Family-Country Sentiment: A Distinct Spiritual Emblem of Chinese Civilization

Family-country sentiment is a profound emotion, arising from the heart, that closely links the fate of the individual and the family with the future and destiny of the nation. It encompasses rich connotations such as identification with family and country, the unity of family and country, and the world as a public good. It is a unique spirit and cultural gene refined over the millennia of Chinese civilization’s continuous history. Nurtured in the fertile soil of China’s agrarian civilization, forged in the order of the isomorphic structure of family and state, and honed and passed down through generations via family traditions, it has become a prominent manifestation of the great Chinese nation’s civilization, transmitted through successive generations.

家国情怀，是一种发自内心地将个人、家庭命运与国家前途命运紧密相连的深厚情感，包含家国认同、家国一体、天下为公等丰富内蕴，是中华文明绵延数千年的历史长河中淬炼出的一种独特精神和文化基因。它孕育于中国农耕文明的沃土，熔铸于家国同构的秩序格局，并在家风传衍中代际磨砺、赓续演进，成为中华民族伟大文明历代传承的一个突出表征。

Native Soil Roots: The Family-Country Gene Nurtured by Agrarian Civilization

乡土根脉：农耕文明孕育的家国基因

In the literary narratives of Chinese civilization, nostalgia for one’s native soil is an extremely important theme. Longing for blood kinship, concern for one’s home and native land, and attachment to the great motherland all fall within the scope of this nostalgia for native soil. In the context of Chinese civilization, “native soil” is not merely a living space but a cultural living entity with which the narrator coexists. It is precisely for this reason that Ai Qing wrote in his poem “I Love This Land”: “Why are my eyes always filled with tears? Because I love this land so deeply.”

在中华文明的文学叙事中，乡土眷恋是一个极为重要的题材，对血脉亲情的思念，对家园故土的牵挂，对伟大祖国的依恋，都属于乡土眷恋的范畴。在中华文明的语境中，“乡土”不仅是生活空间，而且是叙事者与之共生的文化生命体。正因如此，艾青在《我爱这土地》一诗中写道：“为什么我的眼里常含泪水？因为我对这土地爱得深沉。”

Compared with nomadic and maritime civilizations, the millennia-long agrarian civilization has given the Chinese people a deeper bond with the land. The life of “facing the soil and back to the sky,” the experience of “the earth as mother,” formed the Chinese people’s worship of and attachment to the land. The bone plows from the Hemudu site in Zhejiang and the millet from the Banpo site in Shaanxi mark the moment when China’s ancient ancestors bid farewell to slash-and-burn cultivation and began the agrarian era in both north and south. Improvements in farming tools during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, iron plows and ox-drawn farming in the Qin and Han dynasties, and water conservancy projects throughout successive dynasties jointly promoted the flourishing of agrarian civilization.

相较于游牧文明和海洋文明，绵延数千年的农耕文明使中国人与土地的感情更为深厚，“面朝黄土背朝天”的生活，“大地如母”的体验，形成了中国人对土地的崇拜与眷恋。浙江河姆渡遗址的骨耜、陕西半坡遗址的粟，标志着中国先民告别了刀耕火种，开启南北农耕时代。商周农具改良、秦汉铁犁牛耕、历代水利兴修等，共同推动了农耕文明的繁荣。

Agrarian civilization laid the material foundation for the nation’s survival and also nurtured the cultural gene of the isomorphic structure of family and state. The worship of the god of the land is a typical expression of this land faith. From the nature worship embodied in the Liangzhu cong [n1] to the standardization of land-god worship in the Qin and Han dynasties, the formal incorporation of land worship into the state sacrificial system in the Tang and Song dynasties, and finally the Altar of Land and Grain [n2] for worshipping the god of the soil and the god of the five grains in the Ming and Qing dynasties, this worship reached its peak.

农耕文明奠定了民族生存的物质基础，也孕育了家国同构的文化基因。祭祀土地之神正是土地信仰的典型表现。从良渚玉琮蕴含的自然崇拜，到秦汉时土地神祭祀规范化、唐宋时正式将土地祭祀纳入国家祭祀体系，至明清两代祭社神土地、稷神五谷的社稷坛，标志着这种崇拜达到了顶峰。

Agrarian civilization engraved on the Chinese nation the cultural imprint of taking the soil as the root. The Chinese people regard their native soil as the maternal body and the spiritual home of the soul. The deep dependence expressed in “being content with one’s native soil and reluctant to move,” the family lineage gathered through “falling leaves return to the roots” and ancestral hall sacrifices, allow the soul to find refuge in the embrace of the family. As Fei Xiaotong stated in *From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society*, “The grassroots of Chinese society is native-soil in nature.” The Chinese nation’s cultural imprint of taking the soil as the root has long been transformed, in the river of history, into a gene fused into the bloodline, sublimated in literary expression into the nostalgia of the wanderer, the expectation of returning home in glory after success, or the longing for seclusion in times of disappointment.

农耕文明镌刻了中华民族以土为根的文化印记，中国人视乡土为生命母体与灵魂归宿，“安土重迁”体现的深沉依赖，“落叶归根”、祠堂祭祀凝聚的家族血脉，使灵魂在家族怀抱中得到归依。正如费孝通在《乡土中国》中所言，“中国社会的基层是乡土性的”。中华民族以土为根的文化印记，早已在历史的长河里转化为融于血脉的基因，在文学的表达中升华为游子的乡愁、功成返乡的期盼，抑或失意时的归隐向往。

Isomorphic Order: The Ethical Cornerstone of the Unity of Family and State

秩序同构：家国一体的伦理基石

The state in a sociological sense usually refers to a community of people with a certain territorial scope, governmental institutions, and shared cultural characteristics. How does nostalgia for native soil become sublimated into family-country sentiment? The answer lies in the foundational order of the isomorphic structure of family and state in traditional Chinese society, that is, the unity of the governance model of family-state unity and the ethical standard order.

社会学意义上的国家，通常指具有一定领土范围、政府机构和共同文化特征的人群共同体。乡土眷恋如何升华为家国情怀？答案在于中国传统社会家国同构的秩序基底，即家国一体的治理模式与伦理本位秩序的统一。

Agrarian production gave rise to the family as the unit of management, forming a vast and intricate social network. With the continuous development of the productive forces and the constant expansion of the scope of interaction, ongoing interactions occurred between individuals and families (clans), and between families (clans) and society. From point to surface, from near to far, every inch of the Chinese land is imprinted with the footprints of families (clans). Starting from the survival order of the family (clan), people constructed social order and state order, gradually forming the foundational order of the isomorphic structure of family and state.

农耕生产催生以家庭为单位的经营方式，形成庞大而缜密的社会网络。随着生产力不断发展，交往范围不断扩大，个体与家庭（族）之间、家庭（族）与社会之间不断发生互动。由点到面、由近及远，中华大地的每一寸都烙印着家庭（族）的足迹，人们从家庭（族）生存秩序出发，建构社会秩序和国家秩序，逐渐形成了家国同构的秩序基底。

According to the “Annals of the Xia Dynasty” in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, after the death of Yu the Great, the throne was originally to be passed to Boyi. However, because Yu’s son Qi was very virtuous and enjoyed the high expectations of the people, Qi succeeded to the throne by following the trend, marking the end of the abdication system and the beginning of “the world as one family.” [n3] During the Western Zhou dynasty, “the Son of Heaven established states, and the feudal lords established families.” Through the system of enfeoffment combined with the patriarchal clan system, which determined inheritance by bloodline and rank, a sequence of “Son of Heaven—feudal lords—ministers and officials—scholar-officials—commoners” was formed, laying the civilizational gene of the isomorphic structure of family and state.

《史记·夏本纪》载，大禹死后本传位于伯益，但因大禹之子启十分贤能，深得天下人厚望，启顺势继位，标志着禅让制的终结和“家天下”的开始。西周时期“天子建国，诸侯立家”，通过分封制与以血缘定等级继承的宗法制，两相结合，形成“天子—诸侯—卿大夫—士—庶民”序列，奠定家国同构文明基因。

The “great unity” system of the Qin and Han dynasties allowed the governance model of “family-state unity” to be inherited and strengthened. The monarch and his subjects each had their families; “the family is the smallest state, and the state is the largest family.” The hierarchical order of “monarch—minister—people” gave rise to moral standards such as filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty, faithfulness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. The state governed the people through law and morality, while families restrained their members through family rules and clan regulations. The two complemented each other, deepening the Chinese people’s feelings for family and state.

秦汉的“大一统”体制，使得“家国一体”的治理模式得以承袭并强化。君主与臣民皆有其家，“家是最小的国，国是最大的家”。“君—臣—民”的尊卑秩序衍生出孝悌忠信、礼义廉耻等道德准则。国家以法律与道德治民，家庭以家法族规约束成员，二者相辅相成，深化了中国人的家国感情。

The traditional Chinese ethical order provided a practical direction for family-country sentiment. Mencius said: “The root of the world is in the state; the root of the state is in the family; the root of the family is in the self.” The *Great Learning* emphasizes the progressive path of “cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.” This order takes the individual as the starting point, extending from near to far, constructing a holistic moral system. It clarifies the rights and duties of human relationships such as those between ruler and minister, father and son, and concretizes them into virtues such as loyalty, filial piety, integrity, a sense of shame, courage, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness, and promotes the ideals of “family-state-world” and “the world as a public good.” Thus, “family” and “state” formed a stable order, and the native soil roots based on the family were sublimated into a family-country sentiment that transcends family and region.

中国传统伦理秩序赋予家国情怀以实践路向。孟子言：“天下之本在国，国之本在家，家之本在身。”《大学》强调“修身、齐家、治国、平天下”的递进路径。此秩序以个体为基点，由近及远，构建起整体主义道德系统。它明确君臣、父子等人伦关系的权利义务，将其具象化为忠孝廉耻勇、仁义礼智信等德目，并推动“家国天下”“天下为公”等理念的弘扬。由此，“家”与“国”形成稳定秩序，以家为基的乡土根脉升华为超越家族、地域的家国情怀。

Transmission of Family Traditions: The Code for the Continuity of the Spiritual Emblem

家风传衍：精神标识的赓续密码

If the native soil complex is the fertile soil for cultivating family-country sentiment, and the isomorphic structure of family and state is the backbone supporting it, then the transmission of family traditions is the meridian that connects the bloodline of family-country sentiment. The reason this spirit can be passed down from generation to generation through changing times and remain ever new through the nation’s reproduction is precisely because it relies on the power of “wordless teaching” inherent in family traditions.

如果说乡土情结是培育家国情怀的沃土，家国同构是支撑家国情怀的脊梁，那么家风传承则是贯通家国情怀血脉的经络。这种精神之所以能在时代变迁中薪火相传、在民族繁衍中历久弥新，正是依托于“无言教化”的家风力量。

The original meaning of “family” (家) is a person’s dwelling. Gu Yewang said in the *Yu Pian*: “Family is where people live; it is generally called a family.” The “people” here are first of all a husband and wife; the family is the dwelling where the husband and wife live together. The *Book of Songs* combined the characters for “family” (家) and “chamber” (室) for joint use, generally referring to “family-chamber” or “chamber-family.” Therefore, we can define “family” as: the smallest social organization based on the marital relationship between a man and a woman, where parents and children work and live together. “Family” refers both to an individual’s household and to the collective of relatives with the same surname, collectively called the family gate or clan. The *Guanzi* states: “The duke cultivates the ducal clan; the family cultivates the family clan, so that they are connected in affairs and share in emoluments.”

家，本意是人的居室。顾野王在《玉篇》中说：“家，人所居，通曰家。”这里的人，首先是夫妇，家是夫妇共居的屋室。《诗经》将家与室连起来合用，通称“家室”或“室家”。故而我们可以把“家”定义为：以男女婚姻关系为基础的父母子女在一起劳动与生活的最小社会组织。家既指个人家庭，也指同姓亲属集体，合称家门、家族，《管子·小匡》云：“公修公族，家修家族，使相连以事，相及以禄。”

With the existence of the family come issues such as the head of the family, the way of the family, and family traditions. Among these, family traditions are the manifestation of family culture. Family traditions are also called “gate traditions” or “gate reputation.” Because in ancient times the father and elder brothers had the greatest influence on the family’s traditions, they were also called “father’s traditions” or “elder brother’s traditions.” Family traditions are the atmosphere, style, and model of a family or clan. They are a synthesis of relatively stable lifestyles, ways of conducting oneself in the world, moral outlooks, and value concepts formed over generations of reproduction and development. The term “family traditions” was first used during the Western Jin dynasty. Yu Xin, in the preface to his “Lament for the South,” said that Pan Yue of that time composed a “Poem on Family Traditions,” which was called “the first to describe family traditions.”

有了家，就有了家长、家道、家风等问题。其中，家风是家文化的表征。家风也称“门风”“门声”，鉴于古代父兄对家庭家风影响最大，也被称为“父风”“兄风”。家风是家庭或家族的风气、风格与风范，是在累世繁衍生息的过程中形成的较为稳定的生活作风、立身处世之道、道德面貌和价值观念的综合体。“家风”一词最初使用是在西晋时期。庾信《哀江南赋序》中说，时人潘岳作《家风诗》，被称为“始述家风”。

Opening the cultural history of the Chinese nation, the accumulation of family tradition culture is deep and its origins are long. The excellent family traditions of the Chinese nation contain the traditional virtues of our nation accumulated over thousands of years, transmitting the spiritual torch of the Chinese people’s cultivation of the self, regulation of the family, governance of the state, and pacification of the world, as well as their setting of standards and models for things. Yan Zhitui’s *Family Instructions of the Yan Clan* of the Northern Qi dynasty systematically summarized the educational function of his own family’s “family teachings” and “family influence,” that is, family traditions, and the molding influence of parents. It not only introduced to his descendants his own experience of being influenced by the Yan family traditions to grow into a successful person but also required his descendants to “study diligently and cultivate conduct, and not let the family gate’s reputation fall.”

翻开中华民族文化史，家风文化积淀深厚、源远流长。中华民族优秀家风蕴含着我们民族数千年的传统美德，传承着中华儿女修齐治平、轨物范世的精神薪火。北齐颜之推的《颜氏家训》，对自己家庭“风教”“风化”即家风的教育功能、父母陶染作了系统总结，既给子孙介绍了自己受颜氏家风熏陶成人成才的经历，又要求子孙“笃学修行，不坠门风”。

The excellent traditional family tradition culture of the Chinese nation has been transmitted through every era and promoted at all levels of society. It includes the family traditions of emperors and empresses who respected the virtuous and talented and governed with virtue; the family traditions of famous officials and high-ranking families who taught their families to set standards and were diligent, upright, and incorruptible; the family traditions of business elites who combined the soul of a scholar with the talent of a merchant and followed a path of benevolence and righteousness; the family traditions of righteous clan families who cultivated pure customs and thick morality and set an example of benevolence and virtue; the family traditions of commoner families who led by example and fostered harmony with relatives and good neighborliness; the family traditions of martyrs and heroes who sought national salvation and survival and managed the state and the world; and the family traditions of the older generation of revolutionaries who devoted themselves to revolution and to the family and the world. These excellent family tradition cultures vividly interpret the concept that “the root of the world is in the state; the root of the state is in the family,” have been integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation, and provide us with valuable references for finding our place in the world.

中华民族优秀的传统家风文化传承于各个时代，弘扬于社会各个层面，既有礼贤下士、为政以德的君王帝后家风，教家立范、勤政公廉的名门显宦家风，士魂商才、仁心义路的商界翘楚家风；也有淳风厚俗、仁德范世的义门世家家风，以身示范、睦族善邻的庶族百姓家风；还有救亡图存、济世经邦的志士英烈家风，投身革命、家国天下的老一辈革命家家风。这些优秀家风文化生动诠释了“天下之本在国，国之本在家”的理念，融入了中华民族的血液里，为我们提供了安身立命的可贵借鉴。

As a cultural phenomenon, family tradition is shaped through the cultivation of family precepts and the influence of family rituals and ethics, with the cultivation of family precepts being especially central. The vast corpus of family-precept literature, spanning over three thousand years, served both as the behavioral norms guiding and regulating family members in traditional society and as textbooks for family education in household life and setting standards for the world. The content of traditional family-precept cultivation is extremely rich, touching nearly every sphere of life, but its core consistently revolves around harmonizing kinship and managing the family, the way of conducting oneself in society, and educating children to establish themselves.

家风作为一种文化现象，是由家训教化、家礼家德濡染而成的，尤其是家训教化。具有三千多年历史的家训文献卷帙浩繁，既是传统社会指导、规约家庭成员的行为准则，又是居家生活、轨物范世的家庭教育教科书。传统家训教化内容极其丰富，几乎涉及各个生活领域，但核心始终围绕睦亲治家、处世之道、教子立身等方面展开。

Choice in Times of Crisis: The Civilizational Resilience of Family-Country Symbiosis

危局抉择：家国共生的文明韧性

Family-country symbiosis is a distinctive value of Chinese civilization. Taking “family-state isomorphism” as its historical foundation, it elevates the filial duty of blood-relationship ethics into the patriotic responsibility of political ethics, ultimately achieving a value isomorphism between the individual and the collective. Especially in the face of historical crises, the concept of family-country symbiosis evolved the ethical duty of loyalty to the sovereign and filial piety to parents into a national awakening for salvation from extinction, sublimating it into the responsibility for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Looking across the history of the Chinese nation, the family-country sentiment forged by this concept of family-country symbiosis has consistently driven individuals to integrate the fate of their family into the rise and fall of the state, merging filial duty, individual life, and family destiny into the national community, and sublimating this into the responsibility of being publicly loyal and serving the state.

家国共生是中华文明鲜明的价值观念，它以“家国同构”为历史基底，将血缘伦理中的孝亲义务升华为政治伦理中的报国担当，最终实现个体与集体的价值同构。尤其是在面对历史危局时，家国共生的理念将忠君孝亲的伦理义务演进为救亡图存的民族觉醒，升华为民族复兴的责任担当。纵览中华民族发展史，由这种家国共生理念熔铸的家国情怀，始终驱动个体将家族命运融入国家兴亡，将孝亲义务、个体生命、家族命运融入国家共同体之中，升华为公忠体国的担当。

In ancient China, the concept of family-country symbiosis was concretely expressed in the idea of the unity of loyalty and filial piety. During the pre-Qin period, the system of enfeoffment based on patriarchal clans linked the family and the state; in the unified society of the Qin and Han dynasties, especially with Emperor Wu of Han’s policy of “dismissing the hundred schools and revering only Confucianism,”[4]4 The policy of “dismissing the hundred schools and revering only Confucianism” (罢黜百家，独尊儒术) was adopted by Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE), establishing Confucianism as the state orthodoxy and suppressing other philosophical schools. the intertwining of “filial piety” and “loyalty” gradually formed a view of their unity, where individual ethics resonated with the fate of the dynasty. The *Classic of Filial Piety* states: “A gentleman serves his parents with filial piety, therefore his loyalty can be transferred to the sovereign.” In the Song dynasty, Yue Fei, who served the state with utmost loyalty, displayed a family-country sentiment and unwavering loyalty that shines through history in his poem “Manjianghong: Writing My Feelings”; Wen Tianxiang, captured and refusing to submit, recited the timeless verse, “Since ancient times, who has avoided death? Let me leave a loyal heart to illuminate history”; in the Ming dynasty, Yang Jisheng sacrificed his family for the state and was executed for bravely opposing the autocratic power of the treacherous minister Yan Song; in the struggle against the invasion of Qing forces, a host of righteous figures emerged, such as Shi Kefa, Qu Shisi, and Xia Wanchun, who would rather die than surrender and gave their lives for the state. In literary narratives, there are also Hua Mulan joining the army in her father’s place and the entire Yang family martyred for their loyalty. All these interpret the moral integrity of family-country symbiosis and placing righteousness first in times of crisis, composing the historical epic of the Chinese nation’s family-country sentiment.

在古代中国，家国共生理念具体表现为忠孝一体的观念。先秦时期宗法分封制使家国相连；秦汉大一统社会，尤其是汉武帝“独尊儒术”的政策，促进“孝”“忠”交织，逐渐形成个人伦理与王朝命运同频共振的忠孝一体观。《孝经》言：“君子之事亲孝，故忠可移于君。”宋代精忠报国的岳飞，一首《满江红·写怀》尽显彪炳史册的家国情怀和耿耿忠心；文天祥被俘不屈，吟出“人生自古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青”的千古绝唱；明代杨继盛舍家为国、勇斗奸臣严嵩专权被杀；抵抗清兵入侵的斗争中，涌现了史可法、瞿式耜、夏完淳等一大批宁死不屈、为国尽忠的义士。文学叙事中，更有花木兰替父从军、杨家将满门忠烈。这些皆诠释了危局下家国共生、大义为先的气节，叙写了中华民族家国情怀的历史史诗。

Since modern times, the understanding of “state” has gradually approached the unified concept of the “Chinese nation,” evolving into a composite of territory, people, and sovereignty. The defeat in the Opium War shattered the millennia-old dream of the Celestial Empire, and the Chinese nation encountered an unprecedented crisis. Facing the national calamity of internal and external troubles, the Chinese nation, upholding its family-country sentiment, inspired people of ideals and integrity, regardless of family background or social class, to make the firm choice of family-country symbiosis. They rushed about and cried out, taking on the great historical task of national salvation. Lin Zexu, exiled to Ili for the destruction of opium at Humen, recited the heroic line, “If it benefits my country, I will stake my life on it; how could I flee from misfortune or seek good fortune?” as he parted from his family. On his deathbed, still concerned with national salvation, he sent his compiled *Gazetteer of Four Continents* to his friend Wei Yuan, hoping he would awaken the court and the people to “open their eyes to see the world.” Lin Juemin’s *Letter to My Wife* refined his deep love for his wife into the great righteousness of “helping the people of the world love those they love.” He instructed his son to carry on his will and went to his death with composure. Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, facing the brutal invasion of Japanese aggressors, all ethnic groups, classes, political parties, social organizations, patriotic figures from all walks of life, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese united as one, throwing themselves with full family-country sentiment into this great struggle concerning the survival of the nation. Facing the technological blockade on nuclear submarines, Huang Xuhua concealed his identity and toiled in research for thirty years, unable to see his father even on his deathbed. He frankly stated, “Loyalty to the state is the greatest filial piety to one’s parents,” and “This life belongs to the motherland; in this life, I have no regrets.”

近代以来，“国”的认识逐渐接近于统一的“中华民族”概念，演变为领土、人民、主权的复合体。鸦片战争的失败打碎了天朝上国的千年之梦，中华民族遭遇前所未有的危机。面对内忧外患的民族劫难，中华民族秉持的家国情怀，激励志士仁人不问家世、不问阶层，作出了家国共生的坚定选择，他们四处奔走呐喊，担当起救亡图存的历史大任。林则徐因虎门销烟被流放伊犁，与亲人离别时，吟出“苟利国家生死以，岂因祸福避趋之”的豪迈诗句，临终仍心系救亡，将编写的《四洲志》寄给好友魏源，希望其代替自己唤醒朝堂和百姓“开眼看世界”。林觉民《与妻书》，将爱妻深情淬炼为“助天下人爱其所爱”的大义，他嘱子承志，慷慨赴死。在抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，面对日本侵略者的野蛮入侵，全国各民族、各阶级、各党派、各社会团体、各界爱国人士、港澳台同胞和海外侨胞团结一心，以满腔家国情怀义无反顾投身到这场关系民族生死存亡的伟大斗争中。面对核潜艇技术封锁，黄旭华隐姓埋名苦研三十载，父亲临死都未见最后一面。他坦言，“对国家的忠就是对父母最大的孝”“此生属于祖国，此生无怨无悔”。

From crisis to transformation, from turbulent times to orderly governance, family-country sentiment has always inspired the sons and daughters of China to closely link their personal destiny with the survival of the nation, elevating blood-relationship affection into the great righteousness of family and country. Adhering to the concept of family-country symbiosis has helped Chinese civilization become the only great civilization in the world that has continued unbroken and developed in the form of a state to this day.

从危局到变局，从乱世到治世，家国情怀始终激励着中华儿女将个人命运与民族存亡紧密联系在一起，将血缘亲情升华为家国大义。坚守家国共生理念，助力中华文明成为世界上唯一绵延不断且以国家形态发展至今的伟大文明。

A Mirror for Civilization: The Contemporary Value of Family-Country Sentiment

文明镜鉴：家国情怀的时代价值

Family-country sentiment, as one of the important spiritual emblems of Chinese civilization, is imbued with a distinct holistic consciousness and collectivist spirit of family-country unity and harmonious coexistence. This sentiment, rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese national culture, has nurtured the unbroken cultural psychology of the Chinese nation, crystallizing the deep attachment of Chinese people to their family, homeland, and motherland, and firmly underpinning the deep order of individual life, family survival, social stability, and the operation of the state.

中华文明重要精神标识之一的家国情怀，充溢着鲜明的家国一体、和合共生的整体意识和集体主义精神。这种植根于中华民族文化沃土的情怀，涵育了中华民族一脉相承的文化心理，凝结着中国人对家庭、乡土、祖国的深沉眷恋，牢牢支撑着个体生命、家庭生存、社会稳定以及国家运行的深层秩序。

This concept of family and country, passed down from generation to generation, centrally expresses the life wisdom, moral pursuits, life beliefs, and political ideals of the Chinese people. It has long been deposited, in the unceasing historical process of Chinese civilization, as a cultural gene that the Chinese nation continuously inherits. This spiritual emblem, brimming with national pride and a sense of mission, was in the past the emotional resonance and value pursuit of people of ideals and integrity and sages of past generations in China. Today, it remains a powerful spiritual driving force for the Chinese people to continue their struggle on the journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. At the present moment, when the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, efforts must be made to inherit and promote this millennia-old concept of family and country and the sense of national belonging, to cultivate in generations of Chinese people the ideas of family-country unity and public loyalty in service to the state, to nurture the values and outlook on life of the broad masses, especially young people, and to inspire them to more consciously integrate their personal destiny with the future and fate of the country.

这种薪火相传的家国理念，集中表达着中国人的生活智慧、道德追求、人生信仰与政治理想，早已在中华文明绵延不息的历史进程中，积淀为中华民族赓续不绝的文化基因。这种洋溢着民族自豪感、使命感的精神标识，过去是历代中国志士仁人、前圣往贤的情感共鸣、价值追求，今天仍然是中国人在民族复兴征途上接续奋斗的强大精神动力。在百年未有之大变局加速演进的当下，要着力传承和弘扬这种传承千年的家国理念、民族归属意识，培养一代代中国人的家国一体、公忠体国的思想观念，涵养广大国民尤其是青少年的价值观、人生观，激励他们更加自觉地将个人命运与国家前途命运融为一体。

Furthermore, the culture of family tradition, with family-country sentiment as its important core, is not only the foundation of folk customs and social mores but also a key element in the construction of Party conduct and clean governance. By systematically sorting through the experiences of traditional family-precept cultivation and family-tradition influence, and then, in light of the requirements of the times, drawing on the positive content of traditional family culture—harmonizing kinship, educating children, managing the household, conducting oneself in society, and serving the state—for use today, we can undoubtedly provide theoretical support and practical reference for the cultivation of good family traditions in the present. This, in turn, can help promote upright Party conduct, clean governance, and honest folk customs, support a good social atmosphere with the good family traditions of millions of families, unite the strength of the Chinese nation, and strive forward in the New Era of clean and upright atmosphere, profound virtue and radiant brilliance, and flourishing civilization.

此外，以家国情怀为重要内核的家风文化，既是民风世风的基础，又是党风政风建设的要义。对传统家训教化、家风熏陶经验进行系统梳理，在此基础上结合时代要求，汲取传统家文化睦亲、教子、持家、处世、报国的积极内容为今所用，无疑能为当前的优秀家风营造提供理论支撑和实践借鉴，进而助推党风正、政风廉、民风淳，以千千万万家庭的好家风支撑起全社会的好风气，凝聚中华民族力量，奋进风清气正、德厚流光、文明昌盛的新时代。

(Authors: Chen Yanbin and Zhang Jinqiu, respectively Dean and Professor of the Chinese Family Culture Research Institute, Jiangsu Normal University; and Principal Investigator of the National Social Science Fund Youth Project “Research on Family Tradition Culture as a Spiritual Emblem of Chinese Civilization,” Associate Professor at the School of Marxism, Harbin Engineering University. The full version of this article is included in *The Spiritual Pursuits of Chinese Civilization*, edited by the National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, published by CITIC Press Group.)

（作者：陈延斌、张金秋，分别系江苏师范大学中华家文化研究院院长、教授；国家社科基金青年项目“作为中华文明精神标识的家风文化研究”负责人、哈尔滨工程大学马克思主义学院副教授。本文完整版收录于《中华文明的精神追求》，全国哲学社会科学工作办公室编，中信出版集团出版）

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