The Book of Poetry and the Construction of Confucian Religiosity: Heaven-Human Induction in Natural Phenomena

Abstract

The developmental trajectory and patterns of Confucian religiousness are profoundly rooted in the religious archetypes embedded within the "Six Classics" (《六经》). Among these, The Book of Poetry preserves sacrificial hymns of the Zhou people, whose reverent religious sentiments during rituals resonate with the sincerity and piety upheld by later Confucians in moral cultivation. Beyond inward transcendence, The Book of Poetry also contributes to the outward transcendence of Confucianism. The expansion of the sage king's virtue not only fosters political harmony and social stability but also ensures the flourishing of nature and the proper ordering of all things—a transcendental political ideal imbued with religiosity as articulated in The Mao Commentary on the Book of Poetry (《毛诗》). Natural elements such as plants, animals, and insects in The Book of Poetry were integrated by Mao Poetry into the cosmological framework of Yin-Yang Qi Transformation （阴阳气化论）, transforming them into spiritual entities capable of sensing celestial and political affairs. By retaining primitive beliefs in personalized deities while expounding new religious connotations of mutual responsiveness between nature and humanity, the Confucian interpretations in Mao Poetry served as both a precursor and classical prototype for Dong Zhongshus theological system of Heaven-human induction. Furthermore, the political-educational theory of poetic criticism in Mao Poetry is underpinned by the religious notion of mutual influence between humans and nature.