고대 중국 신화에 나타난 유가 사상 연구− 성인, 성왕 관념을 중심으로 −

Abstract

This paper reviews Confucianism, which appeared in various myths in ancient Chinese, centering on sage and sage-king concept. "Sage" meant the special ability to listen to God's voice and interact with God, and the vital value of human communication was cut off, so that humans no longer needed the power of sage. One of the important changes lies in the formation of the value of Confucianism. In Confucianism, a current and ideal view of politics was formed to achieve the realization of politics through moral completion. In the process, the ancient king with the ability of Sage was gradually divided into two separate attitudes and capacities: sage and king. In other words, the idea of a completed human being who realizes moral values and a king who must implement the right politics of giving grace to the people based on virtue is leading to an inner and outer king, or stage-king. On the other hand, however, the characteristics of the Shamans tradition still exist and have mutual bargaining points. If human beings still have a worldview of interacting with God, the meaning of special ability, which is the original meaning of Sage, also remains. There are also those who still possess such abilities. Especially in 『Classic of Mountains and Seas』, the descendants of Shamans appear in the communication between heaven and earth. These are those who give the human world the benefit of extending life through communication with Heaven, even though they do not have the status of the world. The myths of Han dynasty can be seen not by controlling and suppressing the people, but by guiding them to a better life, as shown by the later changes in the myth of XiWangMu(西王母) and Wu. This is a duty due to be fulfilled by the Holy King of Confucianism, a completed personality and ideal leader, and such aspirations are naturally reenacted by people in Han dynastic mythology. Thus, mythology tends to seek infinite life to overcome the pain of reality, but above all, it reflects the present-oriented value of Confucianism, expressing the desire to improve not only the present but also the present-day life.