맹자 에 나오는 ‘열현(悅賢)’의 의미에 대한 재탐색 -고대 유가사상의 ‘호현여호색(好賢如好色)’의 차원에서-

초록

This paper examines the concept of ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ and its meaning as it appears in the ancient Confucian text Mencius. When reading the literature of the early modern period, one notices words such as ‘zun-xian (尊賢)’ and ‘shang-xian (尙賢)’, which emphasize the importance of ‘賢者’ (xian-zhe, wise men). However, when reading the Mengzi, it is notable that the term ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ is used in addition to ‘zun-xian (尊賢)’ and ‘shang-xian (尙賢)’. As is well known, the character “悅” means “to be happy” or “to rejoice,” as seen in the word ‘xi-yue (喜悅)’, and refers to joy that springs from the heart. Therefore, a literal translation of ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ would be “to rejoice in the wise from the bottom of one’s heart,” and it can be interpreted to mean to deeply love the wise. Even within Confucianism, while Mencius constantly advocates for the exaltation of the wise, Xun-zi (荀子) emphasizes the hierarchical relationship between ruler and subject, placing greater emphasis on the loyalty ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’, which reveres the existence of ‘wise men’ and goes further to admire them, can be seen as retaining the early Confucian tradition. Therefore, this paper examined the changing aspects of the relationship between ruler and minister in ancient Confucianism and identified where Mencius’s view on this relationship stands. Following this, the discussion proceeded by examining the concept and meaning of ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ as it appears in the Mencius, and then exploring ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ in the dimension of haoxian-ru-hose (好賢如好色)’ which means ‘loving wise man as much as one loves physical beauty’ through recently excavated unearthed documents. The paper concluded by arguing that the concept of ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’, which is commonly seen in early Confucian thought, can also be interpreted from the perspective of ‘lian-mo (戀慕)’, a dimension of emotional connection between men and women, and that ‘yue-xian (悅賢)’ in the Mencius can be understood within this context.

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