子曰：人能弘道 Confucius Said: Human Beings Extend Order in the World

华人思想家通过艺术性地处置事物来理解秩序的含义，所以就叫做‘审美秩序’。他们的秩序观念专注于具体个体，是显现的，并在成员内部成长与演变。就是说，审美式的秩序是指秩序主要是由内部之间的联系形成，每个成员相互依赖。

在审美秩序里，自然事物可以有无数秩序，因为自然肯定是动态的、自我造化的、自我组织的与有活力的。所有存在的事物都在和谐状态中、被相反的力所平衡。两种基本的与互相对抗的阴阳原理组成了所有行动后面的驱动力，负责事物的审美秩序的自然的演变。阳一直是负责改革的积极与创造元素，而阴则是消极与反应性原理。他们互相补助并杂乱地联系在一起；就是它们共同合作与互相排斥而产生了我们生命中逐渐得到的经验的所有事物，并在宇宙中显现。

和谐的概念在华人思维中十分重要；指导性的原理是不要其干涉生命的和谐。可以说，华人文化向来是要维持人与自然的平衡，在生活的每一方面都与自然配合，而不是违背自然。

宇宙的秩序也被称为‘道’；如果每个人能依着道的价值与德行来行动，一个和平与和谐的社会就会长久存在。

孔子把道德概念转化为道德实践原理，指导人与人之间的行为与应该如何建设一个和谐社会。在儒家传统里，真善美都不是‘给定’的，也没有所谓的原本与决定性的起源，或者终极的、目的论的终止。基于这个理由，孔子说：‘人能弘道，非道弘人。’

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The Chinese thinkers understand the meaning of order through the artful disposition of things and thus it is known as Aesthetic Order. Their view of order focuses on the concrete individuals and is emergent, and growing and transforming within things themselves. That means that something aesthetic is ordered primarily in terms of internal relations, the basic elements being dependent on one another.

In the Aesthetic Order, the things of nature may be ordered in any number of ways as it is resolutely dynamic, auto-generative, self-organising and alive. All things that exist are in harmony, balanced by opposing forces. The two fundamental and antagonistic principles of Yin and Yang constitute the driving force behind all movements and accountable for the natural evolution of Aesthetic Order of things. Yang is always the proactive and creative element accountable for change, whereas Yin is the passive and reactive principle. They complement each other and are intricately interconnected; and it is their working together and against each other that produce everything that we experience progressively in life and manifests in the cosmos.

The concept of harmony is very important to the Chinese thoughts and the guiding principle is not to disturb the harmony of life. It may therefore be said that Chinese culture has always maintained a balance with and attempt to work with Nature in all aspects of the living, rather than against it.

The order in the universe is also referred to as Dao and a peaceful and harmonious society can exist for a long period of time if the values and virtues are exercised among its members in tune with the Dao. Dao is what the world is and how it is.

It was Confucius that translated the concepts of Dao into practical ethical guidelines as to how one should behave towards each other and to create a harmonious society. In the Confucian tradition, truth, beauty, and goodness as standards of order are not ‘given’ and there is no initial, determinative beginning or ultimate, teleological end. It is for this reason that Confucius declared: ‘It is human beings who extend order in the world (dao), not order that extends human beings.’