| | Zixia asked Confucius: "According to records, when the Zhougong served as regent for King Cheng, he taught him the rites of a crown prince. Is there such a thing?" Confucius said: "In the past, when King Cheng succeeded to the throne, he was young and unable to assume his duties. The Zhougong took charge of government affairs and administered them, applying the rites for a crown prince to Boqin, so that King Cheng would understand the principles between father and son, ruler and minister; this was how the Zhougong helped King Cheng become virtuous." One must first know how to be a son before one can become a father, and one must first know how to serve as a minister before one can become a ruler. One must first learn how to serve others before one can command them. Therefore, the Zhougong applied the rites for a crown prince in Boqin's case, allowing him to live with King Cheng so that King Cheng could understand the principles of father-son relationships, ruler-minister relations, and the order between elders and juniors.
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