| Abstract |
The Doctrine of Golden Mean is a classic of significant standing in the history of Chinese academic thinking. Scholars before the Sung Dynasty had considered the classic as a product created by Tzu Szu (子思) who was the offspring of Confucius. Scholars in the Sung Dynasty had argued that the author could be someone else. Thanks to the Chuu tablets unearned from Kuo Dian (郭店), it is believed that the Doctrine of Golden Mean is closely related to the Tzu Szu Philosophical School. Among the tablets, text of (性自命出), which means that one’s natural quality is derived from his destiny, relatively concerns the doctrine of golden mean. In this article, I discuss the historical position of the Doctrine of Golden Mean based on the connotation of《Book of Rites》and make reference to the related texts on the Chuu tablets. In this context, I define the subject of the Doctrine of Golden Mean that the characteristic of rites is prerequisite. Firstly, I state the historical position of the Doctrine of Golden Mean before Ju Shi’s age. Secondly, I discuss the significance of the Doctrine of Golden Mean in《Book of Rites》. Then I explore its subject in respect of the characteristic of rites; that is, from the connotation, denotation, orientation and the ultimate realm.
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