先秦儒家的内圣外王观

摘要

The main idea of Pre-Qin Confucians’ political thought can be expressed in a word as the idea of the unity of morality and politics;it is usually a political way of thinking, that is, cultivating inner moral qualities of saints before seeking the governing way of helping people. However, Confucius and Mencius were consciously aware that they lived in the times when morality was separated from politics, therefore, when they pursued the way of the unity of morality and politics, they had to face the reality of their separation and make theoretical reflection and response, that is, on the one hand, calling upon the rise of the gentlemen, and on the other hand, emphasizing that the inner moral cultivation of saints itself is of independent and self-sufficient life value and significance.%先秦儒家政治思想的主旨，可一言以蔽之，即内圣外王之道，它一般是指由内圣而外王即内修道德性命而外求经世济民的政治思维理路。然而，孔孟自觉地意识到自己所处的时代生活环境是一个圣与王分离的时代，因此，他们在追求实现内圣外王之道的同时，又不得不正视圣与王分离的现实状况并作出理论上的反思与回应，即一方面呼唤士人君子的奋然兴起，另一方面则强调内圣的道德修养或心性的存养扩充本身所具有的独立自足的人生价值与意义。