中国古代社会对君民关系的认识和处理,形象地表述为如下种种“取譬”:君舟民水说、君原民流说、君为元首民为手足说、君心民体说、君山民地说、君亲民子说和牧民说。这些说法凸显了民在王朝国家存续发展过程中的重要性,以至于“民”被视为“本”。究其原因,不过是由于民能致力于“本业”即农业和民是国家的构成要素。如果结合君主在整个国家或政事中的主宰地位来看,“以民为本”便成为“以君为本”的工具性手段,民之重要就淹没于其卑微的身份地位中。然而,民又是影响江山社稷存亡的巨大力量,这就造成了君主对民仁爱、畏惧交加的矛盾心态。由此可见,中国传统民本思想与“以人为本”思想有本质之差异。 In ancient Chinese society, the understanding and handling of the relations between the people and the people are vividly expressed as follows: “Take the example” Junshan people said, monarch Prince and herdsman said. These views highlight the importance of the people in the process of the survival and development of the dynastic countries, so that “people” are regarded as “the present”. The reason, however, is due to the people’s commitment to “industry” that is, agriculture and people are the components of a country. If we combine the monarch’s dominance in the entire country or government, “people-oriented” becomes the instrumental means of “taking the monarch as the foundation”, the importance of the people is submerged in their humble status . However, the people are huge forces that affect the survival of the country and the country. This has created a contradictory mentality in which the monarchs love and fear the public. From this it can be seen that there is an essential difference between the Chinese traditional people-centered thinking and the “people-oriented” thinking.