Abstract: The strict separation of "history" and "history" has the basic and original significance of constructing the theory of historical knowledge and historical interpretation theory, but Chinese the word "history" originally only had the meaning of "historiography", and the word "thing" expressed objective history. The definition of "history" by ancient historians inherently contains the system of historical epistemology, with distinct subject attributes and profound hermeneutic meaning. In ancient times, the use of poetic thinking and poetic style to record events was the general principle for the occurrence and evolution of world historiography. From the information revealed by the pre-Qin literature, it can be seen that with the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties as the boundary, Chinese historiography has undergone a transformation from poetry to historical records. This is a process of de-witchcraft and poetry towards human culture and science.
Keywords: history; historiography; historical events; poetry
About author:Li Hongyan is a researcher at the Chinese Social Sciences Magazine and a professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Hermeneutics at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Editor-in-charge: Shan shan Zheng Ma Dan
I. "History" and "Historiography"
In the conceptual system of historical theory, the strict separation of "history" and "historiography" has the basic and original significance of constructing historical epistemology and historical interpretation theory. From this point of view, the corresponding inference is enough to extend an open theoretical system. Thus the distinction between the concepts of this concept, like the distinction between the concepts of "spiritual science" and "natural science" for neo-Kantian philosophy, is the outline of the whole theory. It is precisely because of its importance that thinkers and historical theorists attach great importance to it, thus clearly separating the historical narrative (Historie) from history (Geschichte), "writing history" and "history".
Hegel made an "objective" and "subjective" distinction between "history" as a noun. In German, he said, "the term history combines objective and subjective aspects, and means the Latin 'what happened' itself, and the 'history of what happened.'" At the same time, while this term includes what happened, it does not include a historical narrative. We must regard this union of two meanings as high above the accidental external events." Obviously, he did not divide the two terms "history" and "historiography", but by giving the term "history" the meaning of "historiography", thus expressing the textual reconstruction of objective history by human subjects. Hegel attaches great importance to this "subjective historical narrative", believing that if there is no chronology, spring and autumn, there will be a "lack of objective history". He said with great emotion that although India has a spiritual and profound mind, with ancient religious books, splendid poetry and ancient legal codes, there is no "history". This is in stark contrast to China, which has a remarkable "history" that can be traced back to the past. Although Hegel did not begin his discourse by distinguishing between "history" and "historiography", the meaning is equal. It is the importance of historical narrative that Hegel emphasizes. India lacks historical awareness and thus a "subjective historical narrative", but this is not to say that objective history has never happened in India.
After Hegel, Bradley, Walsh, and others became more and more strict about the distinction between "history" and "historiography." Heidegger delicately weaves through concepts and propositions such as "historicity", "temporality", "historical inquiry", "historical research", "historiography as historiography (Historizit?t)," "historical inquiry into history," "historical revelation," and "history of historical science," and puts forward propositions such as "no historiography does not prove that there is no history." "The term 'history' means both 'historical reality' and the possible science of historical reality," he said. This shows the most visible ambiguity of the term, which is often noticed but by no means 'innocuous'. The Chinese translator of Being and Time explains: "Heidegger clearly distinguishes between histurie and Geschichte, two synonyms. Geschichte is used to refer specifically to the history that actually happened, which we translate as 'history'; Historie is used to refer to the recording, introspection and study of history, which we translate as 'historiography'. Correspondingly, Geschchitlich and Historisch translate as 'historical' and 'historic' or 'historic', respectively. It can be seen that by Heidegger, the conceptual distinction has become extremely subtle.
Professional historians will certainly notice this in the process of writing history. A scholar of German history has written that historians call past events Geschichte (history) and history writing Historie (writing history); the difference between "history" and "history writing" creates a tension between the two, a tension that makes the historian engaged in research both active and responsible in describing the object he is discussing. The so-called "active use" refers to the active intervention of the subject, such as the use of imagination; the "responsible attitude" refers to the conscious constraint of the subject, such as respect and dependence on historical materials. In other words, the nature of historiography necessarily leads historians to "dance in shackles." "Shackles" refers to historical materials, and "dancing" refers to innovation. It can be said that from Heidegger to Heiden White, from phenomenology to postmodernism, when it comes to historical theory, it is from the separation of the two concepts of "history" and "historiography", so as to draw a series of conclusions such as the nature of historiography, the nature of historians' work, and the nature of historical achievements.
On the mainland, Li Dazhao noticed this problem very early on and made a very clear and profound exposition. He proposed that there are two kinds of facts: one is a "real fact", that is, an "objective past", a solidified fact of "death"; the other is a "historical fact", that is, a "fact in the interpretation", which is a "subjective understanding" and "vivid and untouched". He speaks of two facts, the former corresponding to "history" and the latter corresponding to "writing history.". Specific to "writing history", he believes that it also contains two parts: "record and reconciliation". "Only when there is a sufficient record, not a historical truth, and a sufficient interpretation, can it be considered historical truth." Proceeding from this, he even proposed that the so-called "historical truth" means that "the record of what has been encountered is correct" and that "the parable of what has been encountered is correct", so that "the truth of history" changes from time to time. Obviously, Li Dazhao's exposition has touched on the deep topic of historical interpretation. In his view, it is not only necessary to distinguish between "history" and "writing history", but also "writing history" should be further subdivided, distinguishing between "record" and "interpretation", that is, "record" and "interpretation". The so-called "interpretation", that is, the historian's understanding of history, is the revelation of historical regularity, which belongs to the category of grand narrative, and like knowledge, it will grow, expand, and change.
In the 1930s, Feng Youlan, Qian Zhongshu and others expressed similar views. Qian Zhongshu believes that there are two kinds of facts: "barbaric facts" and "historian facts". The so-called "barbaric facts", that is, the so-called biological facts and physical facts, that is, Li Dazhao's so-called "real facts" and "objective past"; and the so-called "historian's facts" are the textual facts presented by the activity of "writing history".
Historians will certainly be more sensitive to this problem. Mr. Yang Yijun said: "History has two meanings: one refers to the objectively existing historical facts, and the other refers to the history written by people. The two meanings are difficult to agree. The former is objective, the latter is likely to be incomplete and wrong, not only historical facts may be wrong, but also interpretations may be wrong. He added: "Historiography is different from history. History is the historical fact itself, and historiography is how to study the study of history. The word "history" in the previous sentence contains the meanings of "history" and "historiography"; the latter sentence clearly distinguishes between "historiography" and "history". These two sentences are extremely clear.
Mr. Zhu Benyuan examined the changes in the meaning of the word "history" in Western Chinese, and pointed out that since the Renaissance, the word has gradually taken on a double meaning, referring to both "past events" and "statements about the past", thus having both subjective and objective meanings. He also said that Kant had proposed to use Geschichte for history and Historie for historiography, and that Croce and Corban of France had suggested different words to distinguish between "history" and "historiography", but none of these suggestions were taken. Mr. Zhu's investigation actually answers the question of why Hegel gave history a double meaning.
In writing history, historians are already confronted with the fruits of writing history—historical materials or historical works. Even archaeological data or remains, in Heidegger's words, can only be "historical as beings who are in the way they are in the world." When the world in which cultural relics have been seen has passed, cultural relics are also in the so-called "state of being in the past". Historians have accepted the view that historians cannot face history directly, and that the results of historical writing do not allow for repetition outside of historical facts. Croce's so-called "all true history is contemporary history" and Collingwood's so-called "all history is the history of ideas" show the difference in the perspective of writing history and the recognition of historical objects. Heidegger said: "History as a thing of the past is always understood in terms of its positive or missing utility associations with the 'present', and the meaning of 'present' is what is 'in the present' and 'in the present' reality." This is also the meaning of Li Dazhao, Croce, and CollinWood, and it is also the reason why human beings continue to write the same historical object. The uniqueness of historical objects and the diversity and presentness of historical writing have become the inexhaustible driving force for the continuation of the life of historiography.
Therefore, the construction of historical epistemology must be based on a rigorous analysis of "history" and "historiography". In this regard, it is very necessary to excavate the ideological resources of predecessors and carry out dialogue between ancient and modern times. Aristotle once raised the question of the difference between historians and poets: "Poetry is intended to describe universal events, while history is intended to record individual facts." Despite Aristotle's specific meaning, the idea of "recording individual facts" in historiography had a profound influence on the West. The neo-Kantian Lee Kelter epistemologically clarifies the logic of the conceptual construction of history, which in fact boils down to this definition. From today's point of view, the so-called "poetry" is exactly what Li Dazhao said is an indispensable "interpretation" of historiography. In modern China, the earliest person to talk about "history" from the perspective of constructing historical epistemology was Zhang Dongsun. He argues that "History" is different from "Science", which is the object of universal form, common order, general principle, and universal law, while the object of "history" is "special facts". "This fact, even if it happens only once in the world, is never the same again, and it is still necessary to describe it." The usefulness of "history" is "to express universal principles in the description of special things." However, "the principle expressed in 'history' is not the static form, but the process of movement." We usually know only that there is a certain form, so that the form becomes universal, and we do not know that the process also has a certain, so the process can also be said to have universality in it. It is the task of history to express the universality of its course by special things." This passage is a mixture of Aristotle and Neo-Kantianism, but points to modern historical consciousness.
II. "History" and "Events"
Separating "history" from "history", if you return to the Chinese world, you will find that in Chinese characters, the word "history" only has the meaning of "historiography", while the Chinese characters that express objective history are not "history", but "things".
Mr. Zhu Benyuan once clearly pointed out this point. He said: "In the ancient literature of the mainland, the word 'history' has always meant 'the record of present or past events', and does not contain the meaning of the historical event itself, and the event itself is called a thing"; "In short, the word 'history' did not have a double meaning in ancient times, it completely refers to the writings of historians or historians." Mr. Zhu's words have important historical value.
"Sayings": "History, the chronicler also." From again, from the middle. "This definition is simple in wording, but rich in meaning. The "Compilation of Ancient Teachings" is based on this and lists 72 theories. The author believes that the definition can be analyzed into five levels, and each level can extend many links and elements.
First, it shows the main body of historical activities, the special person. "The word "history" originally refers to people, not to the book of memories, so the "Sayings" is also interpreted by the recorder." "Again" is the right hand. The so-called "special people", with "historical officials" as the bulk, can be collectively referred to as historians. "Stone" puts "historian" and "historian" together to show the difference between the two, according to today's classification standards, it can be grouped together, collectively called "historian". Judging from the unearthed Yi ming, the historical official system does exist. The Book of Han and Yiwenzhi says that Confucius and Zuo Qiu mingguan "historical records". The "history" of the "History" is the meaning of "historical official". In other words, it contains the meaning of "Sima Qian".
The complexity of the problem is that historians have both hierarchical and different responsibilities, and do other things outside of their historical posts. It is said that at the time of the Zhou Dynasty, from the Taishi to the small pedestrians, they were all people in charge of the official official texts. In short, the historian "participated in many other affairs." Liu Shipei even believed that "the scholarship of the Zhou Dynasty, that is, the study of historical officials, that is, the study of the unity of officials and teachers and Confucianism", intersected with the duties of other officials. However, as far as "memories" are concerned, historians belong to special people. The above situation has caused difficulties in our examination of the origin of the independence of historiography.
Second, it shows the result of historical activities - history books. "At first, he was named a historical official, and then he was named a historical official, and then he was named a historical official." "The original meaning of the word 'history' refers to an official position and the person who holds such an official position. Later, it was used to refer to historical records. Stone Inxi: "The writer of history, the ear of the recorder." "History book" has two meanings: one is a noun, which refers to the overall achievement of the record; the other is a verb, which refers to the writing activity. From the perspective of the internal layout and organization of the history books, the history books can be called "shiwen". The "history" of "Stone" means "history book", "history text" and "historiography".
The concept of "Shi Wen" comes from Mencius Li Lou: "The traces of the king are extinguished and the poems are dead." "Poetry" died and then "Spring and Autumn" was composed. Jin's "Multiplication", Chu's "Han Zhuo", Lu's "Spring and Autumn", Yiye. Its affairs are Qi Huan and Jin Wen, and its literature is history. Confucius said: Its righteousness is to steal. "There are not many words with deep meaning in the book of Mencius, but this sentence is an exception, and it is worth stripping away the cocoon and carefully exploring. Mr. Zhu Benyuan pointed out that this passage is "a principle on the origin and nature of Chinese historiography", "a kind of thinking about historical thinking itself", and "belongs to the field of historical epistemology in the philosophy of history". Mr. Zhu also proposed that "Mencius can be regarded as the founder of Chinese hermeneutics." It can be said that the old official broke the prison and saw through it at a glance.
The words "Shi" and "Wen" constitute fixed phrases at least during the Western Han Dynasty. "History of the Three Dynasties Table and Preface": "Confucius because of the history of the text, the second "Spring and Autumn", the first year of the era, the right time, the sun and the moon, cover its details." The "Taishi Gong Self-Introduction" contains Sima Tan's words to his son Sima Qian on his deathbed: "Yu is too shi and fu to discuss the record, abolish the history of the world, Yu is very afraid, Ru Qi's thoughts." Explicitly referring to historical works with "historical text" already has the full attribute of contemporary text. As for Liu Zhiji, the word "Shiwen" is even more fixed in connotation, such as the "Book of Confusion" criticizing Confucius's "Shiwen".
The concepts of Mencius, Sima Qian, and Liu Zhiji make it clear that not any writing of history can be called "shiwen". The term has a strict sense of political orthodoxy and professional duties, and contains the disciplinary position with historiography as the ontology and historians as the main body. If it does not have legitimacy and professionalism, even if the text object is based on history, it cannot be called "historical text". Therefore, "shiwen" means to record, compile and write in its entirety according to strict rules. From this point of view, "writing" has become an innate and important category of Chinese historiography.
Mr. Yang Yijun proposed, "Until the Eastern Han Dynasty, history was called people and things, not the names of history books." "The history books say that history began with Liu Ruo's "Small History" at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty." How to understand this view? First of all, Mr. Yang only said that "history" did not become the name of the history book, neither denying that the history book already existed, nor denying that "history" had the meaning of a history book. Mr. Yang also once said: "Yin you have a historiography, and from the history of the official, there is historiography. "There is historiography, there must be historians and history books, but although there are history books, they may not be called "history", but they are called "graves", "classics", "books", "books", "multiplication", "zhi", "hanzaku", "spring and autumn", and so on. Shangshu Duoshi: "Only the ancestors of Yin have a book and a book." "It's not a lie. Liu Shipei said: "If there is history, there is a book, so the book of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors still exists to the end of the week, and it is in charge of foreign history." "Stone Title" said: "Since the Han Dynasty, its flow has become more and more complicated, and most of the historical names are mainly books, records, chronicles, and omissions." Later generations of ancestors, each from what is good, along the course of the cause, the cycle of learning. It is evident that even after the Han Dynasty, history books may not be called history. Secondly, Mr. Yang said that "history" refers specifically to "things" and understands its meaning, and this "thing" does not refer to objective history, but refers to both the things done by historical officials and the "things" that are "recorded", that is, "historical events". What the historian did was "remembered," so Huang Kan said, "History" is the same as "remembering." The events recorded by the historians are "historical events." The so-called "historical events" are things recorded in historical texts. In fact, in Old Chinese, even the word "thing" carries a strong connotation of partial subjectivity.
Third, it shows the basic way of historians' behavior - "remembering". "Remembering" is the intermediate link and process connecting "historians" and "historical texts", that is, the so-called "writing history". There are already "records" in the oracle bones, "used to record the origin, quantity, and sacrifice of the oracle bones" and other matters. Other materials have "words of battle merit and hunting capture". There are records of more than a hundred words. "Ji" transforms objective history (events) into the subject matter of "historical texts", that is, "events" into "historical events", thus forming a three-dimensional text structure within historical works: historical events, historical texts, and historical meanings.
The so-called "remembering" is not a mechanical record, without emotion, without adding branches and leaves. In other words, it does not inherently imply objectivist positions and attitudes. The ancients were already aware of the tension or distance between "things" and "history", but instead of reinforcing the dimension of objectivism, they dissolved it into subjectivity. Therefore, "remembering" is subordinated to positions and values. Collingwood said that mere records are not enough to become historiography; when Herodotus named works in history in the 5th century BC, it meant "the transformation of the records of legends into the science of history." In fact, the so-called simple record can only be an idea. All records must have prerequisites: what to remember and what not to remember, that is, the choice of standards; how to remember, how not to remember, that is, the problem of recording methods, including sub-issues such as format, style, genre and even style. The Stone Preface says, "There is an example of the history of the husband, and there is a law of the kingdom of Judah." If the country is unable to do so, it will be settled up and down; if there is no precedent in history, it is not accurate. "Remembering" is always entangled with "example", and "example" is the core matter of the organization and writing of historical texts in the history of historiography, and it is also a matter that needs to be carefully examined by historical hermeneutics. From the above two ends, a third premise leads, that is, the connotation of "remembering" must change accordingly for different contents in different historical periods. Therefore, the "record" of the "historical record" is different from the "record" of the "book of rites", and it is also different from the "record" of the "book of Han".
It is generally believed that the ancients "remembered" things based on the principle of "not hiding", the so-called "king must write". In fact, this is just an idea. As far as objective restrictions are concerned, although ancient life is simple, it is still impossible to achieve "no hiding". Even if what has been recorded, it is impossible or even deliberately not to conceal all the elements. Take the famous "Wall Plate" inscription, for example, which records the history of the Zhou Dynasty, "the King of Zhou, who is related to his family, he focuses on the narrative, and vice versa, mentions it all, or does not mention it at all." This type of deliberateness is the most analytical. Bacon's New Tools says, "The subtlety of nature is far greater than the subtlety of argument." "The subtlety of nature is several times higher than the subtlety of the senses and understanding." The same is true of the subtlety of history itself compared to the "memory." So, Bacon goes on to say, "Everything that people are intoxicated with, like contemplation, speculation, interpretation, etc.," is inevitably "like a blind man touching an elephant" and "far from the point." This is the price that must be paid for the abstraction of the human mind. When historians give a logical and orderly framework for objective history, it may also be the time when it is off topic. To avoid this embarrassment, Rank chose to return. "Real history is much more interesting and beautiful than fiction," he said. "So I abandoned the novel, determined to avoid all fiction and fantasy in my writings and insist on writing truth." However, Rank's position and views are wrong. We see that it is through "novels" that the ancients entered the truth of history.
Therefore, when "hidden" conforms to the norm of "etiquette", it does not indicate untruth in the minds of the ancients. Liu Zhiji's "Doubtful Ancients" wrote: "The Analects of the Case say: 'The beauty of a gentleman's adulthood is the evil of an adult.' He also said: "If you do not say what is done, you will not advise you, and you will not blame the past." He also said, 'The people may make it by it, but they cannot make it know.' 'The saints of The Husband established the religion, and their words were. In the historical books, so does its meaning. He who is beautiful is beautiful because of his beauty, and although he is evil, he does not destroy it, and the evil one is evil because of his evil, and although he has his beauty, he does not add praise. Therefore, Mencius said: "Yao and Shun are invincible in their beauty, and They are invincible in their evil." Emperor Wen of Wei: "I know the things of Shun and Yu." The Han Jing Emperor said: "Scholars of speech, wordless soup, wu are ordered, not foolish." 'Si And the sages have been discerning, and they have foresight. And those who are bound by etiquette and are limited to the training of teachers, although they cannot speak with their mouths, but those who know that they cannot do it in their hearts, there are many covers. It can be seen that the ancients' memories of things were not good and evil, seeking truth from facts, but concealing evil and promoting good, value first, and leading history with arguments. In this regard, Liu Zhi, who already possessed the concept of scientific historiography, almost unabashedly expressed indignation. He even directly targeted Confucius and the Spring and Autumn Classics, extended to the Zhou Gong and the Six Classics, and listed ten cases to criticize one by one, pointing out that the "Ancient Book" and the "History of The Ancient" were not only different in content and "complicated", but importantly, "different in both directions and backwards", that is, different values, while he advocated "straight writing" and opposed "curved pen". However, in terms of how to coordinate between Confucian famous teachings and straight writing of history books, Liu Zhi will inevitably wander. However, Liu Zhiji often emphasizes that "time has changed from generation to generation, and the asanas are different", which does show the stage of the development form of Chinese historiography and reveal the boundary standard change of the historical value position. Of course, Liu Zhiji's criticism is not profound enough, and it still lacks the depth of Vico's analysis of the structure of thinking from poetic thinking.
In short, the so-called "memorization" must be thoroughly analyzed in the internal structure. The Shuowen says that "remembering" means "sparse", and the paragraph notes: "It means to divide and know." And "sparse", "Shuowen" also said that it means "tong". It can be seen that "remembering" means "sparse" and "passing", not only does it not reject the subject, but also stipulates the intervention of the subject. Only by digging along such a path can we crack the mystery of "remembering".
Fourth, it shows the object of the historian's writing- "things". This "thing" is the "thing" of the so-called "Qi Huan and Jin Wen" of "Leaving Lou", which is the object of "history" and "record", that is, what Marne called "iron historical facts", or scholars' so-called "physical facts" and "biological facts". As revealed above, "events" are different from "historical events". As a concept, the former is not only objective and monolithic, but also evolved and connected; the latter is a refinement of the former. Marx and Engels said: "History is nothing more than the successive alternation of generations. The alternation of "events" in turn requires "historical events" to sort out and reveal.
In fact, from the etymological source, "things" are also born from "history". As Wang Guowei said: "The original meaning of history is that of the person who holds the book, and by extension, it is called a high official and a courtier; and by extension, it is called a minister." After that, each of the three needed special characters, so the three words of history, official, and matter were completely different in the small seal. The bookkeeper is called history, the ruler is called an official, and the ministry is called a matter. This cover comes from the qin and han dynasties, and the text of the poems and books is not very different. This makes us have to say that even the "things" of objectivity come from the "history" of the subject, which is where the prophets of the ancients were prescient.
In the concept of the ancients, "things" corresponded to "words", the so-called "left history of history, right history of events". Duan Yujie has already pointed out that when the Shuowen talks about "history" and does not record words, it is "wrapped up in notes." Therefore, "words" and "things" belong to "things". Liu Zhiji pointed out that the "memories" of "history" were actually heavy notes and light notes before the Spring and Autumn Period. The "History" and "Han" were arrested, and Fang took the chronicle as the sect. "Stone Doubting Ancient" is a famous article of great historical epistemological value, which writes with great emotion that the reason why the ancients emphasized words and lightly remembered things was because the historical facts were unreliable, and the speeches were relatively reliable. Inheritance became a habit, so that "and Zuo Shizhi's "Biography" also, although the meaning of the interpretation of the scriptures, and the miscellaneous words, so that the two Han Confucians, jealous of each other. Therefore, the second "biography" is popular and is good at being famous in the world. And Confucius Men's writings, the Analects are devoted to speech, the "Family Language" is also Chen's career, and the ancient apprentices have taught each other, only called the "Analects". This kind of discussion has been attacked in the past, and we believe that Liu Zhiji's historical knowledge has the style of Wang Chong and is extremely sharp. Take the Mao Gongding, which has the largest number of characters in the Yi inscriptions of the Zhou Dynasty, as an example, "the whole text is composed of five paragraphs of the words of the King of Zhou". It "does not record any traces of Mao Gong's karma, but records the words of the Zhou King in most of the writings." Unfortunately, Liu Zhiji did not point out the deep reason behind the emphasis on words and the light memorization of events, that is, the ultimate pursuit of Chinese historiography in the beginning, the goal was philosophical and rational, rather than just remembering. This is the connotation of Confucius's "faith and good antiquity", "description without doing", and "stealing his righteousness". The so-called work of Confucius "Spring and Autumn" is not the meaning of creation, but refers to "because of the will of predecessors".
In short, from "things" to "historical events", not only through the main body of the historian filter, but also in different periods, the value standards of the filter are also different, and even the formal stage division will be presented, forming many controversial topics in the history of historiography. The ancients noticed this phenomenon, and we have to use the ideas of contemporary historical hermeneutics to make new decisions.
Fifth, it shows the basic principle of historians' records - "medium". There is the word "medium" in the oracle bone, which refers to the flag, which is extended to the center of the direction, and also refers to the middle, and there are also the meanings of "get", "fit" and "conform". Later scholars explained that there are two directions of virtual reality. The imaginary refers to a basic principle and position, that is, "Zhongzheng". The real refers to a kind of instrument, that is, the instrument of shengyi that places the chip of shooting achievements, and the instrument of shengzheng is also used to place the bamboo jane for writing, so it is extended to the book archive, that is, the case file. For the direction of reality, scholars such as Wang Guowei and Zhang Taiyan have done fine research. Qian Zhongshu said: "Or according to the Notes of the Zhou Li and the Book of Rites, because it is said that the five chapters of Lao Tzu are 'better than the 'middle' of the 'Shou Zhong' as the 'picture book'; it is the 'bamboo veil' and the 'chapter' that although it is 'bad' but must be 'kept' and not lost, is it difficult to get rid of the old state of the history of ShouZang under lao tzu's pillar? It is also said by Confucius that he became a teacher. This means that this interpretation contradicts the teachings of Lao Tzu. In fact, Duan Yujue made it very clear that "medium" means "appropriate." Examining the many meanings of the word "Zhong" listed in the "Compilation of Ancient Teachings", we believe that "appropriate" is most in line with the context of "history". Propriety is appropriate. It is appropriate to hit the target, and it is also appropriate to enter from the outside in and in it. "Zhongzheng" and "appropriate" mutual training. Therefore, the untruthful and unbelief things that Liu Zhiji criticized were appropriate in the eyes of the ancients, and therefore they were also righteous, so the "saints" not only advocated them, but also did it. Obviously, the connotation of "Zhongzheng" has undergone a transformation from conforming to the law of etiquette and entering the law of righteousness to being out of the law of etiquette and entering the law of new righteousness.
As can be seen from the above, the main attribute of the word "history" is extremely distinct. Objective things and history are contained within the category of the subject. The word "history" contains a strict distinction between history and historical writing. Because of this distinction, the word "history" naturally has historical hermeneutic significance in the Chinese-speaking world. Historians understand "things" by "reading history" and convey "things" by "writing history". In the process, an understanding of "things" is formed, and then this understanding is conveyed. In this way, the meaning of "thing" changes. Because of this change, historiography was able to innovate and develop. In the process of transforming the meaning of "things", historians at different stages have adhered to the value standards and writing rules of different eras. The epistemological examination of these rules is an important task of historical hermeneutics.
III. Remembering "Events" with "Poems"
So, what kind of "style" matches "history"? What is the way of thinking that underpins this style? To answer these two questions, we need to return to the sentence in Mencius LiLou: "The traces of the king are extinguished and the poems die, and the poems die and then the Spring and Autumn are composed." Mr. Yang Bojun's vernacular translation reads: "When the matter of the Holy King's poetry collection was abolished, there was no poetry; without the poetry, Confucius created the Spring and Autumn Period." ”
This translation follows the interpretation of some Han Chinese, that is, the mistaken writing of "trace" as "trace", and "" refers to "遒人", that is, the official who collects poetry. However, many scholars do not agree with this statement. Mr. Gao Heng said: "The ancient books of the pre-Qin Dynasty did not record the officials and poetry collectors, so it is still uncertain whether this system existed in the Zhou Dynasty. Mr. Zhu Dongrun even believes that "National Style" does not come from the people. Moreover, the Shuowen originally had the word "trace", which was interpreted as "step place", and the Han Chinese Zhao Qi's note of Mencius and the omission of the signed Song ren Sun Yi did not mention the collection of poetry under this sentence, but believed that "the Taiping Dao declined, the king's traces stopped extinguishing, and the praises were not done, so the "poems" died." "'Poetry' can be said, ode to Taiping, time is nothing, 'Spring and Autumn' is Xing." "Mencius said that since the traces of the weathering of the king of the Zhou Dynasty were extinguished and the "poems" died, the songs then decayed; the songs decayed, and then the book of praise and depreciation of the Spring and Autumn was written." "If the traces of the king are extinguished, then the one who remains is only the trace of the overlord." Speaking of their hegemony, Qi Huan and Jin Wen are the grand masters of the five hegemons. "Duan Yu cut the annotation to the "Saying Text", and did not say that this word is universal." Therefore, the theory of collecting poetry is not taken in this article. However, the focus of this passage is not on the meaning of the word "trace", but on the epochality shown by "king".
The author believes that the deeper implication of this statement is that it implies two historical stages and their transformations. The first stage is the "Traces of the King" period, and the social culture and writing form that cooperates with and adapts to it is "Poetry"; the second stage is that after the disintegration of "Traces of the King", the social culture and writing form that cooperates with and adapts to it is "Spring and Autumn". Therefore, the disappearance of the "Trace of the King" means the transformation of the narrative style from "Poetry" to "Spring and Autumn". This is an epoch-making event in the history of historiography.
The phased division of cultural forms in ancient times is a major international issue. After the reform and opening up, the study of the history before the Western Zhou Dynasty has increasingly become a prominent study. Internationally, with the concept of the "Axis Age" proposed by Jaspers as a benchmark, people are becoming more and more interested in the so-called pre-Axis Age. In China, not only the historians and archaeologists paid attention to the pre-Western Zhou Dynasty, but also the intellectual history and literary history circles. For this reason, Vico, Cassirer, and a large number of works on cultural anthropology have been reinterpreted in depth. According to Vico, "Poetic history predates at least nine hundred years before the beginning of secular history, that is, after the heroic period." "The so-called heroic period is the period of Aegean civilization in the pre-Axis era, that is, the 12th century BC to the 9th century BC described in homer's Epic, which is equivalent to the Shang Zhou period on the mainland. The two historical stages implied by Mencius's passage are the transition from poetic history to secular history. The specific transition date should be at the intersection of the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou, that is, the 8th century BC, which coincides with the beginning of the Axial Age.
Mr. Zhu Benyuan has long proposed that Confucius "completed the transition from poetic history to scientific history." It can be described as a clear view. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, Chinese culture underwent a formal transformation, which is a conclusion of no doubt, but the specific transformation process and the performance of different fields are still ambiguous. In the field of concepts, thoughts, and scholarship, Xia Zengyou in the late Qing Dynasty has already pointed out that the original cultural form of China was the theory of ghosts and gods and the five elements, and used various methods of witchcraft, history, bu, and blessing to speculate, "this is the foundation of its learning religion." If this cultural form is traced back to Yanhuang, then the Zhou Gongshi reached its peak, and then gradually declined, and was destroyed as a whole by the time of Laozi. "From ancient times to the Spring and Autumn Period, Gai was originally a generation of ghosts and gods and magic numbers." In other words, the transition period was at the turn of the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties: "Before the Spring and Autumn Period, there was no other learning other than the number of ghost gods; after the Spring and Autumn Period, there were other kinds of theories other than the number of ghost gods. During the Spring and Autumn Period, represented by Lao Tzu, "repeatedly affirmed the errors of ghosts and gods and magic numbers", resulting in the collapse of the previous cultural form as a whole, but "the book of Lao Tzu was destroyed but not established, and can prepare a family philosophy, not a state religion for eternity." As a result, Lao Tzu was strongly resisted and ostracized by society. Confucius compensated for the lack of Lao Tzu, that is, the construction of a new cultural form based on the destruction of the old culture. "Confucius went too far, leaving the second, so he went to the ghosts and gods and left the magic number." The author believes that Xia Zengyou's exposition is very much in line with Mencius's so-called "poetry died and then "Spring and Autumn" was composed", and inadvertently answered why Confucius and not Lao Tzu became the so-called "most holy teacher" and "master" in the minds of the ancients.
However, the time span from Yanhuang to Spring and Autumn is extremely long, and there must be several stages of transformation in between. The most eye-catching is, of course, the occasion of Yin Zhou. The Book of Rites and Tables borrows the words of Confucius: "Yin people respect God, lead the people to serve God, first ghosts and then ceremonies... The Zhou people respect and give alms, and the ghosts worship the gods and stay away. It shows that although they were in the same large period of time as Xia Zengyou talked about, Yin and Zhou's concepts changed dramatically. As everyone knows in the academic circles, Wang Guowei has pointed out earlier: "The change of Chinese politics and culture was not played on the occasion of Yin Zhou. He pointed out that from the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the political center and center of gravity shifted from east to west, while the political and cultural relics between Xia Yin and Xia Yin did not change much. Therefore, Xia Yin can be regarded as a family, and Western Zhou is self-contained. The great changes between Yin and Zhou, Wang Guowei believes, belong to "the old system is abolished and the new system is revived, the old culture is abolished and the new culture is revived"; moreover, the concept and scale of the new system are extremely large, "which is beyond the dreams of future emperors". For example, from the system of "establishing sons and establishing concubines", the system of patriarchy and mourning clothes was born, and the system of feudal children and princes was further developed. These major changes "are all in the world. Its purpose is to be subordinate to morality, and to unite the sons of heaven, princes, secretaries, doctors, scholars, and common people into a moral community. The original intention of Zhou Gong's production is really here." Obviously, Xia Zengyou saw the continuity from Yanhuang to Spring and Autumn, and Wang Guowei saw a huge turning point in between. The views of the two of them happen to form a complementary relationship.
The great political changes are reflected in the field of culture and ideas, namely the so-called "depressed Wenya" Zhou System Shangwen. The Book of Han and Yiwenzhi says that Confucianism "Zushu Yao Shun, Charter Wen wu", indicates both the inheritance of the great historical period and the directness of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The most prominent identifier for this immediacy is the "text". In ancient Chinese culture, "wen" is an important concept with categorical significance, carrying a multi-level complex meaning from figurative to abstract, from politics to culture. In many cases, only by being overwhelmed can we know what we mean. As far as politics is concerned, Wang Guowei said: "The Zhou people established the system of concubines with the righteousness of respect and respect through the righteousness of relatives, and established the temple system with the righteousness of relatives and respects, which they thought was Wenye. In other words, the political system has moved from relatively rough to strict design, which is "wen", which means from barbarism to civilization. In terms of literal meaning, "wen" has the meaning of culture and civilization, as well as the meaning of words, texts, literary style, and sometimes the meaning of "penmanship". "The history of its literature", Mr. Yang Bojun translated as "the brushwork used is only the brushwork of ordinary history books". However, it should be explained that "poetry" is not only subordinate to "wen", but also the essence of "wen". Therefore, all the attributes of the "text" belong to the attributes of poetry.
In the pre-Qin literature, there are several passages of meaning related to the discourse, which have never been thoroughly explained. "Analects of Yongye": "Quality wins over Wen Zeye, and Wen wins over quality and history." Mr. Bai Shouyi believes that "Shi" should be a historical official. "Because historians want to participate in religious activities, the flattering words he makes are inevitably flashy and unrealistic, and they are of a literary quality." Liu Shipei said: "The official of Wu Zhu is also mostly working on the order. "The priest of the Zhou Dynasty, duoxian literature." It can be seen that the so-called "wensheng quality" is nothing more than the so-called "virtual decoration, light carving" and "literary non-literary, historical non-historical" of "Stone Narrative". In antiquity, this was both a rule and a habit, so it was taken for granted, and its essence was poetic. "Yi Zhi Ci" "its purpose is far-reaching, its words, and its words are in the middle", which is a summary of the overall cultural atmosphere. "Han Feizi Difficult to Say": "Jie Min argues, and if he is cumbered by literary style, he will see history", which is a reference to the field of historiography. Therefore, the Stone Zaiwen says: "The history of the text will be the same as the flow." However, the style of writing caused by this poetry changed during the Spring and Autumn Period. Taking the Book of Shang as an example, Liu Zhiji said that it was "out of the ancients", but "since the fall of Emperor Zhou, the body of the Book has been abandoned", so that "until the Han and Wei Dynasties, there is no successor". The significance of this kind of transformation for historiography is that of Stone Nuclear Cai: "Father Shani has said: 'Literature wins quality and history.'" 'Gaishi, the text of the time also. However, the simplicity is scattered and sold, the times have changed, and the literature and history are completely different. The so-called "different from the opposite" is the most accurate interpretation of "the poem died and then the Spring and Autumn" was written."
Rousseau had long said: "Ancient history books, speeches and laws were written in poetry: poetry preceded prose." This is the so-called "six righteousnesses do not work, the article is born", which is a general example of stylistic development. Vico's thought-penetrating study of the history of ancient times or so-called obscure periods boils down to the idea that the first wisdom of the world was poetic wisdom. He believed that poetry was a function of primitive manhood, and that it was the poet who could create by imagination, so the poet in Greek meant "creator," i.e., author. The function of poetry is first, to "invent a sublime storyline suitable for the understanding of the masses", second, to "cause extreme shocks in order to achieve the desired purpose", and third, to "teach ordinary people to do good". The author believes that these views are also in line with the situation in the ancient period of the mainland. For example, the Book of Rites and Music once said: "The author is holy."
In his discussion of what he considers "false history," Croce specifically analyzes one of these forms, namely " poetic history " . He said that this was "a conceptually pre-emptive form", but did not say whether this form was the original form of historiography, but considered that it constituted a type that ran through the entire process of the history of historiography and, represented by the historiography of the Revival Movement, "penetrated all the most complex forms of sentiment", and the basic feature was that "the lack of interest in sentiment is used to fill the lack of interest in thought, and the aesthetic consistency of expression is used to replace the consistency of logic that is not obtained here"; In order to obtain artistic effect, he deliberately mixed his fabrications with the information provided by the chronicles and vouchers, and tried his best to make them consider history." Thus, this form of writing is always combined with "imagination" and "fabrication", not only "describing the things imagined as if witnessed with one's own eyes", but also "adding imagined details, albeit in conjecture form, to the real material". For example, "emotional biographies of very beloved and respected characters and sarcastic biographies of hated characters" is one of the varieties of this style of writing. It is governed by "sentiment" and uses the appeal of "artistic effect" as a means to destroy historical truth. In the history of historiography, "Cicero and Kuntilian, Diogenes and Lushan all believed that history should adopt a language almost poetic, that history was almost poetic, that it was to some extent informal poetry, that it was written for the purpose of illustration rather than proof, that it was poetic, and so on." Croce said he did not disagree if the above activity was merely a poetic creation, but he objected if it claimed to be an authentic historical writing. The basic meaning expressed by Croce can be read in the remarks of Mencius, Wang Chong, Liu Zhiji, Zhang Xuecheng and others. It can be seen that it is a universal phenomenon of the whole world.
Croce also analyzes another form of "false history," "the history of what was called oratory or rhetoric in ancient times." "Its purpose is to teach philosophy by example, to inspire good deeds, to tell people what is the best political and military system", "to narrate it with a practical purpose", "or to make the mind aware of a historical, philosophical or scientific truth". This form of writing is actually entangled with the so-called poetic historiography.
The phenomenon revealed by Croce does exist. His criticism is worth echoing if it only points to the post-Greco-Roman era. However, he also put the ancient period within the scope of criticism, which needs to be discussed. Obviously, since the overall thinking and way of thinking of the ancient period is different from that of later generations, we can only sympathize with it. There is no reason to call Herodotus both the father of historiography and the liar. For we can use Objectivism to measure people with scientific thinking, but we cannot measure ancient people who rely entirely on poetic thinking. In this regard, Liu Zhi can be regarded as Croce's peer to a greater or lesser extent. Liu Zhiji was an objectivist historian, but he also had no objection to the literary approach of pre-Qin historiography. "Stone Speech": "The Warring States have been preceded, and their words can be satirized, not only caused by the sharpness of the pen, but also by the beauty of the physique." Moreover, even in later generations, Liu Zhiji also advocated the use of literary writing techniques such as "using obscurity". But at the same time, the views he expounded in places such as the Doubtful Ancients and the Confused Scriptures seem to be at odds with this. The QuBi even says: "Shi Shi has something to do with the king, and he must say much in secrecy, although the straight path is insufficient, but the famous religion is preserved." It can be seen that he believes that the straight road can make way for the famous teachers appropriately. However, under the premise of taking care of the famous teachings, he, like Croce, severely attacked the embroidery and carving of the embroidery and carving that deliberately harmed the essence of the historiography. Liu Zhiji has seen that the original form of historiography is entangled with poetry, mythology, and rhetoric, and that the era of poetry and fiction in the development of historiography was before the age of science, but for the harm caused to historiography by this situation, he will also criticize it regardless of the age, directly denouncing "the ancient book, its arrogance."
It must be pointed out that it was not that the ancients deliberately chose the language and mythological form of poetry, but that there was no other form of speech and expression except the language and mythological form of poetry. It is said that George Haman said that poetry is the mother tongue of mankind. The ancients only had this mother tongue, so everything in life was expressed in this mother tongue. Both Liu Zhiji and Croce saw this and were able to locate the original form of historiography from the perspective of an overall investigation of ancient society, but the principles of historicism were not thoroughly implemented.
Qian Zhongshu said: "The ancestors were ignorant, and the words were not specialized. Therefore, they sang praises and gave them to sacrifices, military service, dimwitting, and banquets, in order to reap the effects of the resentment of the people. The chronicle is passed down to the people, especially at one end, and the writing is written after the lyrical speech. The poetry of endowment and the history of memorization are inseparable from each other. ...... Epic poetry and history, blended without being drawn. ...... History must be true, and poetry can be hollowed out. Ancient history and poetry are mixed, and the history of the ancestors is still shallow, and they do not know whether they have doubts and spread letters, showing the truth and illusions. The number is real, the matter is more imaginary; take it for granted, and there is no need to have it. Recounting the past and being strong to the present, passing on to others and using it to feed themselves. Shi Yunhu? Poiêsis only. Therefore, Confucius said: 'Literature wins quality and history'; Mencius said: "It is better to believe than to have no book, and to take two or three strategies in "Wucheng"." In addition to the ShuXuan, Wang Zhongren's "On Balance" has three parts, "Yu Zeng", "Confucian Zeng", and "Yi Zeng", and the Gai Chronicle, the Text of the Dao, and the "Poem" of Yan Zhi are not allowed to be 'added'. 'Increase', rhetorical hyperbole, and Stone's so-called 'Shi Zhi article can be used, but it is not used for simplicity'. From the point of view, the ancients had a poetic heart but lacked shi deity. Instead of saying 'ancient poetry is history', it is better to say: 'ancient history is poetry', so this "Spring and Autumn" was written after the death of "Poetry". This passage is also based on the overall cultural attributes of ancient society, rich in meaning and informative, and its basic meaning is consistent with Liu Zhiji, Vico, Croce, Casirer and others. The group word is "wen sheng quality".
Obviously, poetic artistic expression is the cultural quality of ancient human beings, and historiography cannot be an exception. From the perspective of later generations, it can be said that the historical knowledge of the ancestors is still shallow; but from the perspective of historical facts, it is assumed that the imitation is a natural law, and there is no problem of historical knowledge. This cultural attribute has been inherited, that is, there is an important proposition of the so-called "literature wins quality and history". Therefore, the "history" of antiquity is actually a unity of "poetry" and "production". Mencius believes that such a "history" is not entirely credible, because Mencius in the Warring States period already possessed the concept of scientific historiography in later generations. Wang Chong's discussion of "virtuality" and "increase" just proves that "wen" is an ancient tradition. Therefore, it cannot be said that the ancients had a poetic heart but lacked Shi De, because the poetic heart is Shi De. When the poetry was separated from Shi De, the era of composing "Spring and Autumn" came. After the arrival of the "Spring and Autumn" era, on the one hand, the tradition of "Wen" continued to remain in "history", on the other hand, "Wen" would recognize "history" as the sect and developed the so-called historical novel and new historicism. This is what Xia Zengyou called: "The novelist is the other body of history." ”
In the case of poetic and even poetic chronicles, historians have never given the necessary attention and revelation. In fact, there is no shortage of examples in the "History". For example, after introducing the deeds of Gong Liu in the Zhou Benji, it is written: "The xing of Zhou Dao began from this point, so the poet Ge LesiQide. Sima Zhen's "Suo Yin" is annotated as "that is, the "Poetry Daya" passage "Du Gong Liu" is also". After introducing the deeds of the ancient gonggong's father, he also wrote: "The people all sing and praise their virtues." The Commentary on Suo Yin: "That is, the "Poetry of the Ode" Yun 'grandson of Hou Ji, King Shi Wei Tai, Ju Qi's Yang, Shi Shi Zhai Shang' is also. The so-called "Siqide" and "Praise Qide" are precisely to "explain", not "prove", which is consistent with the situation in ancient Greece. After recounting the deeds of King Wen of Zhou, Sima Qian also quoted the evaluation of "poets" to show his opinion. The "Five Emperors Benji" also mentions "acura singers", which has the meaning of professionals. It also mentions that "classical music", "poetry", "song", "sound", "law", "eight tones" and "dance of hundred beasts" all belong to the category of art. Liu Shipei believes that after the invention of writing, in order to facilitate memory, the style "must be mixed with even rhymes", "so the text of the two classics of "Yi" and "Book" is evenly born, and the sound rhymes are reciprocal; or in the chapters, they are even with each other. And the word 'jing' means 'organized into writings'." "The text of the foot sign rhymes, from the ancient past"; ballads, poems, rhymes, and rhymes constitute the basic content of the ancient social style. This classifies the essence of the "text" outside the Book of Poetry into "poetry".
Using "poems" to record "things" is not deliberately fake. Aristotle said, "If what the poet imitates is accused of being untrue, he can refute it this way: perhaps it should be." As Sophocles said, he described it according to what people should look like, and Euripides described it according to what people were supposed to look like. If neither of these statements worked, he could also reply that these things were said to be like this, such as legends about gods. Perhaps, as Xenophon said, it is impossible to tell the gods, they are not true, but after all, there are such legends. Some of the descriptions in the poem are not better than the real situation, but they are the facts of the time, such as the description of the weapon: 'Their spears are upright, and their tails are facing the ground.' Because this is the old habit of yesteryear, and it is still the same in Ilyulis. This passage not only argues that "taking it for granted" is reasonable, but it is also necessary. As Vico puts it, "The material peculiar to poetry is Credible Impossibility." It is impossible to say that the body is the mind, but after all, people have believed that the thundering sky is the emperor of heaven. Such a historical object, in Xia Zengyou's words, is not "the history of the human body", but "the history of the human heart". This history constructed by the human spirit is not a forgery, but a way of interpreting history, a conceptual truth.
Therefore, "writing a record of poetry" is not a fictional creation, it is also rooted in evidence, "root" is "thing", "evidence" is "record". "Root" is the objective source, and "according" is the legend or record of the objective source. The "Spring and Autumn Ram Biography" so-called "seeing different words, hearing different words, rumors of different words", the interpretation of the so-called "as I hear", indicating the hierarchical nature and tossing of the basis of writing. Historical writing is actually constantly creating "evidence". A basic rule of historical hermeneutics is to reveal why such a "basis" is not so "evidence". Historians collect and gather "evidence" for the purpose of studying the process; organizing and expressing the "evidence" is to narrate the process. Marx said that the method of narrative is different from the method of research, and "once the life of the material is reflected conceptually, it is as if it were a priori structure." Historical hermeneutics also requires revealing the structure of this transcendental structure.
"Stone Six Families" says: "Throughout the ages, the quality of the text has changed, and the works of history are not constant. From the history of poetry and the victory of literature over quality, to the death of "Poetry" and then the writing of "Spring and Autumn", on the surface, it is "quality" that overcomes "text". However, Confucius also reminded us that "quality is better than literature and wilderness." From the perspective of the evolution of civilization, from the chronicle of poetry to the chronicle of history, it is a process of de-witchcraft, a process of moving toward human culture, or a process of becoming scientific. In short, it is the process of driving away the "wild". Therefore, the specific connotation of "qualitative text change" must be specifically defined in combination with different era backgrounds. In this way, the passage from the chronicle of poetry to the chronicle of history is a great advance in historiography, and it is a real tendency towards "literature."
Source: Southeast Academic, No. 1, 2022
Edit: Zong Yue
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