During the Warring States Period, Mencius further evolved Confucianism. Confucianism theoretically limited the power of the monarch, rather than aiding the tyranny. He believed that the people had the right to revolution, and "the people are noble and the monarch is despised"

Confucianism is more political than religious ethics such as Christianity and Buddhism, and regards political authority as the basic condition of social order. The political ideal of Confucianism is the inner saint and the outer king. It is believed that when human nature is developed to the extreme, it becomes a "sage king." Sage kings are both great ideals and historical facts. Sage kings such as Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, and King Wen of Zhou have all been implemented. Sage kings and the way of the world can all be reproduced. I deeply cherish the benevolence and virtue of the Zhou Dynasty. Gain great achievements in the world. Saints are perfect. Confucianism is a kind of worship of sage kings. Confucianists themselves hope to become "imperial teachers." In the Confucianism of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the ideal politics was a sage king and a virtuous minister, "getting the king to practice the Tao", and the complete realization of the Tao ultimately required a sage king. Du Fu's poem "To the emperors Yao and Shun, to make the customs pure" reflects this yearning. Wang Anshi promised himself as a virtuous man and asked Song Shenzong to imitate Yao and Shun. Zhu Xi never forgot to teach the emperor with the four words "righteousness and sincerity". From the Inner Sage to the Outer King, "The Great Learning" puts forward the order of self-cultivation, family order, country governance, and world peace. You must first cultivate your character and be successful before you can bring order to your family, you must first be able to manage your family well before you can govern the country, and you must succeed in governing the country before you can bring peace to the world. This ideal was originally based on the pre-Qin monarchs, but a few modern Confucian supporters still do not forget the concept of inner sage and outer king.

Confucianism opposes autocracy and cruelty, advocates benevolent government, and respects oneself and others. Theoretically, Confucianism limits the power of the monarch, rather than aiding the tyranny. It believes that the people have the right to revolution. "The people are noble and the monarch is despised." The people are the ultimate source of political authority. Adhering to people-oriented thinking, the most important obligation of the monarch is to protect the people. To support the people, the government should lead by example. Influenced by the historical experience of the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty, Confucianism believes that the state is an expansion of the family, and the ruler should care about the welfare of the people like a parent. Confucius said, "Get rich first and then teach." Mencius said, "Those who have permanent property have a heart, and those who do not have a permanent property have no intention." Perseverance" all require the government to provide basic economic and living conditions for the people. However, people-centered thinking is different from modern democratic thinking. There are only "of the people" and "for the people", rather than governing the country is the responsibility of the wise. It can be said that sovereignty lies with the people and governing power lies with the wise. Confucianism once believed that unqualified monarchs could be replaced, and even virtuous people could be passed on rather than to their sons. Wang Mang of the Han Dynasty once believed in this theory, but his reforms failed and could not shake the hereditary system of imperial power. The Confucian method of restricting imperial power mainly relied on education to make the prince and emperor accept Confucian morality. Secondly, the scholar government composed of Confucian scholars also restricted the operation of imperial power.

Later generations of Confucians reflected on their political ideals. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Confucianism paid less attention to the role of the emperor and the court. It believed that ordinary people could do their best for their own interests, which was more reliable than the top-down benevolence of saints, and they no longer insisted on inner saints and outer kings. Zhu Xi, Huang Zongxi and other great Confucian scholars realized that emperors in reality did not practice benevolent government at all and were far from Confucian ideals. Some Confucians in the late Qing Dynasty also pointed out that it was impossible for the Qi family to govern the country, and that the "inner sage" and the "outer king" were divided into two categories.

Since the late Qing Dynasty, Confucianism has accepted the Western democratic system and found specific ways to solve the problem of monarchy in the democratic system, breaking through traditional restrictions