Chapter 4: How the Conjugal Pair is the "Root of Ruler and Minister, Father and Son"

Section 1: The Deep Meaning of "Root" (Ben) and the Pre-Qin Discussion of Root and Branch

"The Way of the conjugal pair must not be unrectified; it is the root of ruler and minister, father and son." This character "Ben" (本, Root) is not a casual word but carries a profound philosophical connotation.

The character "Ben" is composed of "Wood" (木) and "One" (一). The single stroke below the wood indicates the location of the tree root. The root is the origin; if the tree has roots, then it has a trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. If the root is deep, the leaves are lush; if the root withers, the tree dies.

In pre-Qin thought, the distinction between "root" (Ben) and "branch" (Mo) is a major theme.

The Analects, Xue Er (Learning), records the words of You Zi:

"The superior man applies himself to the root; the root established, the Way grows therefrom. Filial piety and fraternal submission—are these not the root of benevolence$1" (君子务本，本立而道生。孝弟也者，其为仁之本与！)

You Zi regarded filial piety and fraternal submission as the root of benevolence. The practice of filial piety and fraternal submission begins within the family. The core relationship within the family is that between husband and wife and between parents and children.

The Great Learning (Daxue) lists eight items: Investigation of things, Extension of knowledge, Making the will sincere, Rectifying the mind, Cultivating the person, Regulating the family, Governing the state, Bringing peace to all under Heaven. Among these, "Regulating the family" precedes "Governing the state," and "Cultivating the person" precedes "Regulating the family." The primary task of "Regulating the family" lies in the rectification of the conjugal pair.

Mencius, Li Lou Shang:

"The root of the world is in the state; the root of the state is in the family; the root of the family is in the person." (天下之本在国，国之本在家，家之本在身。)

World—State—Family—Person: In this sequence, the "family" is the root of the "state." And within the family structure, the conjugal pair forms the core. Therefore, stating that "the conjugal pair is the root of ruler and minister, father and son" follows a very clear logic.

Section 2: From "Husband and Wife" to "Father and Son" – The Chain of Procreation

How is the conjugal pair the root of father and son$2 This is the most direct and easily understood point.

Only after the union of husband and wife can there be offspring, and only after offspring can there be the relationship of father and son. This is the natural sequence and cannot be inverted.

On a deeper level, a correct Way of the conjugal pair ensures a correct relationship between father and son. Why$3

First, the rectitude of the conjugal pair guarantees the purity of the lineage. In ancient lineage society (Zongfa), the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate lines and the purity of blood were highly valued. When husband and wife unite according to the right Way, the origin of the offspring is clear, and the order of lineage law can be maintained.

The Zuo Zhuan, First Year of Duke Yin, records the affair of Duke Zhuang of Zheng:

"Initially, Duke Wu of Zheng took a wife from Shen, called Wu Jiang. She gave birth to Duke Zhuang and Gong Shu Duan. Duke Zhuang awoke at birth, startling Lady Jiang, so she named him Wusheng (Awakened Birth), and subsequently despised him. She doted on Gong Shu Duan and wished to install him as heir. She repeatedly requested this of Duke Wu, but the Duke would not agree." (初，郑武公娶于申，曰武姜。生庄公及共叔段。庄公寤生，惊姜氏，故名曰寤生，遂恶之。爱共叔段，欲立之。亟请于武公，公弗许。)

Lady Jiang despised Duke Zhuang because of the difficulty of his birth and favored Gong Shu Duan—this shows a failure in the Way of the conjugal pair: the mother acted based on selfish emotion, and the father failed to correct the family order. This ultimately led to fratricidal disaster. This example clearly illustrates that if the Way of the conjugal pair is unrectified, the relationship between father and son (including mother and son) also loses its proper order.

Second, the rectitude of the conjugal pair provides the correct educational environment for the children. The sternness of the father and the kindness of the mother, the complementary balance of the firm and the yielding, allow the children to grow up learning the Right Way.

The Book of Odes, Xiao Ya (Lesser Odes), Lao E (Mourning for the Dead):

"Oh father, you gave me life; Oh mother, you nurtured me. You patted and nourished me, made me grow and educated me. You looked after me and restored me, cradled me in and out. If I wish to repay your virtue, Heaven’s expanse is without limit." (父兮生我，母兮鞠我。拊我畜我，长我育我。顾我复我，出入腹我。欲报之德，昊天罔极。)

Father gives life, mother nurtures—benevolence as vast as Heaven. This complete familial education requires the rectitude of the conjugal pair as a prerequisite. If husband and wife are not harmonious, education falters; if they are estranged, the children are left without support.

Third, the rectitude of the conjugal pair establishes the basic order of "inside and outside" and "superior and inferior" within the family. The father is the head of the family, and the mother is the virtuous assistant within. Once this order is established, the relationship between father and son (father teaches filial piety to the son) and the relationship between brothers (elder respects younger) can all be deduced from this.

Section 3: Extending from "Husband and Wife" to "Ruler and Minister" – The Principle of Extension

How is the conjugal pair the root of ruler and minister$4 This relationship is more circuitous and requires detailed discussion.

First, from the perspective of historical development. The earliest social organization was the family. The expansion of the family led to clans. The union of clans led to tribes. The unification of tribes led to the state. In this process, the order within the family—distinction between husband and wife, affection between father and son, order between elder and younger—was gradually extended to social order—righteousness between ruler and minister, distinction between high and low.

The Guoyu (Discourses of the States), Lu Yu I, records:

"The people, in groups of three, constitute the great foundation of the state; this is the Way of husband and wife." (夫民，三为大，国之本也，夫妻之道也。)

Although this text may be partially corrupted, the sense that the "Way of husband and wife" is the "root of the state" is quite clear.

Second, from the perspective of analogical reasoning. The structural analogy between family and state (Jia Guo Tong Gou) was common in pre-Qin thought.

Mencius, Li Lou Shang:

"The root of the world is in the state; the root of the state is in the family; the root of the family is in the person." (天下之本在国，国之本在家，家之本在身。)

The family-state analogy implies that the relational patterns within the family can be directly extended to the patterns within the state. Between husband and wife, the husband is the primary, the wife the assistant; the husband is firm, the wife yielding; the husband manages outside affairs, the wife manages inside affairs—this relational model, when extended, corresponds to the relationship between ruler and minister: the ruler is primary, the minister the assistant; the ruler is esteemed, the minister humble; the ruler commands, the minister follows.

However, a crucial point must be noted here: The pre-Qin analogy of "husband/wife → ruler/minister" is absolutely not the hierarchical subjugation seen in later eras, such as the "Three Bonds" (Gang) imposing the husband as the model for the ruler. In pre-Qin thought, the core of the conjugal Way is "affective communication" (Gan Tong)—mutual feeling and mutual response. Similarly, the core of the ruler-minister relationship is "affective communication"—the ruler moves the minister with sincerity, and the minister responds to the ruler with loyalty.

The Analects, Ba Yi (The Eight Lines), records:

"Duke Ding asked: 'How should a ruler employ his ministers, and how should a minister serve his ruler$5' Confucius replied: 'The ruler employs his ministers with rites; the minister serves the ruler with loyalty.'" (君使臣以礼，臣事君以忠。)

Between ruler and minister, there must be mutual feeling through rites and loyalty, not unilateral oppression and submission. This perfectly accords with the Xian hexagram’s meaning: "the two qi respond to each other and cooperate."

Third, from the perspective of moral cultivation. If a person can rectify the Way of their conjugal life, they have already established a foundation for cultivating the self. One who can rectify the family can extend this to rectify the state.

The Great Learning states:

"What is meant by 'To regulate one’s person, then regulate the family' is this: If one cannot teach his own family and yet can teach others, that is impossible. Therefore, the superior man effects transformation in the state without leaving his family. Filial piety is what serves the ruler; fraternal submission is what serves elders; compassion is what employs the masses." (修身齐家治国平天下。孝者，所以事君也；弟者，所以事长也；慈者，所以使众也。)

Filial piety applied to serving the ruler, fraternal submission applied to serving elders, compassion applied to employing the masses—the moral cultivation within the family directly translates into political capability. And the starting point for familial moral cultivation is the rectification of the conjugal pair.

Fourth, from the perspective of practical political experience. In pre-Qin history, numerous cases demonstrate that the correctness or corruption of a ruler's conjugal life directly affected the order or chaos of the state. This will be elaborated in the following section on historical examples.

Section 4: The Philosophical Lineage of the "Root" Concept

The idea that "the conjugal pair is the root of ruler and minister, father and son" has broad lineage in pre-Qin texts.

I. The Statement in the Zhou Yi, Xu Gua Zhuan:

Quoted previously:

"After Heaven and Earth, there were the ten thousand things; after the ten thousand things, there were male and female; after male and female, there were husband and wife; after husband and wife, there were father and son; after father and son, there were ruler and minister; after ruler and minister, there was high and low; after high and low, there were rites and righteousness placed in order." (有天地然后有万物，有万物然后有男女，有男女然后有夫妇，有夫妇然后有父子，有父子然后有君臣，有君臣然后有上下，有上下然后礼义有所错。)

This is the most systematic and complete exposition. The logical chain is: Heaven and Earth → Ten Thousand Things → Male and Female → Husband and Wife → Father and Son → Ruler and Minister → High and Low → Rites and Righteousness.

II. Mencius’s Discussion:

Mencius, Li Lou Shang:

"Men have the Dao, yet they seek it far away when it is near at hand; they have the easy task, yet they seek the difficult. If everyone cherishes his own kin and respects his elders, then the world will be at peace." (道在迩而求诸远，事在易而求诸难。人人亲其亲，长其长，而天下平。)

Mencius emphasizes familial affection, though he places "affection between father and son" first, logically, the distinction (Bie) between husband and wife precedes the affection between father and son and the order between elder and younger. Qi, the minister of Shun, was tasked to teach human relations: "Father and son have affection; ruler and minister have righteousness; husband and wife have distinction; elder and younger have order; friends have trust." (父子有亲，君臣有义，夫妇有别，长幼有序，朋友有信。)

III. The Discussion in the Li Ji, Hun Yi (Meaning of Marriage):

"The marriage rite is for uniting the good will between two surnames, upward to serve the ancestral temple, and downward to succeed future generations. Therefore, the superior man values it highly." (男女有别而后夫妇有义，夫妇有义而后父子有亲，父子有亲而后君臣有正。故曰昏礼者，礼之本也。)

"The marriage rite is the root of rites" (Hun Li Zhe, Li Zhi Ben Ye)—the wedding ceremony is the foundation of all ritual order. This is entirely consistent with Xian being the first hexagram of the Lower Canon and the concept that "the Way of the conjugal pair is the root of ruler and minister, father and son."

IV. The Discussion in the Li Ji, Zhong Yong (Doctrine of the Mean):

"The Way of the superior man commences with the conjugal pair. When it reaches its culmination, it investigates Heaven and Earth." (君子之道，造端乎夫妇。及其至也，察乎天地。)

This statement is exquisite. "Commences with the conjugal pair" (Zao Duan Hu Fuqi)—the beginning of the superior man's Way is found in husband and wife. "When it reaches its culmination, it investigates Heaven and Earth" (Ji Qi Zhi Ye, Cha Hu Tiandi)—when extended to its utmost, one can discern the principles of Heaven and Earth. From husband and wife to Heaven and Earth, progressing from the near to the far, from the small to the great—this is the principle of root and branch.

V. Xunzi’s Discussion:

Xunzi, Da Lüe (Great Summary):

"The Yi's Xian presages the conjugal pair. The Way of the conjugal pair must not be unrectified; it is the root of ruler and minister, father and son. Xian is Gan (feeling/apprehension); by the high descending to the low, by the male descending to the female, the yielding is above and the firm is below." (《易》之咸，见夫妇。夫妇之道，不可不正也，君臣父子之本也。咸、感也，以高下下，以男下女，柔上而刚下。)

This is the original text we are examining, found in the Da Lüe chapter of Xunzi (or its school). Xunzi quotes this passage to explain and elaborate on the meaning of the Yi. Xunzi’s quotation, without dissent, shows that the idea that "the conjugal pair is the root of ruler and minister, father and son" was already a consensus within the Confucian school by the late Warring States period. As Xunzi is known for rigorous logic, his citation of this passage without objection indicates that this meaning was widely accepted in scholarly circles at that time.

Section 5: The Philosophical Depth of the "Root" Concept

The proposition "the conjugal pair is the root of ruler and minister, father and son" is not merely a sociological or ethical judgment, but contains profound philosophical implications.

First, it embodies the pre-Qin method of cognition: "Extending from oneself to others" (Tui Ji Yi Ren).

Pre-Qin thinkers generally believed that understanding the world should start from the most immediate and fundamental experience, gradually extending to broader realms.

Mencius, Jin Xin Shang (Innermost Thoughts I):

"All things are complete within me. To reflect and find myself sincere—no greater joy than this! To practice with strong benevolence—no closer path to seeking benevolence." (万物皆备于我矣，反身而诚，乐莫大焉。强恕而行，求仁莫近焉。)

"All things are complete within me"—all principles are inherent within the self. "Reflect and find myself sincere"—examine oneself, face oneself with sincerity. "Practice with strong benevolence"—extend oneself to others, practice the benevolence (Ren). Starting from the self, expanding outwards to the family, society, and the world—this is the basic path of pre-Qin epistemology. Within the family, the most core and fundamental relationship is that between husband and wife. Thus, taking the conjugal pair as the root and extending outward to father-son and ruler-minister accords with this path.

Second, it embodies the pre-Qin mode of thought: "Taking what is near the body as a model" (Jin Qu Zhu Shen).

The Xi Ci Zhuan states:

"In ancient times, when Pao Xi Fuxi ruled the world, he looked upward to observe the images in Heaven, and downward to observe the patterns on Earth. He observed the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the Earth. He took what was near his body as a model, and what was distant from things as a standard. From this, he first created the Eight Trigrams, to communicate the virtue of the Spirit-like Efficacious, and to illustrate the feelings of the ten thousand things." (古者包牺氏之王天下也，仰则观象于天，俯则观法于地，观鸟兽之文与地之宜，近取诸身，远取诸物，于是始作八卦，以通神明之德，以类万物之情。)

"Taking what is near the body as a model"—understanding the world begins with the self. The closest relationship of the person—the conjugal pair—is the starting point for understanding social order.

Third, it embodies the core spirit of pre-Qin "generative" philosophy (Sheng Sheng).

The Xi Ci Zhuan states:

"The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is life (Sheng)." (天地之大德曰生。)

And further:

"To generate and generate is called the Changes." (生生之谓易。)

The ceaseless creation of life is the fundamental spirit of the cosmos. The creation of life, in human society, is most directly embodied in the union of husband and wife giving birth to offspring. Since the conjugal pair is the starting point of life creation, it is the root of all human relations.