In traditional Chinese culture, the concept of family lineage is of paramount importance. Wang Yangming, a great thinker of the Ming Dynasty, had his unique perspectives on family matters. His views on family can be seen through his correspondence with friends and the genealogical prefaces he wrote for various clans.

Benevolence Rooted in Blood Ties

The ancient Chinese generally had a strong sense of family. Due to the limited administrative capacity of the government, many societal issues were managed by families. A unified and cohesive family could resist various risks and secure better access to social resources. Families typically reinforced a collective identity among their members through symbolic practices such as compiling genealogies, worshipping ancestors, building ancestral halls, setting up family lands, and establishing family rules. To unite a family into one organic whole, mere emphasis on shared bloodlines is insufficient—continual cultivation of familial affection is also essential.

It is well known that the family is a naturally formed self-governing unit based on kinship. A family begins with one ancestor and can grow over generations to encompass thousands of descendants. According to Wang Yangming, “the heart of one person should be the heart of millions.” This means the ancestor inherently wished to have countless descendants who would all live good lives; he hoped his family would flourish for generations and become a prominent clan in society. Wang Yangming then posed a rhetorical question: “Can the hearts of millions truly be one with the heart of a single ancestor?” If descendants can embody the original intentions of their ancestors and recognize fellow clan members as extensions of the same lineage, then mutual assistance and familial love will naturally follow.

Wang Yangming did not advocate limiting love to the family. He emphasised the expansion of this affection into a universal benevolence—the concept of the “unity of all things,” which is a core principle of the Yangming School of Mind. When welcoming new disciples, Wang Yangming would often lecture on The Great Learning to reveal the essence of his idea of universal oneness. His philosophy of universal benevolence was nurtured through the familial affection of kinship. 

In the pre-Qin era, Confucianism promoted graded love: starting with love for kin, extending to benevolence for people, and ultimately to care for all beings—an expanding process that reflects the boundless potential of human life. The Mohists, by contrast, advocated “impartial love,” which required treating one’s family members the same as strangers. On the surface, the Mohist view might appear to better express universal benevolence and equality. However, Wang Yangming stressed that universal love must have a starting point, just as a tree must sprout from a bud. Love among parents, children, and siblings is the starting point. The indiscriminate love promoted by the Mohists lacks this origin and therefore cannot be truly implemented.

Family History Anchored in Moral Cultivation

In Wang Yangming’s view, building a strong family requires not only benevolence but also a sense of historical consciousness. A renowned family in society must have a meaningful history. A family’s history is not simply a collection of its descendants and their deeds. When Wang Yangming discussed family history, he particularly emphasised self-cultivation and moral integrity, which involve the exploration and reflection of human nature.

The most fundamental requirement for family history is truthfulness. Some descendants, out of reverence for their ancestors, often “exaggerate their lineage’s achievements,” resulting in genealogies lacking credibility. Wang Yangming believed that if ancestors indeed accomplished great things, and their descendants fail to record them, it is tantamount to “abandoning one’s ancestors.” Conversely, if the ancestors did not achieve much and the descendants falsely embellish the record to gain fame, it amounts to “slandering one’s ancestors.” Only truthfulness allows family history to fulfil its educational role. A history that can be arbitrarily altered or beautified cannot guide future generations.

For Wang Yangming, true respect for one’s ancestors must be grounded in personal self-cultivation. One of his students, Zhang Siqin, repeatedly asked Wang Yangming to write a tomb inscription for his father, hoping that Wang’s writing would immortalise his father’s name. 

Wang Yangming responded that if a filial son wishes to honour his father, “it is better to rely on oneself than on others.” Rather than seeking others’ praise, one should use one’s virtue to bring honour to one’s father. If a son is a virtuous man, then his father is the father of a virtuous man; if the son is a sage, then his father is the father of a sage.

Wang Yangming also believed that a family is a living organism. For this collective life to flourish, family members must consistently practice self-cultivation. His father, Mr. Longshan, became the top scholar (zhuangyuan) in the 17th year of the Chenghua reign, bringing great honour to the Wang clan of Yaojiang. Wang Yangming said, “From my ancestor Zhu Xuan and earlier, the family had accumulated virtue for generations, culminating in my father, Longshan.” 

Prominent families of the past often produced outstanding individuals because of their cultivated family traditions. A good family tradition is the result of efforts by successive generations. Individuals raised in such families are unconsciously influenced by this legacy from childhood. The exemplary ancestors of the Wang clan—his grandfather Mr. Zhuxuan, great-grandfather Mr. Huaili, great-great-grandfather Mr. Dunshi, and sixth-generation ancestor Mr. Wang Xingchang—were all men of moral cultivation. Their continuous efforts to foster family culture paved the way for talents like Wang Yangming and his father to emerge from the Wang family of Yuyao.

The Significance of Wang Yangming’s Family Philosophy

Two key aspects of Wang Yangming’s family philosophy are worth noting: first, the extension of familial affection into universal benevolence; second, the grounding of historical consciousness in self-cultivation. Wang Yangming’s sense of family history ran deep in his blood. He placed great emphasis on cultivating family culture. The Family Letters of Wang Yangming includes 25 letters written to relatives, in which he demonstrated deep respect for elders and sincere guidance for younger generations. In one poem written for his son Wang Zhengxian, Wang used simple, child-friendly language to teach the principles of being a good person.

Wang Yangming never ceased teaching and cultivating virtue throughout his life. His dedication to the nation and the people was deeply influenced by his family culture. In a memorial text honouring his sixth-generation and fifth-generation ancestors, he praised them: “The father died for loyalty; the son exhausted himself for filial piety—each followed their own hearts.” The ultimate goal of Yangming’s philosophy is, in essence, the pursuit of peace in one’s heart.

In today’s China, modernisation, urbanisation, and digitalisation have brought rapid changes to people’s lives and values. Traditional extended families have largely disappeared, and the consciousness of family lineage is fading. However, even as extended families give way to smaller households, family virtues still need to be carefully nurtured. Although kinship-based clans are rare now, various communities and self-governing groups have emerged, forming a new kind of extended family. Wang Yangming’s family philosophy holds continued relevance in modern China. By embracing the ideal of universal benevolence and actively engaging in self-cultivation, we can contribute to the ongoing development of history and build a more harmonious Chinese family.

Source: cnnb.com.cn

Author: Zhang Shilong (Ningbo University of Finance & Economics) 

Editor: Ye Ke