Moral Characters Cultivation vs. A Nation’s Administration The evolution of “the Politics of the Body” between the period of Pre-Chin Dynasty and early West Han Dynasty

The interrelationship of moral character cultivation and a nation’s administration always stated and reflected Chinese’s traditional political condition. In such relationship, body was the key element. On the one part, body was the necessary foundation for moral character cultivation. Whether the emphasis was put on having great virtue inside or on either depreciating or appreciating human body, it all believed human’s heart, his mental status, and the form and structure constituted important concepts of moral character cultivation. On the other part, it was also because human body was deemed as a kind of political ground; when body and mind was trained, i.e. when moral character was cultivated, one was able to govern the country. In such administrative level, “heart” was a metaphor of the king, which was the leader of a country; “hands and legs” and “ears and eyes” implied the king’s subjects. Therefore, the king and the subject’s relationship were often imaged by the king’s body. Because of such idea, not only the king himself should set good examples with his own conducts and influence and reform the people by his own behavior, but also the king’s body would symbolize and represent the whole nation. The ideas of “body and polity”, “king and the nation were equally correlated”, and “body and the nation should be cultivated and administrated simultaneously”, constructed the frameworks of the theory of “the politics of the body”.ithin such pattern of thought, great philosophers in Pre-Chin Dynasty had different arguments. Chapter III discussed among one of the body politics theory: moral characters cultivation and discipline, morality realization, body and mind cultivation before administrating the nation, and then putting efforts in governing the nation and loving his people. This article generalized and named this as the theory of “Wei-Jheng-Yi-De (meaning using morality to govern the nation)”. This was just like the political arguments held by the Confucianism and the Mohists in Pre-Chin Dynasty. Chapter IV analyzed another argument, which paid attention to solitude, inactivity, and the administration of doing nothing that goes against the nature. Later, this argument even evolved into versions of “Sing-Ming (meaning actuality and name)”, “Ren-Shih (meaning power appointment)”, “Jyun-wu-wei, Chen-you-wei (meaning an incapable king is acceptable, but his subjects must be capable of assisting the king)”. These were the body politics theory of “Jyun-yi-Chen-lao (meaning the king can be at ease, but his subjects must be hard-working)”. In this argument, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu stressed on morality realization and inactivity. Following this thinking, from “inactivity and doing everything possible” to the statement of “king can be incompetent but his subjects must be very capable of assisting the king”, the argument of “Jyun-yi-Chen-lao” finally came into existence from the doctrines of Huang Lao, Chuang Tzu’s later study, and Hanfei of the Legalism. When such argument arose, it became an important political theory that was compatible with the idea of “ Wei-Jheng-Yi-De”. Combined real history and different thoughts, Chapter V elaborated theories on historical matters and used theories to explain such matters. From the angle of combing theories and real history, it viewed the continuous development of the two body politics arguments and illustrated how the politics of the body can be realized in the real world. It also indicated the time meaning of such thinking.ow did the two concepts of the politics of the body elaborate in thinking? And how were those carried out as the form of political behavior? This article, standing on the point of history of political thoughts, investigated history and thoughts, theory and reality, political behavior and traditional culture, and tried to understand the complicated relationship among them.etween learning and politics, authority and philosophy, theory of the politics of the body not only revealed Chinese philosopher’s concerns and ideals, but also reflected their regrets and disappointments. Through such study, this article hoped to expound the history, so as to know the worldly wisdom and therefore to make some contribution to the political thinking between Pre-Chin Dynasty and early West Han Dynasty.