“圣人”观念在现代社会看似已不合时宜,但在传统儒学中却不可或缺。儒学本身是一套以希圣、成圣为精神追求的完整学问。在儒学的发展中,圣人观念有治统化和心性化两个层面的偏向,而治统化的圣人观逐渐淡化,转以心性的成就作为对圣人的主要规定。儒家的圣人观念大体上可以说是人伦与天道的统一,人性与圣性的统一,循理与自由的统一,主体与客体的统一,个体与全体的统一。其在历史中呈现出越来越开放、越来越通俗的趋向,圣人之德从殊德转为总德,从绝德变为通德。儒家圣人观蕴含了儒家式的古典平等、自由观念,对人生和世俗社会具有积极向上的精神引导功能。圣人之旧德蕴含了沟通现代新德的可能,且别具优越的特质,对现代社会和人生可有其价值理想方面的贡献。 “Sage ” concept in modern society may seem outdated, but it is indispensable in traditional Confucianism. Confucianism itself is a set of complete knowledge of the pursuit of spirituality and sanctification. In the development of Confucianism, the concept of saint has both the direction of the systemization and the decency, while the concept of the systemized saint gradually diminishes, and the transcendental achievement as the main regulation of the saint. The concept of saint in Confucianism can generally be described as the unification of human relations and nature, the unification of humanity and sanctity, the unification of freedom and reason, the unification of subject and object, and the unification of individual and whole. Its history shows an increasingly open, more and more popular trends, the saint’s morality from the German to the total German, from Germany to Germany. Confucian sage concept contains Confucian classical equality, concept of freedom, life and secular community has a positive and upward spiritual guidance function. The old virtue of the saint contains the possibility of communicating with the modern New Germany and has unique qualities that make its contribution to the value and ideal of modern society and life.