What is Lao Tzu's last name? Sima Qian said: "The surname is Li, and the name is ear." ("History of LaoZi Biography") For Sima Qian's statement, scholars in the Qing Dynasty and even in modern times have constantly questioned it.
First of all, on the issue of surnames. If Lao Tzu's surname is Li, then why not call Himself Li zi but Lao Tzu? Ge Xuan's "Tao Te Ching" said: "Born with a haoshou, it is called Lao Tzu." "This is a school of immortalism, and there is no need to argue. Zheng Xuan's "Notes on the Question of Etiquette and Zengzi" said: "Old Man, the number of the ancient shou examiner is also." This is also very far-fetched. Confucius lived for more than seventy years, and can also be regarded as a life tester, why not call him Lao Tzu? If the shou examinee is called Lao Tzu, then shouldn't the short-lived one be called a widow? The sons of the pre-Qin Dynasty, without exception, were all called by surnames, such as Confucius, Mozi, and Zhuangzi, and if LaoZi was really surnamed Li, he should be called Lizi. It can be seen that Lao Tzu is not surnamed Li, but surnamed Lao.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was only the old surname, not the Surname Of Li. Gao Heng believes: "Most of the surnames of the ancients did not have their own characters, and they borrowed homophones for them. The borrowings are different, so a surname is often confused into a number of surnames... To Xun Qing is also Sun Qing, Tian Zhong is also Chen Zhong, Zou Yan is also As Yan Yan... Therefore, the change of old Li also turned to the same example. (Gao Heng: History of Lao Tzu's Biography Evidence, Reprinting Lao Tzu's Orthodox Interpretation, p. 158, Beijing Ancient Books Publishing House, 1956 edition) This seems to make sense, but there are still doubts.
Xun Qing is also Sun Qing, Xun Zi zi can also be a grandson; Tian Zhong is also Chen Zhong, Tian Zi zi can also be Chen Zi, but Lao Tzu seems to have unheard of and is also a plum, one of them. Old becomes Li, why don't you hear the old man change Li Nie, or Li Er become old ears? This is the second. It seems that Gao Hengzhi's theory is still unconvincing.
Lao Tzu's surname is Lao, not Li. The so-called Li Er is just the small name of the old man. Yang Xiong said in the Dialects: "Between the tiger, Chen, Wei, Song, and Chu, or Father Li; between Jianghuai and Southern Chu, it is called Li Er." (The Complete Book of Hundred Sons 1, Yuelu Book Club, 1993.) Why is the tiger called Father Lee or Lee Er? There is an explanation in the Tongya. He believes that people call the tiger "Tanuki", because the sound is close, it becomes "Li Er". Lao Nie may have been born in 571 BC, his nickname was Tiger, and the dialect of Xiangyi was Li'er. In the Warring States period, the surname Li appeared, and the nickname Li Er became the official name of Lao Tzu in the legend, while "聃" became a word or a courtesy name.
At this point, we can say that Lao Tzu was a Song Guo Xiangren (or Chu Ku County), born in 571 BC, with the surname Ofe Lao, and his nickname Li Er (Little Tiger Er). According to Gao Heng's research, when he was serving as a shouzang in the Zhou Dynasty, he was called Lao Yangzi.
In 516 BC, the prince dynasty lost the struggle for the throne within the Zhou Dynasty, and he and the out-of-power nobles carried a large number of Zhou Dynasty classics benchu. Lao Nie lost his official position due to dereliction of duty and returned to his hometown xiangyi to live in seclusion. During this period, Confucius came to visit and both asked and argued. The location of xiang is Wutou Chuwei, which is the place where Wu chu has the most battles. This forced Lao Tzu to leave his hometown and leave the Qin people, live in seclusion in Fufeng, and die and be buried in Huaili.
(Excerpt from: Sun Yikai, Taoism and Chinese Philosophy, pp. 48-49.) ）
About author:Sun Yikai, born in March 1938, male, from Shouxian County, Anhui, a famous Taoist scholar, graduated from Fudan University and Sun Yat-sen University, and studied Chinese philosophy under Mr. Yang Rongguo. He was the editor of Zhonghua Bookstore, later taught in the Department of Philosophy of Anhui University, served as the director of the Department of Philosophy, the vice president of the Anhui Philosophical Society, the director of the Chinese Philosophical Society, and is now a professor of the Department of Philosophy of Anhui University, the director of the Institute of Taoist Culture of Anhui University, and the executive vice president of the Zhuzi Research Association of Anhui Province. He has published 8 books such as "Zhuangzi General Theory" and "Taoist and Chinese Philosophy" (editor-in-chief), and published more than 80 papers. late.
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