"德"是西周思想的核心概念,厘清西周德論系統及其形成則是解決殷周之變中神道和人道之間的關系等重大問題的鑰匙。"德"的本義是"得",在西周時期特指得自天的"命",由此引申出七個義項。其中,以人倫之德為主干的外在之德和以人性之德為主干的內在之德直接源自作為至上神的天,它們通過心的作用落實為行為之德、品行之德和治理之德。據此,殷周之際確實存在新舊文化的更替,但這種更替既不像孔子說的那么和緩,亦非王國維說的那么劇烈,而是新舊文化之間既有明顯的延續,又有重大的變革。這場變革主要表現為神道與人道的合流,由此拉開了人類軸心時代的序幕。

"De" (virtue)was a core concept in Western Zhou thought.Clarification of Western Zhou thought on de and its formation is the key to solving such major problems as the relationship between heaven and man during the change over from the Yin to the Zhou dynasty.De originally referred to"gain," but during the Western Zhou it was extended to mean the Mandate of Heaven bestowed on the Zhou,from which seven meanings were derived.The external virtue of human relations and the internal virtue of human nature came directly from Heaven as the supreme deity and were exercised in the virtues of behavior,conduct and governance through the action of the heart.Accordingly,the change from the Yin to the Zhou dynasty was indeed a change from an old to a new culture.This replacement,however,was neither as gentle as Confucius had said nor as drastic as Wang Guowei thought.Rather,there was a marked continuity alongside a significant change between the old and new.This was manifest as the confluence of Heaven and man,thus launching the prelude to the axial age of mankind.