『예기(禮記)』에 기록된 충(忠)자의 용례와 의미 분석

Abstract

Zhōng is the duty and virtue of his subjects. It also meant dedication and obedience in the despotic state system. However, early Confucianism did not use it in this sense. Rather, it was used as a sign of sincerity. This was a concept related to Chéng(誠) or Xìn(信). Therefore, Zhōng means expressing individual morality, and it was an individual's ethical virtue. But as the monarch's power was strengthened, strong discipline became necessary. As a result, Zhōng was transformed into the ethics of a state devoted to the monarch. It ran from the Chinese Warring States Period to the pre-Han period. And it is Liji's Zhōng record that shows this process of change. Liji is not a record of a specific person, nor is it a record made at a specific time. It is a book that compiles records from the Chinese Warring States Period to the pre-Han period into a single literature. Therefore, by analyzing these records, it is possible to confirm the process of Zhōng's meaning change. Early Confucianism used Zhōng to mean being sincere. As Zhōng was transformed into a national ethical virtue, two trends appeared. The first is to defend despotism. It was used to strengthen the duties of the subjects, grant coercion, and serve as a means of dedication and obedience. The second is to include a monarch in Zhōng's practice. This is an inheritance of the ideology of the Politics by Holy King. It emphasized the taking the initial and setting an example and ethical practice of the monarch. Zhōng is recorded 30 times in Liji. Zhōng practice can be divided into three categories: individuals, subjects, and monarchs. It inherited the idea of early Confucianism to see the object of practicing Zhōng as an individual. The view of Zhōng's object of practice as a monarch and subjects was viewed as a national ethical virtue. Therefore, this change process can be confirmed through Zhōng's record in Liji.