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Dr. Xin Yamin studied under Professor Zheng Wangeng of Beijing Normal University and Professor Liao Mingchun of Tsinghua University, and has made outstanding achievements in the research of Zhou Yi, especially Guizang. In 2012, he went out as a postdoctoral fellow and applied to work at the Renmin University College, stood out among many applicants, and passed the selection of the National College with a high number of votes, leaving a deep impression on the academic committee members who participated in the interview. After teaching at Yamin Laiguo College, he successively opened courses such as "Study of the Analects" and "Study of Guizang", and also organized the "Zhou Yi" reading class, which was welcomed by the students. His arrival has injected fresh blood into the National Academy. In 2011, I applied to the National Social Science Foundation's major project "History of Chinese Mengxue" as the chief expert. This project can have two supporting sub-topics, so I recommended Yamin and asked him to join the research team of Mengxue history. Yamin gladly accepted that while continuing to engage in yixue research, he also took considerable time and energy to start the study of the history of Mengxue, which was equivalent to opening up a new field of research. Now that his project has been completed and the results are ready to be published, I am happy for him and am happy to write a few words of congratulations.
Mencius was another great Confucian after Confucius, which had a profound influence on the development of Confucianism later, and after the Song Dynasty, his status continued to rise, and there was the dignity of sub-saints, and the way of Confucius and Mencius almost became a synonym for Confucian orthodoxy. The book "Mencius" has also undergone a promotion from the Zishu to the Scriptures, especially after Zhu Xi compiled it into the "Notes on the Four Books", it has attracted the attention of scholars, and scholars who have commented, elaborated, and commented on Mencius have emerged in an endless stream, forming a rich academic accumulation. After the transformation of modern scholarship, scholars' research has focused more on Mencius's thought, which has achieved outstanding results and is a grand view, but there is not enough attention to the history of Mencius, and the research is relatively weak. After the publication of the Guodian Zhujian in 1998, due to the discovery of Zisi's remains, the Simeng School received attention from the academic community and set off a wave of research. It was at this time that I began to concentrate on the study of the Si Meng School, especially Mencius, and ten years later published the book "Guodian Zhujian and the Si Meng School" in 2008, and since then I have successively completed two works, "Interpretation of Mencius" and "The Case of Si Meng xue". At this time, my study of Mencius and Simeng school came to an end for the time being, so I turned my attention to Xunzi and the history of Mengzi.
I pay attention to Xunzi mainly because in the process of studying the Simen School, I found that the thought of Zi Si is not only an important source of Mencius' thought, as pointed out by previous generations, but also affects the later Xunzi, although there is no Si Xun school in academic history, but from the perspective of the development of thought, there is actually a connection between Zi Si and Xun Zi. From Confucius to Zisi to Meng and Xun, it is actually a process of differentiation within Confucianism. The advantage of differentiation is deepening, Mencius and Xunzi have further developed Confucius's benevolence and etiquette respectively; its disadvantage is narrowing, Confucianism was originally both internal and external, benevolence and etiquette are unified, and when Meng and Xun are unified, they take a different side, making the rich Confucian tradition narrow. Based on this understanding, I have added a special chapter of "Epilogue" to the book "Guodian Zhujian and the Simeng School", proposing to unify Meng Xun and rebuild the Taoist system. At this time, the study of Xunzi can already be said to be about to come out, so after the completion of the study of the Simeng School, I immediately applied for the General Project of the National Social Science Foundation "Excavated Literature and Xunzi Philosophy", and at the same time accepted the invitation of Handan College as the director of the "Xunzi and Zhao Cultural Research Center". Together with Professor Liao Mingchun, I organized and established the Xunzi Research Society, edited and published the "Xunzi Thought Research" with Professor Kang Xiangge, and organized and held three international conferences on Xunzi Research, and my research direction has been comprehensively shifted to Xunzi.
As for my shift from Mencius to the study of the history of Mencius, it is more for academic reasons. Although Mencius is important, the number of works that annotate "Meng" and interpret "Meng" in history is even larger, and the influence of some works cannot be ignored, and it can even be said that it is impossible to truly read "Mencius" without understanding the history of Mengxue. In fact, not only "Mencius", but also other classics. Therefore, after the study of a classic is relatively mature, it turns to the study of the academic history of this classic, which can be said to be the general trend of academic development. For example, the study of the Analects has shifted to the study of the history of the Analects, the study of LaoZi has turned to the study of the history of laoxue, the study of Zhuangzi has turned to the study of the history of Zhuang studies, and so on, mencius is naturally no exception. From this point of view, the establishment of the "History of Chinese Mencius Studies" can be said to be opportune and conform to the inherent development and requirements of scholarship. Another reason why I turned to the study of the history of Mencius was that after the establishment of the Mencius Research Institute, it launched the major project of "Mencius Literature Integration" to collect and sort out the historical documents of Mencius in previous dynasties. I participated in this work as an associate editor and have published a total of 46 volumes of Song and Yuan volumes and Ming Dynasty volumes. As the saying goes, it is difficult for a woman to cook without rice. So now that the rice is cooked and the woman is ready to cook, the study of Meng Xueshi is naturally on the agenda. However, because of Xunzi, when I was engaged in the study of the history of Mengxue, I paid more attention to the relationship between Mengxue and Xunxue, and paid attention to examining the mutual influence and the long and negative differences between the two, which I emphasized to the members of the research group when I was doing the project demonstration.
Scholars generally believe that Mencius's sub-saint status was gradually established, and after the Southern Song Dynasty, Mengxue overpowered Xunxue and became Confucian orthodoxy, and the book "Mencius" also completed the upgrading movement from zishu to scripture. However, from the perspective of the entire history of Confucianism, the status and influence of Mengxue, especially the relationship with Xunxue, is still a topic worthy of in-depth study. Tan Sitong once said: "Two thousand years of learning, Xun Xueye, are all hometown wishes." (Renxue) seems to exaggerate the influence of Xunxue, and the evaluation of Xunxue is not objective enough. However, some scholars still argue that the influence of Xunxue at least during the Two Han Dynasties was far greater than that of Mengxue, represented by Mr. Xu Pingzhang in Taiwan. Mr. Xu mainly from the Han Dynasty classics, sub-learning two aspects of investigation, in terms of classics, although Meng, Xun both taught the six arts, because Xunzi almost lived to the "six kings, four seas and one" in the late Warring States period, the six classics were mostly passed on to his descendants by him, the early Han dynasty scribes, such as Mao Gong, Shen Gong, Mu Sheng, Bai Sheng, Zhang Cang, Jia Yi, big and small Dai, etc., directly or indirectly from the door of Xunzi, so Xunzi and Han Dynasty classics have a closer relationship. This point has also been mentioned before, and the Qing dynasty Wang Zhong said: "Xun Qing's learning is from the Kong clan, and it is especially meritorious to the sutras." The disciples of the Gai Seventy Sons were both martyred, the Han Zhuru was not rising, the rebellion of the Warring States of China and the Qin Dynasty, the transmission of the Six Arts, and the one who relied on it endlessly, Xun Qingye. Zhou Gongzhi, Confucius Shuzhi, Xun Qing Chuanzhi, and its Yiyi. Liang Qichao also said: "The Six Classics of the Han Dynasty were passed down by Xun Zi, and the teachers who passed on the scriptures were many dr. Qin, so since the Han Dynasty, although the name is Changming Kongxue, in fact, the only one sect of Xunxue has been transmitted." ("The Great Trend of Changes in Chinese Academic Thought") In addition to the classics, Han Dynasty Confucianism also included sub-studies, and Xunzi's "Longli Heavy Law", which focused on the work of foreign kings, also had a deep influence on the sons of the Han Dynasty. "The Confucians of the Han Dynasty were not only doctors of the Fuqiu Bo, Fusheng, and Shen Gong generations, but most of them were from Xun Qing's studies. That is, his Zhuo is called the sons, from Lu Jia below, such as Yang Xiong, Wang Fu, Zhong Changtong, and Xun Yue's Lun, which is also the legend of Xun Qing. The two Han scholars, the study of the classics is unique, but because of the yufeng of the pre-Qin families, there are also many sub-scholarly works, which are listed among the Confucians, mostly Xun Qing's Confucianism. When I read his books, Xun Qing's color is quite strong, and Shen and Han's Xuyu are often mixed in. And from this, he believes that "the world below three generations is not ruled by Mencius, but by Xunzi" (Xu Pingzhang: "Xunzi and Confucianism of the Two Han Dynasties", Wenjin Publishing House, Taiwan, 1988).
Although Mr. Xu's view has some truth, it seems to exaggerate the influence of Xunzi. Nowadays, academic circles generally believe that Mencius and Xunzi both had a certain influence on Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, which can be reflected in Sima Qian's listing of "Mencius Xunqing's Biography" in the "Records of History". The Biography of Ru Lin also says: "Mencius and Xun Qing are among those who follow the karma of their master and polish them, so as to learn and manifest themselves in the world." It shows that Sima Qian regarded Meng and Xun as equal in number, and scholars called them Meng Xunqi. As far as han dynasty classics are concerned, Meng and Xun actually had an impact. Meng Wentong has an article entitled "The Study of Han Confucianism Originates from Mencius Examination", which makes a preliminary sorting out of the relationship between Mencius and Han Dynasty classics. Xu Fuguan pointed out in the book "The Foundations of the History of Chinese Classics": "Mencius developed the teachings of poetry and book, while Xunzi developed the teachings of etiquette and music. Because Mencius's "Confucius wrote "Spring and Autumn" theory laid the theoretical foundation for the study of "Spring and Autumn" in the Han Dynasty, and many of its academic views were absorbed by the Western Han Dynasty and modern classics, some scholars even believe that Mencius's contribution to the western Han Dynasty and modern literature and classics was by no means under Xunzi. As far as the Han Dynasty Zixue is concerned, it is not just a continuation of Xunxue, but more manifested in the integration of Meng and Xun. For example, in the theory of human nature, some Confucian scholars have tried to theoretically integrate Mencius's sexual goodness with Xunzi's sexual evil (Han Confucian understanding, actually sexual disgusting goodness), and put forward their own understanding of human nature, dong Zhongshu and Yang Xiong both showed such ideological tendencies. In terms of political thought, it mainly combines the benevolent government advocated by Mencius with the etiquette emphasized by Xunzi, and also adopts Mengxun instead of Xunxue's exclusive respect. It's just that the theme of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty is not the life of the Heavenly Dao, but the lile of punishment, so Xunxue is more suitable for the needs of the times and is favored by the sons. From the perspective of the history of Mengxue, during the two Han Dynasties, Mengxue was generally on the rise and developing, and there were two events worthy of attention: First, at the Salt and Iron Conference of the Western Han Dynasty, Mencius's thought shined and became the theoretical basis and ideological source for xianliang and literature to criticize current politics, and Mencius's status was also improved as never before. The second is that Yang Xiong admired Mencius, compared himself to Mencius, imitated Mencius's criticism of Yang Mo, and defended the way of Confucius. Tang Hanyu once said that "Meng's yizun is honored because of the Yangshu" ("Reading Xun"), and Mr. Xu Fuguan also said, "As far as the general trend of thought in the early Western Han Dynasty is concerned, the influence of Xunzi is actually greater than that of Mencius... Pulling out Mencius above the sons, thinking that it is no different from Confucius, also began with Yang Xiong" ("The History of the Thought of the Two Han Dynasties"). Some scholars have summarized the development of the history of Mengxue as from "MengXunqi" to "Kong and Meng", then this process actually appeared in the Han Dynasty.
The Two Song Dynasties were an important period in the development of the history of Mencius, mencius's status continued to rise, and completely overwhelmed Xunxue and achieved orthodox status, and the book "Mencius" also completed the upgrading movement from the zishu to the scriptures. For this change, the academic community generally believes that because the Two Han Confucianism is partial to the construction of the system and does not pay enough attention to the life of the Heavenly Dao, with the introduction of Buddhism and the rise of Taoism, Confucianism encounters great challenges in metaphysics, and there is a situation of "Confucianism is weak and cannot be contained". In order to meet the challenge, Confucian scholars must reconstruct the study of moral life in order to solve the problem of the value and meaning of life. Mencius talked about "dedication", "intellectuality" and "knowledge of heaven", which contained a wealth of content of heavenly life, so it was valued by the theorists and gave high praise, and Mencius's status was repeatedly improved. However, if we are not limited to the theoreticians or Taoists, but focus on the entire Song Dynasty Confucianism, we have to admit that the theme of Song Dynasty Confucianism is the connection between the life of the Heavenly Dao and the criminal administration of Lile, and the Confucians of the Song Dynasty took the life of the Heavenly Dao as the theoretical basis for the criminal administration of Lile and the cause of famous religions, and took the criminal administration of Lile and the cause of famous religions as the implementation of the life of Tiandao, so it was the life of Tiandao and the criminal administration of Lile that attached equal importance. When it comes to lile criminal politics, it is impossible not to involve Xun Xue, so there is a Song generation, on the surface, Meng Xue is a unique one, but in fact, Xun Xue also secretly plays an important role. I call this phenomenon "the invisibility of Xunxue", that is, although some scholars admire Mencius and denigrate Xunzi, they consciously or unconsciously absorb and use Xunzi's ideas, which can be represented by Wang Anshi. Wang Anshi honored Mengxun as a world-famous man, and as soon as his Huainan Miscellaneous Sayings came out, he was regarded as a comeback of Mencius; his article "The theory of sex" also expressed a similar idea of sexual goodness to Mencius. However, it is worth noting that after Wang Anshi's thought matured, he took the initiative to abandon the theory of sexual goodness and adopted the theory of natural human nature, advocating "habitual speech". His argument for the lile criminal government is also mainly Xun Xue's thinking, that is, from natural emotions, it can coexist with the universality ("great middle nature"), regard it as the basis and source of the liturgy, affirm it in the form of legislation, and maintain it with criminal politics. On this issue, the humble article "Wang Anshi's Political Philosophy Micro"(Journal of Beijing Normal University, No. 3, 2016) has a special discussion, which is not expanded here. In short, even during the Two Song Dynasties, although the status of Xunxue declined, it still played an important role in the construction of Confucianism. This situation is mainly because, for Confucians, when talking about inner sacredness and mental nature, it is necessary to take the theory of sexual goodness as the foundation; when talking about foreign kings and systems, it is necessary to return to the theory of natural human nature. From this point of view, Xunxue is still an indispensable and important aspect of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty.
When it comes to the ZunMeng of the Song Dynasty, it is impossible not to involve the "non-Meng" ideological trend that coexists at the same time. If it is said that Mengzi scholars tend to be fond of Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, haoran qi, great husband spirit and independent personality, then what non-Meng scholars are worried about is precisely the impact and impact that the above content may have on the unified monarchy. According to records, during the Song Dynasty, Yan Song once asked Suoshan (Lu Jiushao, Lu Jiuyuan's brother): "Mencius said that the princes take the royal way and the king's way to worship the Zhou Chamber?" Walk the king's way to get the heavenly throne? Suoshan said, "Heavenly position." Yan Song asked again, "Is it the usurpation of the religion?" Suo Shan said: "The people are precious, the society is secondary, and the king is light." Xiang shan sighed, "Since ancient times, there has been no such discussion." What Lu Xiangshan sighed was exactly what non-Meng scholars were trying to criticize. In their view, Mencius lobbied the princes, not to persuade them to honor the king of Zhou, but to encourage them to practice benevolent government and claim the title of king, which in itself was contrary to Confucius, not only did not conform to the purpose of the famous religion, but once it became popular, it would also have an impact on the ruling order at that time. For example, Li Jian criticized, "The way of Confucius, the way of the king and the subject; the way of Mencius, everyone can be a king", Mencius "the name of Confucius and the real back". Therefore, if we think out of our minds, how do we view the criticism and evaluation of Mencius's political thought by non-Monsant scholars? How does the Zunmeng scholar resolve this contradiction? It is also a question that deserves serious consideration and study.
The Mengxue of the Song Dynasty and its relationship with Xunxue are, of course, not limited to the above aspects, but contain richer aspects and contents, which need to be carefully sorted out and studied. To do this, it is necessary to do a comprehensive and meticulous collection and combing of first-hand materials. Yamin's "Mencius Literature Integration" does exactly this kind of work, providing us with a relatively complete material on the history of Mencius, eliminating the need for researchers to search for it. I believe that Yamin's work will receive the attention and affirmation of the academic circles, and will also bring great convenience and help to the "History of Chinese Mengxue" that we are writing.
(Author's work affiliation: China Mencius Research Institute)