Abstract:Based on the theory of the interactions between heaven and mankind, Dong Zhongshu demonstrated that the supreme divinity who govern all express his will by giving “warning of disaster” and presenting “receiving symbol of destiny” from heaven, substantiated and corroborated the conventional ideology of mandate of heaven: On one hand, the omen expression of symbol of destiny from heaven has been made the ultimate hope and expectation of mankind, and which breaks through the theoretical boundaries of the conventional ideology of mandate of heaven which has been known as abstract、mysterious and insensible to mankind; On the other hand, the hope and expectation of mankind wishing to receive symbol of destiny from heaven have been transformed to the driving force of individual’s or group’s moral behavior, and which returned to the moral governance path in pre-Qin Confucianism. The symbol of destiny shows the sanctity of the monarch’s mission, urges the monarch to fulfill their social responsibility by practicing natural law and eliminating people’s suffering; The cultural proposals such as “developing schools and cultivating sages” proposed by Dong Zhongshu were adopted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and were promoted and popularized as national unified ideology. Dong Zhongshu implemented Confucian doctrines in religious form, inherited the practical essence of Confucian spirit, so he is still a Confucian.
肖 雁. 西汉天命神学和儒学的选择及融合[J]. 华中师范大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2018, 57(6): 127-134.
Xiao Yan. The Selection and Convergence of Divine Theology and Confucianism in the Western Han Dynasty. journal1, 2018, 57(6): 127-134.