In a speech at Peking University, the Taiwanese scholar Long Yingtai explained literature, philosophy and historiography in this way.
Literature is just a reminder that in addition to the poplar trees on the shore, there is another world that may be more real, that is, the reflection of the poplar tree in the lake. Philosophy can make us grope out of the labyrinth by the brightness of the stars, and history is to let you know its specific starting point, and no phenomenon exists in isolation.
In this interpretation of literature, philosophy, and history, the three sentences of Chinese history have become accurate prediction science.
The first sentence Mencius: In five hundred years, there will be a king who will prosper
Original sentence: 'At the same time, this time also.' In five hundred years there will be kings and kings, and there will be famous people in between. From the week, seven hundred years are more than one year old; with its number, it is too much, and by its time it can be examined. Heaven, do not want to rule the world peacefully, if you want to rule the world peacefully, in this world, who will give up me? Why don't I hesitate? (Mencius Gongsun Ugly)
Translation: "Then it was then, and now it is now." Every five hundred years (historically), there must have been a rise of the Holy King. Among them, there must also be highly prestigious auxiliaries, from the Zhou (Wu King) to the present, it has been more than seven hundred years. The number of years has been more than (five hundred years); in terms of time situation (need), it should be the time when there can be action. (It's just) God doesn't want the world to be too peaceful, if you want to make the world too peaceful, facing today's situation, who else but me? Why don't I? ”
This is Mencius's words to realize his personal ideals and ambitions, but he did not expect that it has become the greatest prophecy of Chinese history, measuring the distance between the rise of dynasties in ancient Chinese society with 500 years as the yardstick, accurate and unique, and there will always be a rise of dynasties in 500 years, injecting vitality into ancient Chinese society again and again. And this sentence is also a later Buddhist phrase, which has a far-reaching and extensive impact on the common people - five hundred years ago it was a family, and then borrowed from heaven for five hundred years, and so on. At the same time, Chinese is also a positive ideological realm of joining the WTO (joining society). Some people say that five hundred years must have a king's prosperity, that is, there will always be a climax in the history of marching to a specific period, and there is no need to be too rigid with the number of five hundred years. The fact is that it was five hundred years from Yao Shun to Tang, five hundred years from Tang to King Wen, five hundred years from Confucius of King Wen, and so on.
Sentence 2 Sima Qian: Those who do things will always be in the southeast, and those who reap merit will always be in the northwest.
The original sentence: "Those who do things will be in the southeast, and those who reap merit will always be in the northwest." Therefore, Yu Xing was in Western Qiang, Tang was raised in Bo, the King of Zhou was also fenghao, the Emperor of Qin used Yongzhou Xing, and Han Zhixing was from Shu Han. (Chronicle of the Six Kingdoms Chronology
Another: Zhou Qin, Han and Tang, founded the northwest and caressed the world, and the meteorological homeland was long. At the time of the two Song Dynasties, internal and external troubles, so the poor and weak, the country and mountains were fluctuating, and the political economy moved south, and people sighed: "Since the lord of ancient Times, the lord of Zhongxing, starting from the northwest, is enough to have a southeast according to the Central Plains; from the southeast, it cannot restore the Central Plains and have the northwest." (History of the Song Dynasty, vol. 358, Biography of Li Ganglie)
The meaning of Sima Qian's original words is roughly that the people who led the uprising were in the southeast, but most of the successes were in the northwest. He summarized the events before him, but the later history of China was also true, and the words in the History of Song verified and supplemented Shi Taigong's predictions. Since King Wen of Zhou unveiled the glorious history of the northwest as the political, economic and cultural center of China, it has gone through thousands of years. 13 dynasties once built their capital here, and the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties are known as the "prosperous world" in Chinese history: "Zhou Metric Ceremony", "Qin King Sweeping Liuhe", "Wenjing Rule", "Zhenguan Rule", "Kaiyuan Shengshi" have all led the way in the world. Li Zero, a professor at peking university's Chinese department, said that zhu Yuanzhang set the capital in Nanjing, and Yongle still moved to Beijing. Earlier, Xiang Yu did not want to set the capital in the north and returned to his hometown of Pengcheng, while Liu Bang, although he was also a Chu, was also a Chu, but he set the capital in the northwest and finally took the world. Hong Xiuquan set the capital in Nanjing, but also failed. He considered it "revolutionary geography."
The third sentence Luo Guanzhong: The general trend of the world, the division of long time will be united, and the combination of long time will be divided.
The original sentence: "When it comes to the general trend of the world, it will be united for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time." At the end of the week, the Seven Kingdoms were divided and merged into Qin. After the fall of Qin, Chu and Han were divided and merged into Han. The Han Dynasty revolted from Gaozu's beheading of the White Snake and unified the world, and later Guangwu Zhongxing spread to Emperor Xian, and was divided into three kingdoms. (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, 1st)
Some scholars have commented that this sentence itself is a very good description of history, and it is necessary to study the reasoning in depth, which is nothing more than a "profit" word, the so-called division of interests, the combination of profits, the division of profits is large, the people's minds are divided, and the benefits are large. This is true in ancient and modern China and abroad. Governing the country and the people is also based on the art of profit. Chinese history is also like this: again and again, it has been divided and merged, telling people the law and inevitable destiny of the development of things.
The fulfillment of these three sentences tells people that nonsense can only be nonsense, always a trick to deceive people, and all true knowledge is nothing more than a summary of the past, the cognition of the present, and the judgment of the future. (Text/Lu Sheng)