春秋时期士人之德的内在化 = The inner transformation of "De": Shi in early China

Abstract

This thesis argues that along with the shift in the nature of shi during the late Chunqiu period, the meaning of de also changed correspondingly. While de originated as a political category and was associated with the virtuous politics and acts of the aristocratic class, yet following the transition of shi into a new cultural class, and the emergence of the Confucian school, there was a downward dissemination and political dissociation of this concept, as reflected in its transformation from a politically-oriented concept which focuses on the outward manifestations and practical functions of de, to a unique philosophical term which emphasizes the spiritual inward turning towards the mind, the reflective and introspective nature of the inner moral self, and the importance of innate moral nature in the individual quest for self-awareness and moral cultivation. It is precisely this aspect of de which constitutes the central thesis of our study.