“中和说”

“中和说”

中和说，是儒家倡导的哲学观念，见于《中庸》，所谓“喜怒哀乐之未发谓之中，发而皆中节谓之和；中也者，天下之大本也，和也者，天下之达道也。致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉”，意思是说，喜怒哀乐没有表现出来的时候，叫作“中”；喜怒哀乐的情感表现出来以后能够适中且有节度，叫作“和”。“中”是人人都有的本性，“和”是大家都应当遵循的原则，达到“中和”的状态，天地便各在其位，万物便可以生长繁衍了。

“中和说”认为，一个人的情感和欲望都满足并且控制在恰当的限度上，他的精神就达到和谐和健康。一个社会中各式各样人的情感和欲望都满足和表现到恰当的限度，这个社会的内部就达到和谐、安定而有秩序。这种平和、和谐就是人自身以及社会的本质特征。

Theory of Equilibrium and Harmony

It is a theory advocated by Confucianism, which can be found in The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhong Yong): "When the feelings such as pleasure, anger, sorrow and joy are not stirred, the mind may be said to be in the state of equilibrium. When those feelings have been stirred to a proper degree, the mind may be said to be in the state of harmony. This equilibrium is the nature of all humans, and this harmony is the universal path they all should pursue. When the states of equilibrium and harmony are achieved, a happy order will prevail throughout the world, and all things will be nourished and flourish."

According to this theory, when all the emotions and desires of a person are satisfied to a proper degree, he or she will have a harmonious and healthy mind; when the emotions and desires of all the people in a society are satisfied to a proper degree, harmony, stability and a good order will ensue in the society. This state of inner peace and harmony constitutes the essential characteristics of humanity and society.