英文摘要
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Since the mid-twentieth century, the bamboo-slip documents of the Ma Wan Dui, Goudian and Shanghai Museum collections have been unearthed. Among these materials concerning Confucianism and Taoism, there is one topic worthy of special attention: the proposed relationship between Tian-dao, the way of heaven, and Ren-dao, the way of man. This topic not only complements what has been lacking in our understanding but also, through the development of this topic, reveals how Lao Tzu's and Confucius's successors further evolved their legacies in the period of Warring States. Generally, all the documents on this topic show that man should work with or learn from heaven.
In terms of Confucianism, Confucius and his successors' doctrine on heaven is basically a transformation of the doctrine of ancient astronomy on the revolution heavenly spheres. Moreover, those successors related this doctrine on the way of heaven to the doctrine on human mind-nature and in turn discussed good and evil in the statement about human nature. As for Taoism, the topic of the relationship between the way of heaven and man was predominantly highlighted in the The Yellow Emperor's Four Canons among the Ma Wang Dui slips. Manifesting how man is required to follow the rules of heaven and earth, yin and yang, The Constant Laws among The Yellow Emperor’s Four Canons not only combines the topic of heaven with the topic of the way but also states that the way of man is to follow the ”laws,” reinterpreting the spirit of Lao Tzu about the relationships between heaven, earth, man and nature.
The similarities between Confucianism and Taoism regarding the relationship of heaven and man lie in that the way of heaven acts as a guideline for man; yet such a guideline is based on the obedience to natural rationality rather than the fear of heaven or natural disasters, emphasizing the cultivatable qualities of man. The differences in between are due to the fact Confucianism and Taoism have distinct understandings about the nature of heaven as well and the mind-nature of man.
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