Abstract:

Approaching DONG Zhong-shu’s “Substance and Refinement of Form Concerning the Reform in the Three Dynasties” in his commentary onThe Spring and Autumn Annals from the Confucian principle of respecting parents and honoring the superior, this paper reveals the theoretical lineage and rich content of the cycle of the four elements of Heaven, earth, substance, and refinement of form. The different trajectories of yin and yang in the Dao of Heaven correspond to the different aspects of monarchs’ government, official systems, and rituals in the human world. Tracing the mysterious images of the saintly monarchs granted by Heaven helps to obtain a reliable basis for the circulation of the four elements. The Shang Dynasty corresponding to substance, and the Zhou Dynasty corresponding to refinement of form, as well as their respective combination with respecting parents and honoring the superior – this constitutes the basic order of the succession of kingship. MOU Zong-san’s Philosophy of History is of great enlightening significance when it explains that honoring the superior goes beyond respecting parents and then elevates honoring the superior to the objective spirit of the nation. However, it also breaks the organic relationship between respecting parents and honoring the superior.

Key words: DONG Zhong-shu, four elements, respecting parents and honoring the superior, substance and refinement of form, MOU Zong-san