关键词: 中庸 道德 认知 情感 人格

Abstract: The Golden Mean is not only a moral cultivation method, but also a supreme moral itself. In the course of history, it has been cultivated as a core cultural psychological characteristic of the Chinese people, and presents itself as two main forms: one is the ideal Golden Mean that exists in Confucian classics, the other is the real Golden Mean that is reflected in Chinese people’s psychological life. In the process of changing from the ideal Golden Mean to the real Golden Mean, some distortions and dissimilations have come into being inevitably. therefore, the theoretical study of the ideal Golden Mean is highly necessary, which can lay a solid theoretical foundation for carrying out empirical researches on the real Golden Mean. The Golden Mean possesses an interrelated three-dimensional connotation：taking the two extremes of positive and negative into completely consideration, and adopting the Golden Mean in judgement and decision making; taking the Golden Mean as the common way of practice; practicing by the way of equibirium invariably, so it can be feassible in every situation. The Golden Mean has the nature of morality and manifests itself in the following three aspects of cultural psychological characteristics. Firstly, cognition of the Golden Mean. The Confucianism believes that all things in the world coexist in two opposite sides: positive and negative, good and bad, and so on.Thus it demands that people should take the two extremes of positive and negative into completely consideration and avoid focusing on anyone of two extremes so as to explore the impartial and appropriate cognition. Secondly, emotion of the Golden Mean. Confucianism affirms the natural rationality of emotion and desire, while claims that the rational guidance is needed to find the appropriate way to express emotion and satisfy desire, in order to realize the harmony between oneself and others in the world. Thirdly, personality of the Golden Mean. Confucianism believes that the problem of either excess or deficiency always lie in personality, and insists that single moral character usually have the problem of partialness. For example, bravery, without the guidance of wisdom, will easily turn into recklessness. Confucianism praises the personality of the Golden Mean, which tries to form a perfect balance between excess and deficiency, hardness and softness, and so on. The Golden Mean has a distinctive practical character. Confucianism construct the ceremonial system in the principle of the Golden Mean to guide people’s cognition, emotion, and behavior objectively. Therefore, ceremonial system is the objective basis of the practice of the Golden Mean. Even if the ceremonial system was constructed inclusively and detailedly, it is only a principled arrangement for the general situation, and can not be applied to all situations in life.Therefore, it is necessary for the subject to change flexibly according to the situation. Confucianism points out that the moral judgment made by introspecting one’s own conscience is the subjective basis of the practice of the Golden Mean. But the practice of the Golden Mean can not stagnate at the level of thinking and concept. Thus Confucianism constructs the practical path of the practice of the Golden Mean: choosing goodness and sticking to it constantly.

Key words: he Golden Mean, morality, cognition, emotion, personality