The Mandate of Heaven
The right to rule depends on virtue and the people's welfare.
Tianming (Mandate of Heaven) is the right to rule. It is granted to virtuous rulers and withdrawn from corrupt ones. Rulers govern at Heaven's pleasure and must maintain virtue to retain the mandate.
Heaven sees as the people see; Heaven hears as the people hear.
The Mandate provides basis for political legitimacy and accountability.
Shujing
Written about in
- What Confucianism says about reverence and ritual
Above the ruler stands Heaven, and the right to rule is conditional on virtue and on the people's welfare. The Book of Documents ties the two together: Heaven sees as the people see.
- What Confucianism says about leading others
The Book of Documents allows the mandate to be withdrawn, and grounds the judgement in those ruled: Heaven sees as the people see. Authority here is conditional, revocable, and assessed from below.