The criticism of Zisi and Mencius in Xunzi and Non-Twelve Sons is an important record of people's understanding of the status of Confucian inheritance between Confucius and Mengzi. After the reappearance of the Mawangdui Book and Guodian Zhujian's "Five Elements" chapter, the Si Meng Five Elements Theory was confirmed, and the relevant disputes seemed to have settled. However, Xunzi's criticism of Zisi and Mencius ultimately ended in the confusion between the two on the learning of the "Zhongnizi Bow", which also reminds us that Xunzi accused Si Meng of still having differences in the lineage of learning behind them. From this point of view, it can be found that the deep reason for Xunzi's criticism of the Simeng School lies in the difference between the two in the tradition of Confucius and Yixue.
One
The criticism of the Zisi and Mencius schools in "Xunzi Non-Twelve Sons" is as follows: "The first kings of the Law without knowing their unity are still as ambitious as the drama, and they smell miscellaneous knowledge." The case is said to be the five elements, very secluded and classless, hidden and unspeakable, closed and unsolved. The case adorns his words and respects the words: this true gentleman's words are also. Zi Si sang, Meng Ke and Zhi. The worldly ditch, Yu Confucian, did not know what it was wrong, so he accepted it, thinking that the Zhongnizi bow was thicker than the hereafter, and it was the sin of Zezi Si Mengke. Later generations of litigation focused on the specific content of the five elements of Si Meng and the mystery of "secluded", "hidden" and "closed". It is worth noting that Xunzi accused the ultimate foothold of the Simeng school of criticism in the confusion of ZiSi and Mencius's doctrine of Zhongni and Zigong: "I thought that the Zhongnizi bow was thicker than in future generations. Starting from this, we may be able to further understand the reason why Xun Zi rebuked Si Meng.
△ Xun GongCai Statue (Qingdian Collection) Information picture
"Xunzi" mentions "Zhongni and Zi bow" many times, and pushes Zi Bow to the status of an incomparable saint: "The unpowered one of the saints, Zhongni and Zi Bow are also" "Now Fu Ren Ren Ye, what will he do?" The upper is Fa Shun and Yu Zhizhi, and the lower is Fa Zhongni and Zi Gong ZhiYi" "Pi Da Confucian... The Jonny Bow is also". According to this, some scholars believe that Xunzi's high esteem for the sub-bow is his self-reported master's inheritance: "Those who repeatedly say 'Zhongnizi bow' are Xunzi's self-proclaimed master's inheritance. (Guo Moruo's "Ten Criticisms") Then, Xunzi took the initiative to continue Confucius and ZiGong, and worried about being confused by Zi Si Mencius's "case to the old", which specific link in the inheritance of Confucius thought represented? A closer look at the academic origins of Confucius, Zigong and Xunzi can be found that the biggest common denominator of the three in academic inheritance lies in their contribution to the spread of Yixue, and Xunzi, Together with Confucius and Zigong, constitute an important vein of Confucian Yixue inheritance.
Yi is closely related to Confucius: Confucius not only clearly expressed the importance he attached to Yi: "Add me a few years and learn Yi for fifty years, and it is no big deal." (Analects of Shuer) and according to the Records of History, "Confucius was late and liked Yi, with prefaces to Yan, Zhi, Xiang, Shuogua, and Wenyan." Reading "Yi", Wei edited three absolutes. Since then, Confucius's ten articles of "Yi Chuan" and the exploration of the subtleties of the "Yi" Tao have continued to appear. Although Mr. Jin Jingfang pointed out that the "ten wings" of the Yi were not written by Confucius himself, he also had to admit that "some of them were preserved by Confucius's identification"; the status of the Zi Bow in the development process of Confucian Yixue should not be underestimated, that is, Confucius re-passed on the disciple Chu Ren Zhi Zi Hong, according to the "History of Zhongni Disciples" and the "Hanshu Ru Lin Biography", the Zi Hong is an important link in the inheritance of Confucius Yixue: "Shang Qu Lu people, Zi Zi Mu, less Confucius twenty-nine years old. Confucius passed on the easy Qu. Qu Chuan Chu Ren Ji Zi Hong. It is worth noting that XunZi's thought is "completely identical to that of the Yi Chuan, especially the Zhi Ci Chuan" (Bronze Age: Progress of the Pre-Qin Heavenly Taoist View). In addition, Xunzi also emphasizes that "those who are good for "Yi" do not occupy", and there is an element that obviously continues Confucius's yixue thought.
From this, the reason why Xunzi criticized Mengzi's confusion about the academic inheritance of the "Zhongnizi Bow" can be seen: the "Zhongnizi Bow" that Zisi and Mencius 's school of "confused" is the Confucius Yixue inherited by Xunzi. The old saying of the "case" of Zi Si and Mencius should also be easy to learn from Confucius, but it is very different from the Zi Bow and Xun Zi families.
Two
Yi was first conceived as the book of Bu Zheng, and Confucius was a key figure in the process of Yi's interpretation from mathematical to righteous interpretation. The "To" of Ma Wangdui's book records Confucius's efforts to lightly congratulate Bu and emphasize morality and righteousness when interpreting Yi: "Yi, after I wish Bu Yi, I look at his virtue and righteousness. Praise and reach the number, count and reach the virtue, and be kind to the guardian and the ear of righteousness. Confucius advocated the invention of the original and easy to learn hidden and unclear parts, so as to find the "number", that is, the heavenly law that can "change and act as a ghost", and on this basis, the ultimate pursuit of "virtue" was achieved. Among them, "number" is the basis and means, and "virtue" is the ultimate goal. It is precisely on the basis of this position that Confucius adopted the "non-occupation" attitude of "post-Blessing" in response to the original blessing function and mystical factors of the Yi, focusing on the ethical and indoctrination significance of the Yi. Therefore, Mr. Li Xueqin once praised Confucius's contribution to the process of "Yi" from arithmetic to philosophical: "Confucius really completely distinguished the ease of numerology from the easyness of righteousness (or the ease of philosophy). ”
△ "New Compilation of Zhuzi Integration Xunzi Collection Solution" Information picture
Xun zi inherited Confucius's practice of interpreting Yi with "virtue", not only deliberately avoiding the function of Yi, advocating that "those who are good for Yi do not occupy", and especially emphasizing the ethical and moral color of Yi. For example, "Xunzi Da Luo": "The "Salty" of "Yi", see Couple. The way of husband and wife must not be righteous, and the essence of the father and son of the monarch is also. Salty, feeling also, to high down, to male and female, soft up and just down. The righteousness of hiring a soldier, the way of welcoming, the beginning of the beginning. The above discussion involves the "Prologue" "The Way of Husband and Wife Must Not Be Soon" and "Family · Yan" "The family has a strict junyan, and the parents are also said." Father, Son, Brother, Brother, Husband, Wife, and Wife, and the Family is Righteous.". Xun Zi combined the two theories, borrowing the gua principle of "Yi" to convey its indoctrination ethical ideas. It can be seen that the evaluation of Xunzi today that Xunzi "deeply understood Confucius's understanding of the "Yi" in terms of personnel" (Xu Qinting's "The Origin of the I Ching: A History of Chinese I Ching Studies") is quite pertinent.
Compared with Xunzi, the yixue lineage of Zisi and Mencius is slightly obscure. Among them, Zi Si's inheritance of "Yi" is not controversial, for example, the "Table Record", "Fang Ji", and "Silk Cloth" that are said to have been composed for Zi Si have quoted "Yi" many times; and the essence of "Moderation", such as "willfulness", "dedication", and "life", is also common to the "exhaustive nature of Yi". Scholars such as Gao Heng, Kim Deok-kin, and Takeuchi Yoshio all believe that "the Zisi school is better than the Yi school". However, the seven articles of Mencius have never quoted "Yi", although successive scholars have repeatedly said that "Mencius" is good at "Yi", for example, the Song Dynasty great Confucian Cheng Yi said that "those who know "Yi" are like Mencius" and "Mencius can view "Yi"", and Jiao Xun also said in "Mencius Justice": "Gu Zhi is proficient in "Yi" theory, and those who are deeply impressed by fuxi, King Wen, Zhou Gong, and Confucius are like Mencius. Even Mr. Lü Shaogang, a modern person, pointed out by comparing the essence of Mencius's thought with the essence of Yi that Mencius's theory of sexual goodness and benevolence and righteousness were closely related to the sixty-four gua of Yi, and accordingly said: "Mencius does not know Yi, where in the world is more to find people who know Yi." However, since there is no explicit reference to Yi in this mencius, most scholars believe that the Si Meng school did not transmit Yi. However, if we break through the limitations of the seven chapters of the current "Mencius" and return to the early biographies of "Mencius" in the Warring States And Qin and Han Dynasties, this statement may be rewritten.
The seven articles of the current "Mencius" are not the original appearance of the Warring States "Mencius", and after Liu Xiang led the school classics at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, it can still be seen that the "Zhuzi Luo" Confucian "Mencius" outer book four and the "BingJia Luo" Yin and Yang "Mencius" one. In the Qin Dynasty, only yi bu was not burned, and the Confucian scriptures and sons were not spared, so that in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, "there was only "Yi Bu in the world, and there was no other book" (Liu Xin's "Moving Books to Let Dr. Taichang"), but only Mencius "did not lose the book", becoming the earliest batch of documents in the early Han Dynasty. This also reminds us that the early biography of Mencius was spared or related to the existence of the Yi Bu component in it. It is worth noting that there is a passage of "Mencius" in the "Hanshu Yiwenzhi" that is included in the "Yin and Yang" category, which is exactly in line with the mathematical "Yi". The Book of Han and Yiwenzhi points out that Bing Yin and Yang works have the characteristics of "going with the times, pushing the punishment of morality, fighting with the fight, because of the five victories, and the false ghosts and gods as helpers". Yan Shigu's note: "Five victories, five elements to win against each other." It can be seen that this "Mencius" has the tendency to understand the law of the development and change of things, be familiar with the changes of the five elements, and be good at using mystical power to achieve the goal, which is highly similar to the "number" characteristics of "Yi", such as when the "Zhou Yi Zhi Ci" mentions the "number of heaven and earth", it is said that "this is why it becomes a change and the ghost god also acts". The book "Yi Zhiyi" has a record of "counting the past is smooth, knowing the coming is reversed, so the 'easy' inverse number is also", and it is also believed that the essence of easy learning lies in the mysterious use of "numbers" to understand the law and guide practice. According to the book "Want", Confucius's steps in interpreting the "Yi" are "You praise and reach the number, ming number and reach hude", and Xun Shuang explains: "You, Yin Ye". In contrast, it can be seen that the volume of Mencius, which is included in the Yin and Yang family, is precisely in the stage of using the Yi to "change and act as a ghost god", that is, the stage of mathematical yi of "praising and reaching the number", and has not yet reached the requirements of the righteousness of "clear number and reaching virtue". This is also the reason why Xun Zi rebuked Zi Si Mencius for "violating the law", "hiding", and "closing the contract".
△ "Mencius Commentary" book shadow information picture
On this basis, re-examining the Si Meng Five Elements Theory, we can find that there is also the support of easy to learn ideas behind it. The Yi ZhiYi says: "The way of the heavens is yin and yang, the way of the earth is soft and rigid, and the way of the people is benevolence and righteousness." The so-called "soft rigidity" is a collective term for the five elements. According to the above view, yin and yang, the five elements and benevolence and righteousness are the same, but they correspond to different levels of heavenly path, authenticity and humanity. The records of Guodian Chujian's "Five Elements" of Ren Yi Li Zhi Sheng," "Walking in the Inner Saying of Virtue", "Not Doing what is Said in the Inner Saying", if in line with the above ideas, also embodies the idea of humanity "benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom" corresponding to the yin and yang of the Heavenly Dao and the five elements of the Dao. It can be seen from this that the reason for Xun Zi's rebuke of Si Meng's Five Elements Theory is not that of the "benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom of the sage" itself, but the opposition to the mathematical and easy-to-learn factors that are integrated with it. At the same time, it can be seen that although Confucius had the efforts of the ease of division and the ease of righteousness, the inheritance of "number" and "virtue" was divided and controversial, and it still existed until the Meng and Xun periods.
(Author: Li Hua, Associate Professor of Qilu Cultural Research Institute of Shandong Normal University, Taishan Scholar.) This paper is a phased result of the National Social Science Foundation of China [14CZW019])