Sacrifices” states a similar concept. In this passage, Confucius takes about what a proper behavior is in the context of respecting one’s father: “The Master said, ‘The laying the foundation of (all) love in the love of parents teaches people concord. The laying the foundation of (all) reverence in the reverence of elders teaches the people obedience. When taught loving harmony, the people set the (proper) value on their parents; when taught to reverence their superiors, the people set the (proper) value in obeying the orders given to them. Filial piety in the service of parents, and obedience in the discharge of orders can be displayed throughout the kingdom, and they will everywhere take effect” (The Meaning of Sacrifices 14).

This is saying that if a ruler wants to to build a society where everyone loves each other, he should first teach his people how to love their parents, and thus people will take piety as a virtue. If a ruler wants to build a society where everyone respects each other, he should first teach his people how to respect their elders, and thus people will take obedience as a virtue. There will be nothing impossible if everyone can be filial to their parents and respect to their elders.

These two passages are similar in the way that they both address that be respectful to the parents is the first step to be loyal to the ruler. We could see that filial piety, the very first and fundamental element of traditional virtues in Confucianism, plays an essential role in traditional Chinese society. Confucius believed that to stabilize the social order, it was necessary to stabilize the family. If the authority of parents was not established, family stability could not be achieved, and then the society could not be stabilized. The ruler is like one’s father but not as close as one’s father. Confucius states that if people do not even know how to treat their parents, there is no way that they could obey their ruler.

“The Meaning of Sacrifices” also states that “[t]he superior man, while (his parents) are alive, reverently nourishes them; and, when-they are dead, he reverently sacrifices to them; his (chief) thought is how to the end of life not to disgrace them”(The Meaning of Sacrifices #4). This line is saying that one should devote to his parents when they are alive and should reverently sacrifice them after their death, and always remember not to do anything disrespectful to his parents.

This passage is similar with the passage from Yucong (3) in the way that they both explicitly address that one should never despise his parents. Confucius believed that filial piety to parents should be sincere, such as the simple material satisfaction of parents is not enough to consider as filial piety, more important is to “respect' so that parents get personality respect and spiritual comfort. The way to represent respect is that one should be in accordance with the rules of filial piety no matter parents are still alive or not. The essence of respect for the elders is to require people to extend the family hierarchy to social relations.