The bamboo slips of the Kingdom of Chu in Guodian and Mencius’s view of friendship was an equal relationship based on moral character.“Friendship as a model for the relationship between emperor and subject” was an outstanding presentation of the view of friendship expressed by the bamboo slips of the Kingdom of Chu in Guodian, and Mencius pointed out the relationship between sovereign and subject might be extended to the relationship between instructors, friends and colleagues. Mencius carried on the bamboo slips of the Kingdom of Chu in Guodian’s idea “the virtuous please and befriend each other”, and introduced his theory of “respecting the virtuous” and “appreciating the friend”, which expressed the Confucian thought of “expressing benevolence through friendship” and “practicing Taoism” by making friends.

the bamboo slips of the Kingdom of Chu in Guodian; Mencius; view of friendship; relationship between sovereign and subject