At the beginning of the year, Professor Yang Lihua of the Department of Philosophy of Peking University entered the B station, and the first video immediately triggered the expectations and hot discussions of netizens. Professor Yang has been named one of the "Top Ten Teachers" of Peking University and is widely welcomed by Peking University students because of his knowledge, temperament and personality.
At Peking University, Professor Yang Lihua's class is always full. From the Analects to the History of Chinese Philosophy, from the Four Books to the Zhuangzi, he has no shortage of brilliant views in the interpretation of texts, and even more in the exposition of ideas.
How to read the classics? What role does the classics play in a person's life? How do we deal with our relationship with this era? Professor Yang Lihua believes that deep reading can unite the spirit and draw perseverance from it.
Today, movable type Jun shared with book friends an interview with Professor Yang Lihua by Global People Magazine entitled "Yang Lihua, the male god of the Department of Philosophy, met Zhuangzi unexpectedly".
Yang Lihua, the "male god of the Philosophy Department", met Zhuangzi unexpectedly
—
Chen Juanwen
Looking back, many people will have one or more decisive moments in their lives.
For Yang Lihua, one of the decisive moments occurred in 1990. At that time, he was a sophomore in the Department of Engineering Thermophysics at Zhejiang University, and the frustration of advanced mathematics and the tedious and boring experiments often made him sullen, "imagining himself standing in a factory, the whole person is in a trance, helpless."
Cai Zhizhong comic "Zhuangzi Said" inner page
In his spare time, he reads a variety of books, especially literature, and once dreamed of "writing novels while working as a power plant engineer." By chance, he read Cai Zhizhong's comic "Zhuangzi Said", felt very interesting, so he found the original work of "Zhuangzi", although he did not read too much, but fascinated, "the soul was suddenly touched, felt into a state of philosophy", he made up his mind: study Chinese philosophy.
More than 30 years later, recalling the situation when he first met Zhuangzi, Yang Lihua still has some sighs, "If I don't choose Chinese philosophy, maybe I will become an engineer who reads Zhuangzi and looks desperate."
He is now a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Peking University, and lectures on Kong Meng, Lao Zhuang, Ji Kang, Zhu Zi, Wang Yangming, etc. in the classroom, often full of people, and is called "the male god of the philosophy department" by students.
Recently, he moved the class to Station B to give a lecture on "Zhuangzi", which triggered a heated discussion.
A huge vortex in Chinese culture
Yang Lihua lectured on "Zhuangzi" at Station B, with the original intention of reading the classics. This is also what he has been doing all these years - after graduating from the Department of Philosophy of Peking University in 1998, he stayed on to teach, opened the "History of Chinese Philosophy" course, and every year took students to read the classics and study the ideas of ancient Chinese philosophy.
"Classics are classics because of their constant meaning and value. That is to say, when we read Confucius and Mencius today, we are not actually reading the thinking of a philosopher more than two thousand years ago. Yang Lihua said that the reading of classics requires dedicated and in-depth reading, which can unite the spirit, transform the classics into current thoughts, and draw perseverance from them.
Reading the classics, Zhuangzi is naturally not to be missed. "Zhuangzi" has an inner part, an outer part, and a miscellaneous part, with a total of more than 70,000 words in 3 parts. "The transcendent, poor, humorous, wanton, and imaginative Zhuangzi in our eyes is mostly the Zhuangzi in the story, that is, the Zhuangzi outside the Zhuangzi and miscellaneous works." Yang Lihua said.
In the outer and miscellaneous works, Yang Lihua's favorite story comes from the "Zhuangzi Foreign Objects" chapter: Zhuangzi's family is poor, running to the home of The Marquis of Jianhe to borrow money, and the Marquis of Jianhe says that he does not have enough money at hand, and waits until the end of the year to collect taxes and grain from the people and then lend it to him. After Zhuangzi listened, he was indignant and told a story to Jianhe Hou, saying that on the way to come, he heard a voice calling himself, it turned out that there was water in the pit where the car rutted, there was a sturgeon in the water, and the sturgeon asked him to get a scoop of water to quench his thirst, and he responded: "Don't worry, I will travel to the south in two days, and I will lead the water of the West River to save you." The sturgeon was angry, "When you bring in the water, I will become a dried fish." Then, he said to Jianhe Hou, when you receive Yijin, you can only come to the place where the dried fish are sold to find me.
Screenshot of the B station course "Professor Yang Lihua of Peking University Speaks about Zhuangzi Philosophy"
"Such a Zhuangzi is really fascinating. He did not lose his conviction in his inner self because of his poverty—he borrowed money from Jianhe Hou, borrowed it with righteousness, and could not borrow it to be angry. Yang Lihua said that there are many such wonderful stories in the outer and miscellaneous articles.
But those stories obviously do not show a real Zhuangzi as a philosopher. Yang Lihua agreed with the philosophers Zhong Tai and Liu Xiaodang's research, believing that "the inner part was written by Zhuangzi himself, and the outer and miscellaneous parts are suspicious." Based on this, he lectured on "Zhuangzi", focusing on the seven inner chapters (including "The Getaway", "The Theory of QiWu", "The Lord of Health", "The World on Earth", "De Chong Fu", "The Great Grandmaster", and "Emperor Ying"), and went deep into the texture with the most solemn attitude, reaching the core of Zhuangzi's philosophical thought.
"The Zhuangzi in the Seven Inner Chapters is Zhuangzi's Zhuangzi, not the Zhuangzi in the Outer and Miscellaneous Chapters. This Zhuangzi is serious and lonely. Yang Lihua said. One of the reasons he talked about Zhuangzi was that he "read his books and wanted to see him as a man."
Screenshot of the B station course "Professor Yang Lihua of Peking University Speaks about Zhuangzi Philosophy"
Most people read Zhuangzi and think that Keiko is Zhuangzi's friend. "It's a misconception." Keiko was a contemporary of Zhuangzi, appearing several times in Zhuangzi and debating with Zhuangzi, who was often thought to be friends. However, Yang Lihua synthesized Zhuangzi's definition of a friend in the inner chapter, which requires "looking at each other and laughing, not against the heart, so as to make friends and friends." Although Zhuangzi and Keiko have intersected, they have not reached the point where they are not in their hearts– he even has a sharp taunt to Keiko, "Even friends will not be like this.".
In addition, Zhuangzi also borrowed this character in "The Great Master", imagining the scene when he was going to die, "his wife wept in a ring", and no disciples were present. Through various details, Yang Lihua came to a conclusion: Zhuangzi is a lonely person to the extreme.
Yang Lihua also put the inner seven pieces together to analyze Zhuangzi's writing, "If Zhuangzi is still alive today, he is definitely a great screenwriter, and he will pay attention to any details, and he will basically not wear gangs." Reading the text carefully, he found that Zhuangzi liked to use the number "nineteen", and the knife used by Ku Ding to solve the cow was nineteen years; in the De Chong Fu, "I traveled with the master for nineteen years". Why are they all nineteen? Yang Lihua speculated that eleven years was too little, twenty years was too neat, nineteen years looked like real, and the time was long enough.
"The biggest charm of 'Zhuangzi' is that no matter what kind of life we are experiencing, at certain moments we will always meet Zhuangzi unexpectedly." Yang Lihua said that this reflects the present nature of Chinese philosophy.
For example, reading "The Getaway", many people believe that Zhuangzi's thought is the ancient version of "lying flat learning". "But Zhuangzi's 'leisure' does not mean doing nothing. The escape itself points to the elimination and breakaway from the 'use'; speaking of the "life" in "Dechong Fu", "Zhuangzi" tells us that uncertainty may be the only certainty, is the truth of life"; speaking of "Health Lord", "health maintenance" is concretized as "can preserve oneself, can live a whole life, can raise relatives, can be exhausted", "this is the basic connotation of the individual's life, after this, it is an additional burden and addition." From this point of view, the various alluring products and images created by consumerism have become unnecessarily redundant."
Fundamentally, behind the superficial negativity, Zhuangzi has a strong sense of autonomy and freedom, and has a spirit of self-determination. In the present moment, Zhuangzi tells us that we can keep ourselves and say 'no' to the constraints in life. Yang Lihua said that entering "Zhuangzi" is to enter an incomparably rich world of thought, and the deeper he reads, the more he feels that he is inexhaustible. Because of this, "Zhuangzi is like a huge whirlpool in Chinese culture, and all people are caught up in the appreciation and fascination with him to varying degrees." His thoughts have since inspired generations of philosophers and literati to think, such as Ruan Yuanming, Tao Yuanming, Su Shi, etc., including Lu Xun."
Sticking in the hustle and bustle
For Zhuangzi, Yang Lihua has an indescribable feeling.
Yang Lihua, "Zhuangzi Philosophical Research" (Peking University Press, 2020)
The year before, he published a book, "A Study of Zhuangzi's Philosophy", writing down what he had thought and thought about reading and studying Zhuangzi over the years. At the end of the book, he writes a perfect ending for Zhuangzi: imagining that Zhuangzi died in the early autumn, some single afternoon. No pain. It should have been a sunny day, and in his last world, along with the fallen leaves, there would be the sound of fruit falling to the ground. To this day, he still remembers the afternoon when he typed the last word, "There is an illusion, more than two thousand years later, someone finally understands you (Zhuangzi)."
"Of course, I can't fully understand Zhuangzi either, I can only get infinitely closer." Occasionally I think: Reading "Zhuangzi" like this in this life is also happy. Sometimes when you take it in your hand, even if you don't turn it over or read it, you will feel at ease. Yang Lihua said. Every time he mentions Zhuangzi, his thoughts will return to the moment when he first met Zhuangzi, and it was also the time when his life path turned.
In 1991, half a year after encountering Zhuangzi, Yang Lihua decided to enter the graduate school of the philosophy department of Peking University and wanted to worship under Chen Lai. Chen Lai studied under the famous philosopher and historian of Chinese philosophy, Zhang Dainian. He bought Chen Lai's "The Realm of Existence and Absence-The Spirit of Wang Yangming's Philosophy" to study, and also wrote a letter to Teacher Chen, and actually received a reply. Later, he nailed the back credit pin across the bed, and every morning he woke up and looked at it before going to bed at night to motivate himself. People around him are not optimistic about him, "I just think I can get in, it's very strange."
In September 1992, Yang Lihua reported to the Department of Philosophy of Peking University, and the tutor was Chen Lai.
Chen Lai and Yang Lihua at the scene of the 98th session of the Peking University Boya Forum
After all, he was halfway out of the house, and when he first entered the school, there was a lot of pressure, and he made a cruel heart, soaking in the library every day, reading and making up classes. At that time, Chen Lai had a course on "Selected Readings of The Original Works of Confucian Philosophy", and took students to read Wang Yangming's "Records of Transmission and Practice" (Part 2) in the classroom. "If you read the Book of Transmissions (Part 2) in class, don't you read it in the upper and middle schools?" "The Complete Works of Wang Yangming" are out, don't you read it? Right, all read. Yang Lihua said. He had a quiet temperament, could sit on a cold bench, and was also his own interest, and gradually entered the door of Chinese philosophy.
In addition to immersing oneself in reading, there are also years of youth. At that time, Yang Lihua lived in Building 46 of Peking University, and his roommates were called "sons", Jiang Zi loved to read and buy books, and Yang Lihua's door of learning "basically depended on his guidance"; Pei Zi was a firm believer in Buddhism and would get up early in the morning to burn incense and read the Buddha, so the dispute between Confucianism and Buddhism was routineized in the dormitory; there was also a fellow scholar who studied the origin of the Northern Song Dynasty's psychology. For a while, before going to bed, they often recited Chen Yinke's "Mr. Wang Jing'an": "What I have learned is about Providence, and the world knows the truth of jealousy." "One person, one sentence, extremely generous.
"Now that I think about it, Chen Yinke meant sticking to us in the hustle and bustle of that time. That breath of sturdyness still remains in me to this day. Yang Lihua said.
Later, Yang Lihua continued to study for a doctorate and worshiped under Mr. Tang Yijie. Before he could graduate, he began giving classes to undergraduates. The first lesson on the History of Chinese Philosophy was on an afternoon in the winter of 1997 about the Northern Song Dynasty thinker Zhang Zai, "At the end of the course, in that slightly dim classroom, outside the window was the twilight of the winter dusk, and something lit up on the vivid face in front of me was also permanently lit up by that moment." What kind of life do you have to be worthy of the illumination of that moment? ”
Pack up your spirits and be your own master
Yang Lihua lectures, no PPT, no need to give a speech. In class, he either memorized the original text of the pre-Qin Zhuzi in large paragraphs or joked with popular words. He enjoyed film, poetry, and literature, and often incorporated them into his lectures.
Because of his humor and humor, and his ability to combine traditional classics with real life, Yang Lihua's philosophy classes are very popular, and people often come to rub lessons. After the class, there were also students who specially combed through his golden sentences, witty sayings, and passages, which were posted on the Internet and widely circulated. For example, "People can't live too hard, and the right path must be the direction of force." "Everything that needs to be proven is not full." "A gentleman who does not know his fate is a gentleman, and 'fate' is an uncertain, unpredictable accident." ...... Many students have heard one of his "self-deprecating" anecdotes: when I was studying for a doctorate, I once cooked in my dormitory, kerosene caught fire, and he thought he could not use water to extinguish the fire, fell into contemplation, and the neighbor was fast, holding a basin of water, "uproaring" and pouring it down, and the fire was extinguished.
"In Mr. YangZi's classroom, I can always be driven to reflect and feel myself." Tong Xinyan, a student who had taken Yang Lihua's class, recalled. When she was an undergraduate, she admired to "rub" Yang Lihua's "Four Books Intensive Reading" class. Once, near the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yang Lihua happened to talk about Mencius, saying that gentlemen have three pleasures: one music family is peaceful, two happy hearts are calm, three music teaches and educates people, and when it comes to the joy of "parents are there, brothers have no reason", the affection is sincere and touching. After listening to this class, Tong Xinyan immediately bought a ticket and returned to her hometown to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with her family.
Yang Lihua
In addition to teaching and writing, Yang Lihua's biggest hobby is playing Go. Former Go player Hu Yaoyu followed him to study classics such as the Four Books and Zhuangzi, and over time became a friend. Hu Yaoyu often went to Peking University to drink coffee with him, or to get together for a drink after class, and occasionally played chess. In recent years, Hu Yaoyu has opened a special column on chess reviews, and Yang Lihua often reads it and has his own understanding of Go, "The beauty of Go is concentrated in the cutting off of all unnecessary links and elements." Obviously, this understanding of his is integrated into Chinese philosophical thinking.
"Philosophy is the most solemn guardian of every age, guarding the foundation of values." Yang Lihua said that what is most lacking in this era is quiet and in-depth thinking. And thinking has become a habit of his—thinking anytime, anywhere, when watching movies, reading novels, watching ball games, listening to music, and even educating children. Because of this, in the eyes of his family, he was always absent-minded, and he often talked to him with the lips of the donkey not on the horse's mouth. "In important places, I have to have a reason to settle in, otherwise I will be uneasy." This requires continuous questioning and thinking, trying to face all problems with thinking. Yang Lihua said.
After studying Chinese philosophy for so many years, Yang Lihua positioned himself as "a listener in the ancient classical world" and "tried to use his own listening to really touch the thoughts of those philosophers.". He liked the Southern Song Dynasty philosopher Lu Jiuyuan the most, "Pack up the spirit and dominate itself", "The spirit should be understood as the vigorous and agitating role derived from the pure, simple, and consistent spirit."
When he was in college, Yang Lihua liked rock and roll and liked Cui Jian, and this love continues to this day. When his son was 8 years old, Cui Jian held a concert, he took his son to see it together, and followed Cui Jian all night, his voice was dumb. On the way home, he didn't say a word, and his son asked, "Why?" He said, "I was wondering, if Confucius lived, would he like Cui Jian?" ”
That night, Yang Lihua thought for a long time and came up with his own answer: Confucius at least would not hate - Cui Jian had a strong vitality and explosive power, "life should be a full and overflowing state, not a shrugged head."
"Professor Yang Lihua of Peking University Lectures on Zhuangzi Philosophy"
Peking University's original hardcore "Zhuangzi" intensive reading class
Restore Zhuangzi as a philosopher with the most solemn attitude
![These idioms originally came from Zhuangzi, but the meaning of ancient and modern words is very different[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)