Zhang Jiang丨"Knowledge" and "seeing" distinguish

"Knowledge" and "see" are words with similar meanings and can be mutually trained in a certain context. In Western hermeneutic theories, especially the contemporary hermeneutics represented by Heidegger and Gadamer, the meaning and function of "foresight" are highlighted, and the basic framework of contemporary hermeneutics is constructed with this concept as the core. In the ancient Chinese hermeneutical tradition, there is no hermeneutical concept of foresight. However, Lao Tzu proposed and defined "pre-knowledge", and profoundly influenced later generations with this category, opening up a unique interpretive route and tradition in ancient China, leaving a profound impact on the history of Chinese thought and society. Starting from the methods of Chinese exegesis and philology, this paper strives to identify the profound differences between the two concepts of the East and the West in the hermeneutic sense, so as to understand and grasp some important characteristics of the ancient Chinese hermeneutic tradition, discuss and judge its contemporary significance, and provide a new basic concept for the construction of Chinese hermeneutics.

1. "Knowledge" and "seeing" righteousness

"Foreknowledge" is a fundamental concept related to hermeneutics. The original source is Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching":

Therefore, the loss of morality followed virtue, the loss of virtue followed by benevolence, the loss of benevolence followed by righteousness, and the loss of righteousness followed by courtesy. The husband is the one who is faithful, and the first of chaos. Those who know before are the flower of the way, and the beginning of foolishness.

This concept is very similar to the concept of "foresight" in Western hermeneutics, and the degree of cohesion is very high, but the difference between "knowledge" and "seeing" is very large. The following are explained separately:

There are two pronunciations of "knowledge", which are listed as follows:

First, 語 (zhì) or "zhi". Under this pronunciation, the original meaning is to remember, remember, remember. "The Analects of Confessions": "Knowing it by acquiescence." Zhu Xi's "Collection of Notes": "Knowledge, remember." Tacit knowledge means that the mind is self-evident. "Hanshu Suburb Chronicles I": "Know where it is." Yan Shigu notes: "Know, remember." "Zizhi Tongjian: Zhou Jiyi": "Be careful to know it. Hu Sanxing's note: "Know, remember." The above are general, abstract activities of memorization and memorization. Consciousness also emphasizes the recording of things that are recorded and recorded, that is, the content of memory, that is, the things that are remembered. "Yi Da Animal": "A gentleman walks with a lot of knowledge and deeds, and uses his virtue as an animal." Kong Yingda Shu: "Remember more of the words of the predecessors and go to the virtuous." "The Analects of the Analects": "See more and know it." Zhu Xi's "Collection of Notes": "Knowledge, remember." "Shangshu Luohe": "Women respect and enjoy a hundred things. Jiang Sheng's "Collection of Notes and Sounds": "Knowledge, remember." It is the essence of knowledge to remember the "words of the predecessors" and "the deeds of the sages" that have been stored and remembered, so that they can be used by the memory person himself and his descendants.

Second, knowledge (shí). "Sayings and Words": "Knowledge, knowledge." This knowledge has a threefold meaning. One is to know. "Poetry, Daya, Zhan Wei": "If Jia is three times, the gentleman is knowledge." Zheng Jian: "Knowledge, knowledge." "Lü's Spring and Autumn Season: Changjian": "The son doesn't know. Gao lure note: "Know, know." "The second is knowledge and insights. Zhang Heng's "Tokyo Fu": "The contemptible husband is ignorant, and now and in the future, he knows the virtue of the Han Dynasty, and the saltiness lies in this." "Hanshu Shi Dan Biography": "Those who know the Beijing teacher think that it is appropriate to restore Danyi Jue. Yan Shigu notes: "Those who know are also people of knowledge." "The third is experience and perception. Tao Qian's "Peach Blossom Spring Poem": "The grass is glorious and harmonious, and the wood is weak and the wind is strong." Xin Qiji: "Now I know the taste of sorrow, and I want to talk about it." This knowledge is the process of feeling and cognition, and the knowledge that is the result of the process.

The above testimony has multiple meanings, all of which are related to interpretation. But the core or fundamental meaning of this is "memory", that is, the activity of memory itself, and the results obtained from the activity of memory, such as knowledge. Here's a small detail to illustrate. For knowledge, the original meaning of "Shuowen" is "chang", that is, "knowledge, often also". If it is said as "constant", there is little correlation between knowledge and memorization or knowledge, and the hermeneutic significance of foreknowledge is completely meaningless. Fortunately, the "Paragraph Notes" has already explained:

It is often taken as a meaning, and the word is wrong. Cursive often has a similar meaning. The Six Dynasties wrote in cursive, and the cursive became true. This is often the case with errors. Intentions, Zhi also. Those who have aspirations are also in their hearts. Meaning and ambition, ambition and knowledge of the ancient are all universal. The meaning of the heart is also the so-called knowledge. "University" is sincere in its meaning, that is, it is true in its knowledge.

In Duan's view, the so-called "often" is a typo, knowledge should be spoken, meaning should be spoken, no matter what sound is read, the original meaning of knowledge is "zhi", ambition and knowledge are common, and the key point of knowledge is "the heart is also", is "the heart exists", that is, "knowledge". In this regard, Yang Shuda said: "Literacy should be based on memorization." At the same time, he noted:

The word "knowledge" refers to people's knowledge and experience. However, the tools of knowledge are due to memory. When a person learns things or experiences things, he keeps them in mind, and when he encounters similar things in the future, he will know them very clearly, and then he will become knowledge. If you forget it, you don't remember it, even if you encounter the same kind of thing, you can't know it, and you have no knowledge to speak of.

So he came to the conclusion that literacy should be based on memorization. From this, it can be concluded that the so-called antecedent knowledge is based on the knowledge stored in the memory, rather than the feelings and cognitions of the present. What is more noteworthy is that Yang Congzhi's "戠" (zhí) sounds "sticky". "The sound of the sound and its homophones contain the meaning of sticking." Based on this, the following conclusions are drawn:

From concretization to abstraction, the thing is attached to the heart is called knowledge.

It can be proved that the so-called knowledge is the knowledge that exists deeply in the human mind or heart, which can determine the cognitive perspective and position of its owner, and can be consciously applied to cognition and interpretation, and make cognition and interpretation of phenomena or things different from others.

See the opposite. "Saying the Text: Seeing the Department": "See, see." Paragraph note: "The person who uses the eyes is also." Thus, many semantics related to seeing are related to this. The first is "seeing". "Zhou Yi Gen": "Go to court, don't see his people." The second is "meet". "Zuo Chuan: The First Year of Huan Gong": "Song Hua's father saw Confucius's wife Yu Lu, and sent her away. Finally, "Meet." "Mencius: King Hui of Liang": "Mencius saw King Hui of Liang." "This is the actual vision in the material space, and it is the seeing of the present moment, without the meaning of the past and the sense of memory. The extended meaning related to the act of interpretation, "seeing" has the meaning of clear, knowing, and insight. "Zuo Chuan: Twenty-five Years of Xianggong": "He only saw his contempt in the future, but now I see his heart." "The Great Dai Li Ji Zhi Zhi": "The husband and the people see their courtesy. "Huainanzi Cultivation Training": "Today makes it easy for the six sons, and who can see it?" Gao lure note: "See, still know." In this way, understanding, knowing, and discerning are also known in the present, and not in the past. This is important. Take the time axis, take the zero point as the positive and negative, and the zero point before the zero point as the recognition and remember; After 0:00 a.m., it is proposed; Only at the moment of zero o'clock, for seeing and seeing. From this, we can discern that if "seeing" is known and understood, it can only be the feelings, opinions, and cognitions of the present, and cannot be called "foresight". On the axis of time, the view can only be the view of the present at the zero point, not the view of history, tradition or knowledge. Historical, traditional, and intellectual views should and can only be called antecedents.

Is this how Lao Tzu thinks and uses? "Tao Te Ching" 5,000 words, Lao Tzu used "see" 10 places. Among them, it is seen as the manifest meaning, that is, the present word, where there are 5 places. Such as "do not see what you want, so that the people's hearts are not disturbed." "I don't see myself, so I know." "It is not to be ashamed of the saints, and it is not to be done with success, and it does not want to see the virtuous." See for knowing, knowledge of righteousness, where 5 places. The 4 places are the sense of sight, and it is the sight of the present, that is, the righteousness of seeing. Such as "seeing it, the name is called Yi", "seeing the plain and embracing the simple, thinking less and lacking desires" and so on. The only thing that can be discussed is, "Don't peep, see the way of heaven". Seeing can be knowing, but it can also be seeing when it is opposed to peeping. Can the above views be replaced by knowledge? Apparently not that simple. In Lao Tzu's place, the meaning of seeing is mainly in seeing, seeing. The meaning of "knowledge" is also very precise, righteous and clear. "The good of the ancients are scholars, subtle and mysterious, and unrecognizable. The husband is not knowable", this knowledge is to know, to understand, to grasp. It can't be a simple sense. The other knowledge is the knowledge of the previous knowledge. As discussed above, this knowledge is what is known, and what is already existing, not seeing, not seeing. In Lao Tzu, foreknowledge cannot be replaced with foresight. Lao Tzu thought about it, not used it casually. Grasping this point is of great significance for understanding the core clues of traditional Chinese hermeneutics, especially the theoretical theories about the premise of interpretation.

2. The original meaning and derived meaning of prior knowledge

Lao Tzu distilled the concept of foreknowledge and had a critical definition of "the flower of the Tao, the beginning of foolishness". This definition is functional, i.e., it gives an explanation of the action and results of Knowledge. This concept is primitive. Many scholars and schools of thought after Lao Tzu have paid full attention to the theoretical value and significance of the concept of preknowledge, and have made many more original provisions and explanations to derive higher-level general concepts.

According to the previous discussion, the basic connotation of knowledge is to remember and aspire, so the group words centered on knowledge have a relatively definite meaning. Judging from the combination of the front and the knowledge, the front is the judgment of time and position, and the original character of "Shuowen" is "歬", "not doing and advancing is called 歬." from the end of the boat". The image of a person standing on a boat and moving forward naturally without lifting his feet expresses the meaning of "forward". This leads to the "before" and "before" in the sense of time, and a large number of words such as past life, previous generation, predecessor, precedent, former master, and predecessor are all examples. Therefore, the basic meaning of foreknowledge should be the existence of knowledge that has been completed and solidified before this point in the timeline, which is the knowledge of all cognitions left by tradition, history, and predecessors. For independent conscious subjects, the degree, level, and content of preknowledge that they have or hold are different, but preknowledge is the basic premise for all conscious subjects to carry out their conscious activities. Strictly follow the "Lao Tzu Finger Return" to explain the "previous knowledge" and say: "The presupposition is also." "Yan Zun, the word Junping, was a Taoist scholar in the Western Han Dynasty. What is a preset? "Guangyun Royal Rhyme": "Pre, first." "Speaking of the Ministry of Words": "The one who set it, Shi Chenye." From this, it can be characterized that presupposition is the prior knowledge of understanding and cognition, and the predetermined thing has been predetermined before the knowledge of the object, and what this thing means has been displayed or placed, regardless of the ability or truth, the preset thing is this thing. In the early interpretations of Lao Tzu, it is clear that the interpretation of "prior knowledge" as a premise appears. Later generations of scholars may interpret "foreknowledge" as prophecy, such as Zhang Taiyan said: "Foreknowledge is the prophecy of religion." This is a creative interpretation of Lao Tzu, not the original meaning, and religious prophecy is also one of the prerequisites for conscious activity, which does not contradict our understanding.

The value of the concept of prior knowledge lies not only in the concept itself, but also in the fact that ancient Chinese scholars understood and grasped the basic process of cognitive behavior, and the necessary conditions and prerequisites for understanding since Lao Tzu. There is a large amount of literature to prove that various extensions and interpretations of the concept of preknowledge in Chinese dynasties have been derived from this source, enriching the epistemology or epistemology of ancient China. As for the specific preface and deeds, according to the text of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu first said that "the husband is the one who is faithful, and the head of chaos", and then begins to criticize the "foreknowledge", then the "foreknowledge" is inseparable from the tradition of ritual music. Lin Xiyi said:

Those who know before know more about the past and deeds. To be wise with more knowledge is not the truth of the Tao.

Foreknowledge is "preface and deeds", and there is a lot of knowledge, and people can be smart and wise, and they can start cognition according to this. Although he disdains it, taking it as wisdom is far from the true nature of the Great Dao. Ma Qichang's description is more detailed, explaining where foreknowledge came from and how Lao Tzu based it:

Etiquette, flint; The name of the ceremony, the Yellow Emperor, the ceremony, is Boyi. They all know before, and their wisdom is more than that of people, so they can make ritual music and be the flower of the Tao, and they don't know the red tape, which is not conducive to governance. It is the foreknowledge that is not foolish, and foolishness begins here. Therefore, the text of the Zhuangzi Festival says: "The one who is a celebrant is the head of the Tao and the chaos." ”

The direction of Lin and Ma is very clear. Their dialectical Lao Tzu's foreknowledge is that it has been preserved by history and is the etiquette and music law, poetry and book classics that were respected at that time. These rituals, music, laws, poems, and classics, which are orally transmitted or recorded in writing, were created and preserved by three generations of civilizations, and are valued by many schools of thought in the contemporary world, and are tenaciously practiced in the lives of the people. Therefore, whether positive or negative, positive or negative, the so-called foreknowledge, as a powerful force of consciousness and thought, must play a stable and lasting role in historical evolution. Such a role and influence of foreknowledge cannot but arouse the great attention of the builders of Chinese intellectual history in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and subsequent dynasties. No matter from what perspective, the ancient Chinese research on the concept of preknowledge and its representation has never been interrupted, and many important achievements have been accumulated, and many important concepts have been proposed, which can be interpreted as derivatives of preknowledge. The general clues are as follows:

The first is Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi put forward the so-called "Chengxin" theory. "The Theory of Things": "The husband follows his heart and learns, who is alone and has no teacher...... The fool and the fool. There is right and wrong before the heart, which is suitable for today and in the past. The meaning of "becoming" is the spiritual regulation that the subject's cognition of concrete things has upheld before it has been connected with the object, which is similar to the meaning of "prior knowledge". Cheng Xuanying's "Zhuangzi Shu": "The husband is sluggish, and those who cling to the prejudice of the family are called the heart." Zhang Siwei's "Zhuangzi Oral Righteousness Supplement": "Becoming a heart is a saying that is insightful but not false. Every man clings to his prejudices and worships them, and there is no distinction between foolishness. Cheng Yining's "Commentary on the Nanhua True Scripture": "Becoming a heart is a certain heart. Wu Shishang's "Zhuangzi Explanation": "Becoming a heart, conjecture is also." Accordingly, from foreknowledge to mindfulness, from mindfulness to prejudice, from prejudice to conjecture, the layers of degeneration enrich the content of preknowledge. The first is to become a heart as a cognitive standard. Everything and all knowledge are subject to the "teacher", the stagnation of the heart is the cognitive standard, those who meet the heart are yes, and those who deviate from the heart are wrong. The second is to become the heart. Becoming a heart is a "habit" of the environment, which cannot be refused. The third is to become a heart, everyone has it. The vast masses of people living in the world, both wise and foolish, and mortal, are the general constitution of human consciousness. The above three points, "Chengxin" and "Foreknowledge" are highly consistent, but they have also developed greatly, reflecting the inheritance and evolution of Taoist thought.

The second is Xunzi. He uses the metaphor as a metaphor to reflect on the foreknowledge. Xunzi said: "People are born to know, and they are ambitious. Those who are willing, Zang also, but there is a so-called void, not to be called void by what has been harmed. "Zang is the Tibetan meaning, Xunzi "has Zang" is highly consistent with the previous knowledge, and the representation is three. The first is that there is knowledge in life, knowledge and hiding, and there is also knowledge in the front, because the record is remembered, and there is in the cognition. This is the essence of knowledge. The second is that the consciousness is hidden and accumulated in the heart, which is the base and frames the things outside the heart. The third is that the Tibetans come first, naturally obscuring the truth, and then there is "distorted knowledge", that is, the distortion of the truth. Towards the opposite side of the Tao, "Zang" is "the flower of the Tao" and "the beginning of foolishness". "Foreknowledge" and "masking" have different names, but their performance and results are exactly the same.

It's Han Feizi again.

The first thing to do, the first to move is said to be pre-knowledge. Those who know before are forgetful because of their fate.

The chapter "Xie Lao" is an elaboration of "Lao Tzu", where "thing" has the meaning of "thing", which refers to the pre-existing object of knowledge. "Reason" refers to the universal laws of the operation of things. "Yuan" has the meaning of "cause", which refers to the objective basis of understanding. "Forgetting" and "delusion" are connected, that is, the righteousness of vanity. "Will" can refer to private opinion, which is the opposite of public reason. In the same view as Lao Zhuang, "prior knowledge" is a prior perception or judgment that has been formed when the subject has not yet cognitively related to the object. This kind of perception and judgment belongs to the subjective degree of private nature, which is contrary to the universal laws of things (reason) and the objective basis of cognition (fate), which is the uncaused and illusory precognition. This cognition of foreknowledge continues Lao Tzu's critique of foreknowledge and qualitates the historical trend of the concept of foreknowledge.

Finally, there is Lü Buwei. "Lü's Spring and Autumn" also makes an in-depth reflection on the "confinement" of the spirit. "Go to You": "There are many listeners in the world, and if there are many people, it will be paradoxical to listen." Therefore, there are many reasons, and they must be liked by people and hated by people. "Especially" is a borrowed word for "囿", Xu Weishu: "You borrow as a confinement, which means that there is some restraint." "Orthography": "I can't understand the wide range of words." "囿" (especially) is an obstacle and limitation of cognition, which is derived from "so-you", that is, prescient cognition, which is also consistent with "foreknowledge" and "concealment". A more valuable related discourse in "Lü's Spring and Autumn" is the story of "suspected neighbors stealing axes":

If a person has a dead axe, he will be the son of his neighbor, and he will steal the axe according to his steps, the axe of color, the axe of words, and the attitude of action and inaction without stealing the axe. He saw his neighbor's son again and again, and his attitude was not like that of an axe thief. The son of his neighbor does not change, but he changes. There is no other person who changes, and there is something especially.

This is a story that has been selected for inclusion in contemporary primary school textbooks. It's not a fuss to cite it as a stand-alone citation. Lui uses stories to tell about foreknowledge, the so-called "you", introducing a metaphysical speculative problem into daily life, extending it to the psychological world of ordinary people, and expressing his special understanding of foreknowledge or confinement. There are two values. First, there is no exception to prior knowledge, and the metaphysical level, such as the complex field of thought, has prior knowledge and functions; The lower metaphysical level, such as the simple life world, also has antecedent knowledge. No one can be an exception to foreknowledge, if there is wisdom and foolishness, wisdom like sons, foolishness like lost axes, both have foreknowledge and its effects. The second is the psychological description of prior knowledge. This story depicts the psychological reaction of a man who has lost an axe. The so-called "son of his neighbor" is a self-predetermined preconception. With prior knowledge, various mental sensations tend to the conclusions that arise from prior knowledge. Giving up the foreknowledge, the exact opposite mental sensation appears. This role of foreknowledge can be derived into two specific representations.

First, presets. As mentioned above, strictly follow the previous knowledge: "Presupposition." Chen Guying also said that in Lao Tzu, foreknowledge "refers to presupposing all kinds of etiquette norms." That is, the old rites of the previous generation, the rites of Confucius's "self-denial and revenge". Confucius took this as a precursor and prescribed what the present world and even the future generations should be. Unlike this ceremony, it must be transformed. It is right to cling to this principle. Foreknowledge determines people's perception and actions about the world. What is the result of this stalemate?

Second, stereotypes. At this point, paranoia turns into preconception. "Jade Chapter: Part E": "Cheng, Bi Ye." "Taixuan Xuan Chong": "It can't be changed." This means that the previous views cannot be changed. "Nanlei Poetry Anthology": "Or a certain prejudice, hating it to slander the sages, and before he finished speaking, he rejected it." "General Catalogue of the Four Libraries": "This is exactly what it does, and there is no selfishness of the party and the same party." "Prejudice is similar to prejudice, prejudice and stubbornness at one end, and success but not change, which will inevitably have a negative impact on correct understanding and cognition.

The concept of prior knowledge was mentioned by Lao Tzu, and later generations continued to derive, and through presuppositions and prejudices, it completely became an obstacle to correct understanding. In this case, the resistance and overcoming of foresight has naturally become an important direction of ancient Chinese epistemology and hermeneuticism.

3. Dissolve antecedents

The ancient Chinese tradition did not stop at simply denying and criticizing "pre-knowledge". From the pre-Qin period to the late Qing Dynasty, many important schools of thought and famous thinkers put forward many ideas and methods with practical utility in order to overcome and dispel the influence of preknowledge in order to strive for a reliable interpretation of phenomena, mainly traditional classics. Although these ideas and methods have their own shortcomings and strengths, the general orientation is positive and worthy of our serious study and practice. Broadly speaking, there are three directions.

First, to be quiet.

This is a prerequisite for preventing the negative effects of foreknowledge and for obtaining reliable knowledge. Lao Tzu said: "To the extreme, keep quiet." "He advocates the removal of mental experience, the removal of sensory reactions, and the focus on emptiness and emptiness, directly understanding the root of the universe, and intuitively grasping the avenue of the world." Blind to it, the name is Yi; If you don't hear it, your name is Xi; I can't do it, and the name is small. As a result, the senses of sight, hearing, and touch are useless, and there is no way to talk about experience and knowledge, and the mind, as an organ of knowledge, is naturally empty. Only the Void Pole can reach the Underworld. Emptiness, insisting on stillness, keeping the stillness of the independent subject, fixing the stillness of the dwelling, from the quiet to the underworld, from the underworld to the understanding, rather than from the movement to know, from the action to know. The so-called "don't go out of the house, know the world; Don't peep, see the way of heaven." The farther you go, the more you see, and the less you know. The sanctity of a saint lies in "knowing what is not done, knowing what is not seen, and becoming a saint without doing it". Zhuangzi also has the idea of being humble and quiet, and especially in the name of "heart fasting" and "sitting and forgetting". He borrowed the words of Zhongni to express his meaning: "If you have a will, you will listen to it with your heart without listening to it, and you will listen to it with your heart without listening to it." Hearing stops at the ear, and the heart stops at the symbol. Those who are angry are also those who are empty and treat things. Only the Tao gathers the void. "What is this?" Shinsai also". Those who fast are also abstained from and clean. Precepts, purify what you already have in your heart, bundle your heart into one, not listen to your heart to comprehend, not your heart to comprehend it, not to lead your heart to induce it, so that you can truly accept all things and gather the Tao in your heart. The mind is based on the premise of emptiness, resisting preknowledge, eliminating preconceptions, making "the mind stop at the symbol", and comprehending things as they are. Zhuangzi also borrowed Yan's reply to express his meaning: "Fallen limbs, dethroned intelligence, detached from the form to know, the same as Datong, this is called sitting and forgetting." "To know from the form is to try our best to get rid of the shackles of the external limbs, to remove the influence of experience in the heart, to know by "knowing", to forget the things and me, and to be in harmony with the Tao. Guo Xiang's note: "The husband who forgets it, Xi will not forget!" Those who forget both their traces and their traces, do not feel their body inside, do not know the world outside, and then suddenly change into the body and are all connected. "Sitting and forgetting takes detachment from form to knowledge as a means and forgetfulness as the criterion to reach a state of silence and provide a possible space for meditation and epiphany. Zhuangzi hopes to break the shackles of prior knowledge, understand nature and the human mind without knowledge, and integrate the avenue into one. Xunzi also emphasized emptiness. The so-called "void and quiet" specifically refers to the hidden place of the heart, the previous knowledge, and must be eliminated. "Those who are determined to do so, Zang also, but there is a so-called void, and it is not called void if it has been harmed." The heart is weak and the rule can be known. To be free from the constraints of prior knowledge, to get rid of the interference of prior knowledge, to concentrate on one point is to be open-minded. Only when the heart has been hidden and cleansed can we realize it. Zhang Dainian explained: "'Virtuality' means that there is no preconceived opinion, although there is a memory, but it does not make the memory interfere with what will be accepted. What will be received may be the opposite of what is already hidden, but it can still be received with an open mind. Regarding "quiet", Zhang Dainian explained: "That is, we do not use dreams, imaginations, fantasies, etc., to know, although there is imagination, this imagination does not infiltrate into knowledge." Han Fei also had a similar expression when explaining "Lao Tzu": "Therefore, those who are noble and thoughtless are said to have no control over their meaning." "Thinking without thinking, thinking without thinking, thinking without control, is the fundamental realm of going to the foreknowledge. Xunzi called "Great Qingming" is also.

Second, go free of selfishness.

In the epistemological sense, Confucius's "four nos" are to eliminate selfish intentions and establish the law of justice. "Saying the Text: Heart": "Meaning, Zhiye." Observe the words from the heart and know the meaning. "What is it? "Saying the Text: Heart": "Zhi, Yiye." From this, it is clear that the meaning is based on the heart, and it is the subjective opinion and self-opinion of the subject of consciousness. From this, there is an "opinion". "Righteousness" is the righteousness of the mindless, which is not disturbed by the subjective will of the conscious subject, and the universal and just righteousness, especially the true appearance of things, or the inherent meaning of things, without the addition of subjective will. Therefore, there is no "righteous view". Confucius was wary of self-centered, self-centered, self-motivated, and self-imposed cognitive motives and methods. "Unintentional", not to speculate out of thin air, to produce unfounded selfish intentions; "Don't have to", you can't use your private intentions as a force to push yourself to others; "Unfixed", not stubborn, unintentional, unintentional, knowing mistakes and not changing; "No self", you can't be self-centered, take your own will as the standard, live the world, and judge right and wrong. Confucius's self-proclaimed "absolute four" proves that Confucius was aware of the negative existence of preknowledge and had the consciousness to dispel the obstacles of preknowledge. Lao Tzu said that "if you don't see yourself, you will be clear", and there is also a cognitive orientation that does not take your own private views as the standard, grasps the object and perceives things, then the object and things are self-evident, and the subject of consciousness is self-evident. In particular, "not self-right, so manifested" has established an epistemological position that does not judge right and wrong based on one's own self-righteousness, selfish will, and prejudice, and is unnaturally manifested. In later generations, there was more sober resistance to selfish intentions. Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, Dai Zhen, etc., used concepts such as "own meaning" and "opinion" to express and criticize. Especially in the understanding and grasp of the classic texts and the meaning of the scriptures, the consciousness of abandoning prior knowledge and vigorously refraining from selfishness is more prominent. "Zhu Zi's Language": "Today's people look at books, first stand up for themselves, and then look at the future, and try their best to incorporate the language of the ancients into their own meaning." In this way, it is just to promote its own meaning, how to see the meaning of the ancients! Those who have to regress should not make their own intentions, but only put the words of the ancients in front of them with this heart, and see where their intentions are going. Only by playing with the heart in this way can we win the will of the ancients and have a place for growth. In his view, the pre-establishment of "one's own will" and "one's own meaning" has led to the forced interpretation of classic texts, "making the best use of the language of the ancients into their own meaning". Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate oneself with an "open mind", so that the inherent prescient understanding can be withdrawn, so as to fit into the "meaning of the ancients" and achieve the realm of "not blinding oneself with any selfish intentions". Wang Yangming adheres to the ideological consciousness since Confucius and Zhu Zi, and also advocates "focusing on his conscience without any intention, must, solidity, and self", and guards against the tendency of "will, must, solidity, and me" and difficulty in conscience. Dai Zhen, a Qing person, painfully reflected on the harm of "opinions", "that is, his person is honest and self-controlled, and his heart is selfless, and as for the punishment of a matter, he blames a person, relying on his own opinion, which is what he is and not what he is wrong, so that he is confident and strict and upright, and is jealous and hateful, but he does not know how rare things are, and it is easy to lose right and wrong, and often people suffer from it, and they will not be punished for life." "Opinion" is the opposite of "matter", the former is the "foreknowledge" of a private nature, and the latter is the justice or consensus of a public nature. Grasping "opinions" is "blinding oneself" (Dai Zhen's words), which not only leads to cognitive deviations, but also brings harm in practice. Qian Daxin affirmed that Gu Guyun's interpretation of the "Book of Songs" is long, and he can "not take his own intentions as true, but must seek the public opinion of the past and the present". It can be seen that the "absolute four" to reach the public theory is the main way for Confucianism to overcome the negative influence of prescience.

Third, it is quasi-physical.

"Saying": "Shun, reason." Duan's note: "The reason why it is reasonable." "Interpretation of Names and Words": "Shun, follow, follow its reason." "Those who obey are obedient and reasonable. Physicists, the principles and laws of things themselves and their operation. In the process of understanding and practice, conforming to the physical means resisting the pre-knowledge, respecting the object, respecting the coexistence of the subject, and conforming to its own reason and justice. Knowing is the knowledge of the object, the object is determined, respecting the object, acknowledging the existence of the object, is the starting point of understanding. Guan Zi said: "It is the king of the Tao, if he is ignorant everywhere, if his object is also even, and the way of quiet cause is also." "The Way of Quiet Causes" emphasizes that when dealing with external objects, we should conform to the principles of things and follow the principles and laws of things. At the same time, it is necessary to realize that everything is in a universal connection, and people always have to gain knowledge of a particular thing in a certain connection. In order to resist preknowledge and to correctly grasp and understand the object, it is necessary to grasp the things related to it comprehensively, especially the things that are opposed to the object of knowledge. Xun Zi said: "The sage knows the trouble of the mind and sees the disaster of the blockage, so there is no desire and no evil, no beginning and no end, no near and no far, no knowledge and no shallow, no ancient and modern, and all things are balanced in the county." Therefore, all differences must not be concealed from each other, so as to be disorderly. "To conform to the natural nature of things, to put different things in front of us, not to be predetermined and clinging to them because of prior knowledge, but to have a comprehensive grasp of their respective characteristics, and to clearly distinguish the differences between them. Only then can the understanding obtained be comprehensive and reasonable. In terms of the cognition of texts, to conform to physics is to conform to the principles of language and writing. Zhu Xi expounded on the understanding of texts, requiring that the principles of language and writing be followed, and that the meaning of language and writing should be grasped coherently. "Just put the language of the ancients in front of this heart, and see where he wants to kill. Only by playing with the heart in this way can we win the will of the ancients and have a place for growth. In the face of the texts of the ancients, to figure out the author's meaning of "where to kill" is to follow the inner path of the language and words used by the author and understand the author's original meaning. "Whoever reads a book, he must read it with an open mind, and do not speak first, but look at a passage and then read another paragraph. It is necessary to listen to all the words of a person who has been sued, and then he can make a decision. "To understand the text, it is necessary to understand the content of each part clearly, just as to hear the whole appeal of the whole part in the trial of a case. Only after mastering all the content can you gain an understanding of the coherence of the text. In this way, we can resist prior knowledge, otherwise the knowledge of the text will be occupied by selfishness. The goal of understanding according to the principle of things is to gain coherent understanding. Dai Zhen of the Qing Dynasty summarized his pursuit of coherence as "ten views". "The so-called ten points of view, must be collected in the ancient and incoherent, in line with the way without leaving any discussion, in detail, both the end and the end. If the husband relies on hearsay to imitate what it is, chooses the public to judge its merits, determines its argument out of empty words, and believes it according to isolated evidence, although the source can be known by tracing the stream, he does not witness the guidance of the deep spring; Follow the roots can reach the branches, and do not cover the branches and disagree, and they are not to the tenth point of view. The coherence of this understanding discussed by Dai Zhen has become highly systematic. In such a state, only by knowing the object, the process, and the subject can we achieve true integration.

Taken together, preknowledge and resistance to preknowledge are cognitive behaviors, and cognition always unfolds in the contact between the cognitive subject and the object. The three methods discussed above, to silence, to selfishness, and to follow physics, are consistent from beginning to end. Silence is the basic premise. To understand the subject, we must clear our inner experience and grasp the great road of the world with a pure and nihilistic heart. Removing selfishness is the specific method. Only by breaking away from selfish intentions as the starting point of the process of cognition, and canceling the subjective perceptions that existed before the process of cognition, can we have a proper understanding of things. Quasi-physics emphasizes respect for the object. This object is both an objective material and a spiritual object, as well as a subjective object that coexists in it, which is the mutual respect between subjects emphasized by intersubjectivity. Conforming to the truth and laws of things and listening to the opinions of all sides, especially the opposing opinions, is the fundamental way to eliminate the negative influence of foreknowledge.

4. Foreknowledge and Creation

The above analysis attempts to clarify the cognition and criticism of preknowledge in the evolution of ancient Chinese intellectual history. Described from the viewpoints of modern epistemology and hermeneuticism, it can be roughly defined as follows:

Foreknowledge is a conscious existence, the total accumulation of past experience and cognition that exists in the mind of an independent conscious subject. In its various forms, preknowledge participates in the construction of the basic cognitive schema of the conscious subject, plays a role in all the mental activities of the conscious subject, provides possible conditions for the subject's cognitive object and self-reflection, and profoundly influences and determines the thinking operation and cognitive mode of the conscious subject.

There is no doubt that prior knowledge, as a hidden, preconceived, predetermined, exists objectively. So, can it be completely eliminated without functioning, as the ancient sages wished? This tendency and preference seems to be very extreme, which is completely contrary to modern Western philosophy, especially ontological hermeneutics represented by Heidegger and Gadamer. This raises the question, in the framework of Western ontological hermeneutics, how to correctly and reasonably recognize and grasp Lao Tzu's precognitive thought? What are the similarities and differences between Heidegger's foresight and Lao Tzu's foresight?

Heidegger's theory of prestructure contains foresight. The most typical expressions are concentrated in the following:

Interpreting something as something essentially works by having it beforehand, seeing it beforehand, and grasping it beforehand. Explanation is never an unpredicated grasp of what is given in advance. Accurate classical commentaries can be regarded as a special concretization of interpretation, which likes to cite what is "canonical", but the first "canonical" is nothing more than the unspoken and indisputable preconceptions of the interpreter. There must be this preconception at the beginning of any interpretive work, which is given in advance as something that has been "set" with interpretation, that is to say, in the prior possession, the prior sight, and the prior grasp.

In this way, it is shown that the prestructure of Hai's contains three elements: antecedent, pre-seeing, and pre-grasping. Lao Tzu's foreknowledge also contains three aspects. The first is hidden, that is, what the heart is stored and what the heart wants. Same as above. The second is foresight, that is, prejudices that exist before verifying the facts, or assumptions that arise from impromptu intentions. See above. The third is presupposition, that is, to consciously point to determine something as something, and to use this as a criterion to achieve the intention. This is the same as before. The difference is that Hai's motive for interpretation is to "interpret something as such-and-so", and this interpretation must be based on prior knowledge and antecedent, which must be there before interpretation. Hai's emphasis on "having a classic" is actually a tradition, Lao Tzu said that "preface to action", which is "self-evident and indisputable" in Hai's view, but in Lao Tzu's view, this is "the flower of the Tao, the beginning of foolishness", to be fully resisted, completely eliminated, and not as a premise, let alone as a basis, into the process of understanding and cognition. What's even more important is that "interpreting such and such a thing as such and such a thing", or an unperceived preconception that suddenly transforms into a conscious position, when such and such a thing is not such and such a thing, but the interpreter forces such and such a thing to be such and such a thing, the so-called pre-grasping, pre-setting, planning, and getting started, it is worth discussing. Different from Lao Tzu's assertion, in order to achieve the goal of interpretation, Hai, especially many latecomers, collectively refer to the three elements of the pre-structure as foresight, and the antecedent is inevitable and indulges the antecedent, so that the interpretation is helplessly led astray. For example, with regard to the classics and their commentaries, as the "objectification" of the preface, Hai argues that "there must be such preconceptions at the beginning of any interpretation work", and any interpretation must be based on this preconceived view, and the reality and history are intersected and integrated, so that interpretation can produce meaning and meaning. There is no pre-existence, pre-vision, pre-grasp or pre-setting, and there is no explanation to speak of. It should be agreed that Hai's cognitive line is in line with the law of epistemology. It is impossible for people to start from a "tabula rasa". Knowing is always knowing what is known.

Lao Tzu doesn't understand this truth? The most basic point is that if Lao Tzu's words are like words, words and texts have rules, and there are thoughts, all of which have been hidden, how can this knowledge get rid of dissolution? Lao Tzu understands this truth. He is well aware of the existence and function of foreknowledge, otherwise, he would not have put forward the concept of "foreknowledge", let alone denounce it as "the flower of the way, the beginning of foolishness". Lao Tzu proposed and was wary of the original meaning of foreknowledge to express his strong dissatisfaction with Confucius's construction of a new system based on Zhou etiquette. Zhuangzi, Han Fei and others have extracted its political value and given a universal epistemological meaning to the previous knowledge, that is, human knowledge should not be used as a shackle to shackle new knowledge and creation, but should be rid of the old knowledge and previous knowledge, and grasp things and self without preference. This is the core path for various schools and schools in ancient China to invent and create, and it is also the basic way for human beings to advance and develop their understanding. From this point of view, let's look at the so-called controversy between modern and ancient scriptures, the controversy between Sinology and Song Studies, and the restructuring of Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. The mind must be emancipated, and only after emancipation can there be innovation. Abandoning preconceptions and resisting preconceptions is the premise of innovation. Lao Tzu opposed foreknowledge and repented against Confucius's self-denial. If Confucius really "speaks but does not do", he only takes Zhou Li as the possession and plans to restrict the current world; With the preface of Zhou Gong and other prefaces, it is stipulated that today's people must be like this, so confined to Confucius, Confucius or Confucius, how can the times advance? We have no intention of denying the progressive value of Confucian Confucianism, but from the perspective of downplaying the political color of pre-knowledge and epistemology, Lao Tzu's words are speculative philosophies, and the words of universal methods are epistemology rather than political science and ethics.

Lao Tzu's theory of foreknowledge is of great significance. It can be broadly boiled down to the following three points.

First, Lao Tzu was the first philosopher in ancient China to set up the concept of preknowledge from the perspective of human cognitive structure and actual cognitive activities, and pointed out its possible role. Lao Tzu and many former sages of the Warring States period jointly opened an epistemological path for future generations to resist and remove the negative role of prior knowledge. This proves that the ancient Chinese philosophers had a clear grasp of the complexity of human understanding. This kind of observation is different from the subject's perception of the object. In modern discourse, it is the subject's self-cognition, the self-perception and introspection of the spirit or thought, and the cognition of cognition. As far as the level of human cognition in the era of Lao Tzu is concerned, the knowledge of foreknowledge is an important indicator of the progress of the thinking ability of the whole nation.

Second, the critique of foreknowledge and the ambition to innovate. Unconventional, unyielding to tradition, with the goal of "seeing independence" or "seeing alone", creating the present and the future. Lao Tzu knows that the human heart is by no means a "tabula rasa", and the previous knowledge has been hidden. It is important not to indulge the gratuitous effects of prior knowledge. It is not possible to simply copy others, including Kong Mo; It is not only possible to respect tradition and copy the way of predecessors, including the three generations of Yao Shun. Lao Tzu said "Tao", which is "extraordinary Tao"; Lao Tzu's name is "name", which is "extraordinary name". Specifically, such as the metaphor of referring to things and creating shapes, generally like universal and eternal words, it is definitely not the way that Lao Tzu seeks, so it is called "very". Lao Tzu said: "The world is called my Tao, which seems to be unscrupulous." The husband is only big, so it seems to be unscrupulous. This statement can be concluded that Lao Tzu's way is a unique way, not a way similar to others, otherwise there is no way to speak of it. Lao Tzu is eager to seek "independence". "There are more than everyone, but I am alone", "I am alone", "I am alone", "I am alone", so that the way is said is "lonely, independent and unchanging" and "unique from others". Lao Tzu's breaking the previous knowledge is to be independent of others, especially to cut off the interference of predecessors, to open up a new way, and to create a new language. Otherwise, there is no Lao Tzu. The same goes for Zhuangzi. Advocating "sitting and forgetting" and "fasting" is to "see independence", the so-called way to achieve uniqueness. Zhuangzi ridiculed the book of the former kings as "dross", which also embodies the creative spirit of "seeing independence". Lü's advocacy of "de-confining" is to obtain "unique views", the so-called unique views that "everyone knows the extreme". And all that. Lao Tzu's vigilance and resistance to the foreknowledge opened up a new route for the magnificence of ancient Chinese thought, that is, not to be bound by the hidden or definitive theories, to produce ideas and theories that surpass the predecessors and foreknowledge, and to give vitality to the history of national culture and civilization.

Third, the criticism of foreknowledge is the enlightenment line of ancient China. The two important symbols of the Western Enlightenment have two fundamental similarities with the critique of foreknowledge represented by Lao Tzu.

First, resistance to tradition and authority. An important orientation of the Western Enlightenment was to criticize tradition and oppose prejudice and authority. Enlightenment thinkers generally held a skeptical and critical stance on the history and its texts that were already in possession. Radically freeing from superstitions about authority and tradition was the perfect faith of the Enlightenment. Gadamer said, "What is written down is not necessarily true. We can know them better. This is the universal norm of the modern Enlightenment against tradition, and thanks to this criterion, the modern Enlightenment finally turned to the study of history. In contrast, Lao Tzu is skeptical and critical of the "preface and deeds" that have been memorized and passed down orally, so that they are organized into scriptures, and named it "foreknowledge" and repelled it with "the flower of the Tao, the head of foolishness". As for the latecomers, such as Ercheng and Zhu Xi, the inventors and masters of Song Studies, if they want to create new theories, they must first break through the old theories, starting from "doubtful transmission" and "doubtful scriptures", in order to "self-gain" and "unique view". The historical scene at that time, "In the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the country, scholars did not dare to discuss Kong Anguo and Zheng Kangcheng, and they were saints!" Since the Qingli, the Confucian invention of the scriptures, beyond the reach of the predecessors, but the "Dictionaries" and the destruction of the "Zhou Li...... It's not difficult to discuss the scriptures, but it's worth it!" In a word, it takes courage to rebel against tradition and resist pre-existing knowledge, and it needs to start with enlightenment, with the ethereal spirit of "humility and meditation", to get rid of the pre-existing view, and then there is the principle of heaven and earth. Can this be seen as an ancient Chinese idea of enlightenment?

Second, use reason independently. What is Enlightenment? Immanuel Kant famously said, "The Enlightenment is the liberation of man from the immaturity that he has imposed on himself." Immaturity is the inability to use one's own reason without the guidance of others. When the cause is not a lack of reason, but a lack of courage and determination to use it without the guidance of others, then this state of immaturity is imposed on oneself. Have the courage to use your own sanity! This was the slogan of the Enlightenment. "Lao Tzu's foresight is to use one's own reason or reason independently without the guidance of others to make one's own thinking about the problems of the times. Xunzi's "unmasking" is also the use of his own rationality to question traditions and classics, and to issue independent opinions. Gadamer said: "We need a special critical effort to free ourselves from the preconceived notions of what is written, and to distinguish between opinions and truths in them, as in all oral statements." It takes courage to doubt the past and history, and it takes "the courage to use your own reason." Lao Tzu used the courage of his reason to criticize and resist the foreknowledge, and so hard, can it be regarded as the light of enlightenment in ancient China? Any theory or thought always has a precedent, and for future generations, it always has a precedent. New ideas are always generated and grown in opposition. And whether it is right or wrong, there are doubts and struggles, which is the process of self-exerting reason, and history exists and progresses as a result.