在孔子那里，天命是在历史中展开的人类固有的超越性向每一个自觉的道德个体提出的必然性要求，是需要通过艰苦的道德努力去显明和认证的东西：天命以其幽深的辉光照亮人之“道”，最终在人的行为和成就中实现自己；人通过德行的累积去接近和显明天命，在为天命所照亮的族类的永恒里获得不朽。天命出现在行道者走出一己之私的局限而面对人类整体和伟大传统的庄严时刻。天命的寻证过程，就是人道的坚守与开拓过程。看起来仍然拖着原始迷信尾巴的孔子天命观带有与时俱进的革命性因素，它照亮了人性的幽暗和文化的永恒，为人类礼仪性整体存在赋予了一种神圣的庄严感，使儒家君子在道德自立的根基上直接面对天下，拥有了一种面向族类全体的视野和情怀———它昭示的是新生的知识分子群体对自己道德能力和人类崇高价值的信念，是行道君子之人格力量和历史使命的自我确认。天命观将孔子在不同层面的思考统合在一起，使之有了一个超越的指向和归系的极点，从而有了立体展开的潜在空间和逻辑可能性。正是有了孔子的“下学上达”，才有了思孟派人性、物性与天道的贯通，也才有了宋以后延续近千年的理学传统。

Search for the Evidence of the Ordiances of Heaven and Perseverance in Humanity:

A New Interpretation of Confucius’ Concept of the “Ordiances of Heaven”

Li Xiantang

For Confucius, the “ordiances of Heaven” was an inevitable demand raised by the inherent transcendency of human being to every selfconscious individual, and something needed to be manifested and approved through strenuous moral efforts. Man approaches and manifests the ordiances of Heaven through moral integrity, and gains immortality in human eternity enlightened by the ordiances of Heaven. Such concept which seems still carrying tail of primitive superstition, actually bears revolutionary element keeping pace with his times. It illuminated the gloom of human nature and eternity of culture, and endowed a kind of sacred sense for integral ceremonial existence of human being, thus made superior Confucianists face the world directly, and possess the horizon or mind gearing to all the human. Confucius’ concept of the ordiances of Heaven united his thinking in various dimensions, set a transcendent direction as well as an ultimate pole, and made potential space and logical possibility for tridimensional spread of Confucius’ thoughts. Just because Confucius “studying the lowly things, but thoughts penetrating the sublime,” the School of Zisi and Mencius realized a runthrough of human nature, physical property, and heavenly Tao, and the philosophical tradition which lasted for nearly a thousand years since the Song Dynasty was thus foreshadowed.