“节”是中国人使用非常广泛的字眼，它是与人们生活息息相关的节日、节气，也是一个人的道德操守、气节信念，是一个人的节欲修养，也表示一个国家的财用有度。“节”可以是一种客观事物、一个哲学范畴、一种道德规范、一种礼仪制度，它使用广泛、含义复杂多样，却从未以一个独立的、自成体系的“节”观念被提出。“节”观念研究是对“节”整体、系统的研究，研究范围包含了“节”的基础意义和思想内涵。作为观念的“节”历史悠久，甚至从人类文明产生之初便伴随着日出日落、山川大河的时间和空间概念在人们的脑海中有了雏形，潜移默化地指导着人们的生产生活。这是“节”观念的自然意蕴。即使没有人类存在，自然之“节”也存在于宇宙流转之中。随着人类文明的产生，人们对自然之“节”有了自觉，懂得利用自然中的时空规律为生活生产服务，并对自然产生了敬畏之情，进而创造出种种敬天、祭祀仪式，催生了“儒者”的产生。“节（節）”字的结构体现了中国人独特的世界观，它一方面是天、地、人的统一，象征着人和时空条件的平衡与和谐，一方面具有分节、制约、平衡的含义。“节”观念中蕴含的自然意义、道德意义、功利意义在先秦儒家思想有集中展现。孔孟荀作为先秦儒家的代表人物，基本能够反映先秦儒家“节”观念的发展脉络。孔子的“节”观念从自然概念中脱化而来，尤其强调了“节”的时间性特征。时间有紧迫性和适宜性，在紧迫性中，孔子要求人们勤恳为学、日日修养不松懈，这是一个人道德的积累。适宜性关乎人的选择，人的选择又是在时间的“节点”进行，若一个人在该时间节点中进行了符合道德观念的选择，则他体现了“大节”，而“大节”的基础便是在时间紧迫性中修得的道德修养。精神中的道德修养、实践中的礼乐制度构成了孔子“节”观念的人文价值，为日后“节”观念的进一步发展奠定了基础。孟子的“节”观念围绕其性善论展开，主要体现在内在的心性修养上。孟子的“节”是一种内在性、成就性的精神力量。内在性体现为人对道德的坚守、大体的选择和气节的修养。成就性则主要体现在四心的相互影响、相互成就的关系中。总之，孟子的“节”观念为人内在的秩序立法，成就人的内在价值并树立人之为人的尊严。荀子的“节”观念则更加经验化，他以“维齐非齐”的原则，追求社会的和谐与统一。荀子以“分”的形式展现了天人关系和人类社会状况，树立了人作为知性主体在宇宙中的地位。他认为人性无节，便发挥人的主观能动性节制人性，以礼法作为具体的实践方式和社会组织的建构原则，试图维护社会秩序和稳定。荀子的“节”观念具有功利性。在先秦经学儒学中，礼学中处处都是对人的行为的约束和限制。但限制不是其最终目的，追求人和自然、人和社会、人和自我的和谐才是终极要义。礼义要求人们对待自然取用有节。在人和自我的关系中，礼乐的实践能够实现肉体生命和精神生命的高度和谐与统一。人处于社会中，“礼”要求人们真诚对待他人，同时划定了人和人之间的界限。在社会政治实践中，又表现为秩序井然的森严等级制度。先秦易学从形而上的天道层面对“节”观念进行了高度概括，具有超越性。天道是一套大化流行的秩序，不论是宏观、中观还是微观层面都有“节”观念的分节、平衡和制约的含义贯穿其中。天道之“节”表现为生生不息的大化流行、阴阳相推和变易的契机，是人们对时间和空间、天地和自然的深刻思考与总结。易道微观层面表现出来的以“节”修身等思想，则是人道对天道的效法和复归。“节”观念对个人和国家产生了深远的影响。它是人们对天道的理解和认识，也是人的理性和欲望的张力，是道德气节的修养，也是礼乐文明的原则。“节”观念是在历史中发展着的观念，从萌芽到先秦儒家学者的发明阐释，直至今天依然不断推陈出新。如今的“节”观念既有历史中积淀的如气节、忠节、节约等传统内涵，也有理性消费、反腐倡廉等当代价值。本文的研究在一定意义上是现代文明和历史传统的碰撞，这种碰撞或许可以帮助今天的人们更好地认识自己同世界的关系。

“JIE” is widely used in China. It is not only a festival and solar terms that are closely related to people’s lives, but also a person’s moral integrity and integrity beliefs, a person’s abstinence, and appropriateness of financial use of a country. “JIE” can be an objective thing, a philosophical category, a moral, and a ritual regulations. It is widely used and has complex and diverse meanings, but it has never been proposed as an independent and self-contained concept of “JIE”. The study of the concept of “JIE” is a comprehensive and systematic study, which covers the foundational significance and ideological connotations of “JIE”. As a concept, “JIE” has a long history, and even from the beginning of human civilization, the concepts of time and space accompanied by sunrise and sunset, mountains and rivers have taken shape in people’s minds, subtly guiding people’s production and life. This is the natural meaning of the concept of “JIE”. Even if there is no human existence, the “JIE” of nature also exists in the flow of the universe. With the formation of human civilization, people have become conscious of the “JIE” of nature, know how to use the laws of time and space in nature to serve life and production, and have a sense of awe for nature, and then create various worship and sacrifice rituals, promoting the emergence of ‘Confucianism’. The structure of the word “節” reflects the unique worldview of the Chinese people. On the one hand, it is the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity, symbolizing the balance and harmony between people and space-time conditions. On the other hand, it has the meaning of segmentation, restriction, and balance. The natural sense, moral sense and utilitarian meaning contained in the “JIE” concept were intensively displayed in the Confucianism of the pre-Qin Dynasty. As a representative figure of pre-Qin Dynasty Confucianism, Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi can basically reflect the development of the concept of “JIE” in pre-Qin Dynasty Confucianism. Confucius’ concept of “JIE” is derived from the concept of nature, with a particular emphasis on the timeliness characteristics of “JIE”. Time has urgency and suitability. In this urgency, Confucius demanded that people study diligently and cultivate themselves day by day, which is the accumulation of a person’s morality. Suitability is related to people’s choice, and people’s choice is carried out at the “node” of time. If a person makes a choice in line with the moral concept in the node of time, he embodies the “great JIE”(大节), and the “great JIE”(大节) is based on the moral cultivation acquired in the urgency of time. The moral cultivation in spirit and the ritual and music system in practice constitute the humanistic value of Confucius “JIE” concept, which lays the foundation for the further development of “JIE” concept in the future. Mencius’ concept of “JIE” revolves around his theory of goodness in nature, mainly reflected in the cultivation of inner nature. Mencius’ “JIE” is a kind of inner and achievement spiritual power. Inner is embodied in people’s adherence to morality, general choice and integrity cultivation. Achievement is mainly reflected in the four hearts of mutual influence, mutual achievement of the relationship. In short, Mencius’ “JIE” concept legislates for the internal order of human beings, achieves the intrinsic value of human beings and establishes human dignity. Xunzi’s concept of “JIE” is more experiential, and he pursues social harmony and unity based on the principle of “maintaining harmony but not uniformity”. Xunzi presented the relationship between heaven and man and stated human society in the form of “division”, establishing the position of man as an intellectual subject in the universe. He believes that human nature is unrestrained, so he used human subjective initiative to regulate human nature, using etiquette and law as specific practical methods and the construction principles of social organizations, attempting to maintain social order and stability, which has utilitarian significance. In pre-Qin Dynasty Confucian, the study of etiquette constrained and restricted human behavior. But limitation is not its ultimate goal, pursuing harmony between humans and nature, humans and society, and humans and themselves is the ultimate essence. Etiquette requires that people treat nature with restraint. In the relationship between man and self, the practice of ritual music can achieve a high degree of harmony and unity between physical life and spiritual life. People are in the society, “Li” requires people to treat others sincerely, at the same time delimit the boundary between people and people. In social and political practice, it is also reflected in the strict and orderly hierarchy. From the metaphysical level of heaven, the Yi of pre-Qin Dynasty has carried on a high generalization of the concept of “JIE”, which is transcendent.The Tao of Heaven is a set of order that is popularized in a large scale. Whether at the macro, meso or micro level, the meaning of division, balance and restriction of the concept of “JIE” runs through it. The “JIE” of the Tao of Heaven is manifested as the opportunity of the endless popularization, the push and change of Yin and Yang, and people’s profound thinking and summary of time and space, heaven and earth and nature. The concept of “JIE” has had a profound impact on individuals and countries. It is people’s understanding and knowledge of the Tao of Heaven, is also the tension of human reason and desire, is the cultivation of moral integrity, is also the principle of rites and music civilization.The concept of “JIE” is a concept developed in history, from the embryonic period to the pre-Qin Confucian scholars’ invention and interpretation, until today’s society is still constantly innovating. Nowadays, the concept of “JIE” has not only the traditional connotation such as integrity, loyalty and saving accumulated in history, but also the contemporary values such as rational consumption, anti-corruption and advocating integrity. In a sense, the study of this thesis is a collision between modern civilization and historical tradition, which may help people today to better understand their relationship with the world.