Promoting Traditional Chinese Moral Education in Primary Schools——Using "Zhong Yong" Teaching as an Example
Primary education is not only an important foundation for students' comprehensive knowledge development, but also a crucial stage for establishing correct values, moral perspectives, and cultivating good character. Therefore, exploring the implementation of moral education in primary schools is indeed necessary. As stated in the Education Bureau's curriculum document "Chinese Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 to Primary 6) (《中國語文課程指引（小一至小六）》)": Language teaching is not merely about linguistic competence but must also consider thinking and moral development... one of its main tasks is to enable students to "receive moral cultivation and cultural influence to beautify their character and promote holistic development."1 Prof. TONG Ho Kin's article "The Confucian Tradition in Primary Chinese Language Curriculum (〈小學中國語文課程的儒家傳統〉)" further clarifies that traditional Chinese moral education content serves as the core of moral and affective teaching in primary Chinese education, with Confucian traditional moral education concepts as the teaching focus.2 However, Confucian thought has undergone years of research and accumulation, and its philosophical depth cannot be considered shallow. Therefore, before considering the implementation of Confucian thought at the primary level, two major challenges must first be addressed: First, what should be taught, how to simplify and select appropriate teaching content and focus according to primary students' level; Second, how it should be taught, whether the teaching content can be delivered through interesting teaching methods and techniques to enhance the effectiveness of teaching primary students.
Considering this, the following will conduct a case study on teaching "Zhong Yong" or "the Doctrine of the Mean" (中庸) to explore how to promote and popularize the Confucian thought of "Zhong Yong" in moral education at the primary school level. This paper argues that although "Zhong Yong" is at the core of Confucian thought, it has been largely overlooked in primary education. The reason lies in the fact that the "Zhong Yong" has traditionally been considered extremely difficult to practice and represents a very high level of moral cultivation, making it extremely challenging to fully instill its essence in primary school students. However, it must also be acknowledged that the "Zhong Yong" possesses high practical value for dealing with world affairs. This paper further argues that by considering primary school students' level of understanding and through appropriate simplification and design, it is possible to promote the practical wisdom of the "Zhong Yong" in the primary school domain.
In terms of literal meaning, the term "Zhong Yong" (中庸) refers to an attitude that resides in peace and moderation. He Yan (何晏, 196-249)'s "Collected Commentaries on the Analects (《論語集解》)" states: "Yong (庸) means constant, referring to the way of moderation and harmony that can be constantly practiced. (庸，常也，中和可常行之道。)"3 Zhu Xi (朱熹, 1130-1200)'s "Commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean (《中庸章句》)" states: "Zhong (中) means neither leaning to one side nor the other, neither excessive nor insufficient. Yong (庸) means ordinary. (中者，不偏不倚、無過不及之名。庸，平常也。)"4 Examining its actual meaning from pre-Qin texts, "Zhong Yong" should be understood as a form of moral consciousness, manifested as a comprehensive judgment ability that influences moral behavior—namely, making the most appropriate response to one's environment, being neither partial nor extreme, neither excessive nor insufficient.5 Zheng Xuan (鄭玄, 127-200) of the Eastern Han (東漢, 25-220) said: "It is called 'Zhong Yong' because it records the function of moderation and harmony. 'Yong' means function. (名曰中庸者，以其記中和之為用也。庸，用也。)" Cheng Yi (程頤, 1033-1107) of the Northern Song (北宋, 960-1127) said: "Not being partial is called zhong; not being changeable is called 'Yong'. 'Zhong' is the righteous way of the world; 'Yong' is the fixed principle of the world. (不偏之謂中，不易之謂庸。中者，天下之正道﹔庸者，天下之定理。)" Zhu Xi of the Southern Song (南宋, 1127-1279) said: " 'Zhong' means neither leaning to one side nor the other, neither excessive nor insufficient. 'Yong' means ordinary. (中者，不偏不倚，無過無不及之名。庸，平常也。)" "Zhong Yong" is "impartial and unchanging. (不偏，不易)" In summary, "Zhong Yong" refers to conducting oneself according to the path of righteousness, being neither partial nor biased, and using one's natural and pure human nature to cultivate oneself and deal with all things in the world.
As Confucius (孔子, c.551-c.479 BCE) said in the "Analects (《論語》) ": "The virtue of "Zhong Yong" - how supreme it is! People have been without it for a long time. (中庸之為德也，其至矣乎！民鮮久矣。)"6 This means that this moral consciousness of ""Zhong Yong"" is not easy to cultivate. In "the Book of Rites (《禮記》)", Confucius further stated that many people who consider themselves wise practice the way of the mean, yet cannot maintain it even for a short month: "Everyone says 'I am wise,' but when they choose the "Zhong Yong", they cannot maintain it for even a month. (人皆曰『予知』，擇乎中庸而不能期月守也。)" This shows that Confucius believed truly and completely practicing the virtue of "Zhong Yong" is not only extremely difficult, but also absolutely challenging to maintain. Therefore, Confucius also said: "As for Yan Hui (顏回, 521-481 BCE)'s character, he chooses "Zhong Yong", and when he attains one good thing, he holds it firmly in his heart and never loses it. (回之為人也，擇乎中庸，得一善則拳拳服膺而弗失之矣。)"
Although the way of the mean is difficult to truly and completely comprehend and practice, people today can still use "Zhong Yong" as a standard for self-cultivation, making demands and imposing constraints on their own behavior. This article further believes that the way of the mean is not entirely profound and incomprehensible - even elementary school students should be able to absorb some of its content. Therefore, I will use the way of the mean as a foundation to analyze how to promote and practice "Zhong Yong" at the elementary school level.
Drawing upon Prof. Liu Zhaowei (劉兆偉教授)'s insights on the ""Zhong Yong"" in his article "The Essence and Value of Zhong Yong" (〈道不遠人——中庸之本真及其價值〉)," this paper further summarizes certain aspects of "Zhong Yong" as "sincerity (誠), humility (謙), and harmony (和)."7 The purpose is to appropriately simplify and make accessible the core content of "Zhong Yong", helping elementary school students easily understand the basic meaning of this philosophical thought.
First is "sincerity." Liu points out that throughout the entire text of "The Doctrine of the Mean," (《中庸》) "sincerity" means achieving "thorough understanding" in cultivating the Way. Thorough understanding means reaching a level of complete mastery and perfection. Ultimate sincerity enables one to discern clearly the principles of all things. When one achieves "sincerity" in cultivating "Zhong Yong", one naturally conforms to the way of all things, and the great Way is always appropriate and fitting for its purpose. To reach the realm of "sincerity," one should "study extensively, inquire carefully, think deeply, distinguish clearly, and practice earnestly. (博學之，審問之，慎思之，明辨之，篤行之。)" Of course, elementary school students may not necessarily grasp the significance of the realm of "sincerity," but if the pursuit of "sincerity" is applied to learning, it can encourage students to pursue knowledge with the above attitude, which is relatively easier for elementary school students to understand and pursue.
Next is "humility." As the saying goes, "The gentleman should cultivate virtue and embrace all things with tolerance, (君子以厚德載物)" and "humility" is precisely a virtue of the mean. "The Doctrine of the Mean" (《中庸》) particularly emphasizes that no matter how great one's achievements or how strong one's abilities, a gentleman must remain humble to gain people's trust and conviction, just as sages are sincere and modest, which is why virtuous people willingly follow and sincerely support them. The virtue of humility is very suitable for promotion and popularization at the elementary school level, such as through situational teaching to help students grasp its educational significance.
Third is "harmony." Harmonious inclusiveness is both the ideal state that "Zhong Yong" seeks for personal cultivation and the condition that social development should pursue. Its opposite is polarization, such as the gap between rich and poor. Therefore, Confucius proposed: "Those who have states and families do not worry about having little, but about inequality; they do not worry about poverty, but about instability. (有國有家者，不患寡而患不均﹔不患貧而患不安。)" Thus "harmony" advocates a society where all people live in joy, mutual respect, and mutual love. When applied to interpersonal relationships, it can also educate students to treat family and friends with tolerance, working together to build a harmonious society of great unity.
After appropriately simplifying "Zhong Yong", the next step is how to use methods suitable for elementary school students to conduct teaching. The following are the approaches provided in this article:
(1) Combining Scenarios with Questioning
The thought of "Zhong Yong" emphasizes that in handling matters one should be "balanced," neither leaning to one side nor the other, moderate and appropriate. When teaching, teachers can guide students to practice the thought of "Zhong Yong" in their daily life and learning by providing scenarios and then guiding with questions, such as how to achieve "impartiality and moderation" when dealing with conflicts with classmates, or how to respond with neither servility nor arrogance when facing difficulties. Through different scenarios and questioning, teachers can help students gradually develop behavioral habits of moderation.
(2) Emphasizing Reflective Experience
The core of the "Zhong Yong" lies in inner cultivation and life attitude. Therefore, in the learning process, emphasis should be placed on students' emotional experiences. For instance, more sharing sessions should be arranged to guide students in contemplating the specific manifestations of "Zhong Yong" in daily life, and to allow them to independently comprehend the true essence of this philosophical thought.
(3) Employing Diversified Teaching Methods
With the continuous development of technology and teaching methodologies, diversified teaching approaches should be referenced and adopted, such as multimedia instruction and interactive teaching methods like group discussions. These approaches can stimulate students' learning interest and help them more easily understand and grasp the connotations of "Zhong Yong".
Finally, this article hopes to emphasize that traditional Chinese moral education is a treasure accumulated over thousands of years of Chinese culture. It is not only not outdated but also possesses extremely high practical value for contemporary society. Hong Kong education should also keep pace with the times and invest more attention and resources in promoting Confucian moral education. Due to space limitations, this article only focuses on the primary school level and uses the teaching of "Zhong Yong" as a case study. However, traditional Chinese moral education is profound and extensive, with much content still worthy of study and exploration by people today.
1. 朱熹：《大學中庸章句》（北京：中國社會出版社，2013）。
2. 何晏（注），邢昺（疏），李學勤主編：《論語注疏》（北京：北京大學出版社，1999），頁82。
3. 何晏：《論語集解》（香港：商務印書館，2023）。
4. 湯浩堅：〈小學中國語文課程的儒家傳統〉，載香港教育局課程發展處中國語文教育組編：《涓活清泉：小學中國語文課程的探索與實踐》（香港：香港教育局課程發展處中國語文教育組，2011），頁17-24。
5. 劉兆偉：〈道不遠人——中庸之本真及其價值〉，中國共產黨新聞網，網址：http://theory.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2016/1212/c40531-28941015.html，瀏覽日期：2024年7月8日。
6. 課程發展議會：《中國語文課程指引（小一至小六）》（香港：教育統籌局，2004）。
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