A Brief Discussion on Confucius’ Inheritance and Development of Zhou Rites in The Analects of Confucius

Through the in-depth analysis of The Analects of Confucius, this paper discusses how Confucius inherited and developed the Zhou Rites. Firstly, this paper points out that Confucius lived in a time when rites were broken and music was broken. He regarded the restoration and promotion of Zhou Rites as an important way to rebuild social order. This paper then expounds on the inheritance of Zhou Rites in The Analects of Confucius, which is mainly manifested in the importance of etiquette norms, the maintenance of social order and the emphasis on traditional moral values. However, Confucius did not simply reproduce the Zhou Rites, but innovatively developed them according to the social reality at that time. Confucius put forward the thought of “courtesy to benevolence”, emphasizing the unity of internal moral cultivation and external etiquette practice, integrating the concept of “benevolence” into etiquette, making it more humanized and modern. In addition, Confucius also expanded the scope of application of Li, from national politics to daily life, all reflecting the spirit of Li. Finally, this paper points out that these thoughts of Confucius not only enriched the connotation of Zhou Rites, but also laid a solid foundation for the etiquette culture and moral education of later generations in China. Through the study of this paper, we can not only understand Confucius’ inheritance and development of Zhou Rites more deeply, but also understand the vitality and value of traditional culture in modern society.