(1) Frustration in the field
When we mention Pu Songling, the first thing we think of is his masterpiece, the collection of short stories "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
Pu Songling (蒲松林字留仙), courtesy name Jianchen (一字健臣), nicknamed Liuquan Jushi (柳泉居士), was a native of Pujiazhuang, Zichuan, Shandong (present-day Pujiazhuang, Hongshan Town, Zichuan District, Zibo, Shandong). Born in 1640, died in 1715 at the age of 76.
When Pu Songling was born, just in time for the Ding Revolution in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the soldiers were in chaos and natural disasters occurred frequently, but the intellectuals' pursuit of the goal of the imperial examination did not change in the slightest. Pu Songling's family can be regarded as a family of scholars in Zichuan. During the Ming Dynasty, there were eight Xiucai in the county, and the Pu family accounted for six. Gao Zu Pu Shiguang was a twin, great-grandfather Pu Jifang was a student, and in the generation of his grandfather Pu Shengne, because he did not pass the examination, the family road began to decline.
Pu Songling's father, whose name was Yu,Minwu (敏吾), did not pass the examination for Xiucai, and later simply gave up the imperial examination to start a business. However, while doing business, he also continued to study the history of the scriptures, "Bo Qia flooded, Su Ru could not reach it." Since he was in his forties and did not have a son, Pu Yu stopped doing business, but used qian Zhou to build a temple and eat and pray to the Buddha. Believing in Buddhism, presumably in order to do more good deeds, in order to ask the bodhisattva to bring himself a son, was a popular practice in feudal society at that time. Due to the loss of financial resources, in his old age, Pu Yu's family was in a difficult situation, but he had children one after another. Pu Songling was the second son born to his wife Dong Shi. It can be seen that Pu Songling was born in a family that fell in the middle of the family road but had a bookish door style.
Due to the difficulties of family life and the inability to hire teachers, the education of the Pu Songling brothers has always been undertaken by his father, Pu Yu. In the fifteenth year of Shunzhi (1658), the 19-year-old Pu Songling took the prefectural prefectural examination for the first time and won the Xiucai examination with three first places. His articles have even been praised by Zhixian county in Zichuan County, Shandong Xuezheng and others. At this time, Pu Songling can be said to be full of ambition and hope for the future, and all the future merits seem to be at hand. Who knows, this appreciation is the first honor that Pu Songling has won in the science field, but it is also the last time. After that, Pu Songling took part in the township examination one after another, and each time he returned home, until the year of knowing the destiny of heaven, under the persuasion of his wife, he ended this kind of unnecessary and hopeless struggle.
There are some things in the world that are like this. I have pursued it all my life, worked hard for it, and lived to the death, but there is no ideal result; but just a work that is free to do as he pleases, floating white, and expressing a sense of truth, but the author has left an immortal reputation. Pu Songling probably belongs to this category of people. Kechang's frustration gave him no chance to shine in the annals of history with his outstanding political achievements, but he was admired by posterity with the book "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
(2) The completion of the book "Liaozhai Zhiyi"
In fact, as early as his youth, Pu Songling "used ancient chinese to imitate himself whenever there was no one around", revealing his love and talent for literature. According to scholars' research, there are six times in which "Liaozhai Zhiyi" was written.
The first book was written between the third year of the Kangxi Dynasty and the eighth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1664-1669), that is, Pu Songling was between the ages of 25 and 30. At this time, Pu Songling and his close friend Zhang Duqing sang and wrote poems, and Zhang Duqing's "Heliu Xianyun" had sentences such as "Junzi ShenxianKe", "Sikong Museum Ben Fengliu", "Junzi Huang Chuwen Zhengyi" and so on. Since Pu Songling was famous among his fans as the "Immortal Guest", the Immortal Huang Chuping, and the Naturalist Sikong Zhang Hua, it can be concluded that with his character of "less negative talents" and "Ya Ai Search god" and "happy people talking about ghosts", he should have written a considerable number of articles at that time, and there was already a plan to write a special book. In addition, from these accolades, it can be seen that Pu Songling's memories of these chapters of searching for gods and talking about ghosts were initially regarded as works that could be juxtaposed with "Zhang Hua's "Naturalist", which reflected the evaluation of Pu's "Liaozhai Zhiyi" by the people of the time.
The second book was written in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1679), when Pu Songling was 40 years old. After the compilation of "Liaozhai Zhiyi", Pu's interest in "Ya Ai Search god" and "happy people talking about ghosts" has not ended, and his habit of "smelling and writing" has not changed, and "Liaozhai Zhiyi" as a collection of short stories can be expanded indefinitely. At the time of this book, Pu Songling wrote the preface to "Liaozhai Zhiyi", called "Liaozhai Zizhi". The prologue reflects Pu Songling's middle-aged mental journey and the creative purpose of this stage of "Liaozhai Zhiyi". The preface emphasizes that "Liaozhai Zhiyi" has realistic persuasion and clear criticism goals, and also reveals the embarrassment of Pu Songling's livelihood, the creative mentality of not meeting talents in the field of science and longing for a confidant.
The third book was written in the twenty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1682), when Pu Songling was 43 years old. From the age of 40 to 43, how many sequels Pu Shi wrote is no longer available, but "Zhu Weng" and "Flood" were written in the twenty-first year of Kangxi. It was also in this year that Pu Songling re-compiled "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
The fourth book was written in the twenty-eighth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1689), when Pu Songling was 50 years old. Interestingly, because Ofu Songling worked in the shogunate of the official Wang Shizhen, the two were given stories of the same source or communication channel at the same time or successively, and they recorded these stories in their own books: Wang Shi was recorded in "Chibei Occasional Talk", and Pu Shi was recorded in "Liaozhai Zhiyi". Therefore, some of the passages in the two books we look at today are the same. In the twenty-eighth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Wang Shizhen composed "Chibei Even Talk", and Pu Songling rearranged the "Liaozhai Zhiyi" and asked Wang Shizhen to read and comment, so there was a seven-piece poem written by Wang Shizhen: "The girl who speaks in vain listens to it, and the bean shed melon rack rains like silk." It is expected that he should be tired of being a human language and love to listen to the autumn grave ghosts singing. Pu Shiyi replied to Shiyun: "The book of Zhiyi is a laughing one, and the cloth robe is like silk." Ten years quite won the Huangzhou mood, cold rain cold lights night talk. "From the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Pu Shiji compiled the "Liaozhai Zhiyi" and composed the "Self-Zhi", to this re-compilation into a book, exactly ten years.
Later, around the age of 60 in the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi (1699) and the forty-seventh year of Kangxi (1708), When Pu Songling was 69 to 70 years old, he edited the Liaozhai Zhiyi twice, and added some articles. After the age of 70, Pu Shi put aside his pen.
At present, there are more than 490 articles in the popular version of "Liaozhai Zhiyi". The book has a wide range of themes, rich content, vivid and vivid characters, a twisty and bizarre storyline, a rigorous and ingenious structure layout, concise writing, and delicate description, which can be called the pinnacle of literary short stories.
Is "Liaozhai" Pu Songling's study?
It is generally believed that "Liaozhai Zhiyi" means to record strange stories in "Liaozhai". So, what is "Chatting"? Is it the name of Pu Songling's book?
In the fifth year of Qianlong (1740), only 25 years after Pu Songling's death, his grandson Pu Lide wrote a trek for "Liaozhai Zhiyi", saying: "The sixteen volumes of Zhiyi were written by the first great father, Mr. Liu Quan. First the eldest father secret Song Ling, the word Liu Xian, alias Liu Quan. Chat about fasting, its name also. According to the theory, the people who know Pu Songling best should be his descendants, and the words of his grandson should be conclusive. But what is strange is that Pu Songling himself and his friends almost never said that "Liaozhai" is the name of his zhai. Therefore, some scholars have raised two questions: First, since "Liaozhai Zhiyi" is named after "Liaozhai", why is there very little explanation of "Liaozhai" in the literature? Second, according to records, "Liaozhai Zhiyi" was not originally called this name, but "Zhiyi", which can be seen everywhere in the records of his friends. Mr. Ma Ruifang's "Ma Ruifang Reveals the Secret of Liaozhai Zhiyi", he said: "People often think that Pu Songling's study is of course 'Liaozhai'. In fact, 'Liaozhai' was originally only a virtual bookstore when Pu Songling wrote "Liaozhai Zhiyi", and in real life, his study was first called 'Face Wall Zhai', then 'Green Screen Zhai', and finally set as 'Liaozhai'. It can be seen from this that whether "Liaozhai" is Pu Songling's name of the book has yet to be investigated, or there is not enough material to prove that it is his name.
In fact, it is not so much that "Liaozhai" is Pu Songling's study, but rather his "heart". The "heart fast" here can be defined as the "fast of the soul". Why? As mentioned earlier, although Pu Songling likes to talk about the sky, the earth, the fox, and the ghost, throughout his life, he prefers to be a keju, and even devotes his life's energy to it, and the result is that he returns empty-handed every time. Writing "Liaozhai Zhiyi" is to a certain extent his spiritual sustenance, one of the meanings of the word "chat" is "sustenance, dependence", which we often say "boring" and "boring" is this meaning. There are also two interpretations of "boredom", one is that there is no way to live, and the other is that the spirit has no sustenance, and the second should be taken here. Pu Songling said in "Liaozhai Zizhi": "Floating white carrying pens is only a book of loneliness and indignation." It is also sad to pin such a hope! "That's what it really means! In the "Heart Fast", Pu Songling pinned his infinite thoughts on his own, and got some comfort and satisfaction in extreme loneliness. And this is also a motivation for Pu Songling to create "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
The source of the material for "Chatting with Zhiyi"
People say that art comes from life and is higher than life, and "Liaozhai Zhiyi" is such a work. It must be admitted that the composition of "Liaozhai Zhiyi" has its regional cultural traditions, Pu Songling's hometown of Zichuan ancient Qidi, is the source of the northern immortal alchemy and romantic culture, "Shandong has many foxes, taste foxes into essence, can change men and women to confuse people", "all villages have gods to send songs and cry", "customs are invincible, village witch drama" - these provide cultural background for the book; and more importantly, pu Songling's personal life experience sublimation.
For example, when Pu Songling was a teenager, his father betrothed him. Father-in-law Liu Jituo is an old talent, who is dignified and upright. When the Pu family entrusted the media to propose relatives, some people used to hinder the poverty of the Pu family, but Liu Ji was very satisfied with the Pu family's scholarly style, especially admired Pu Yu's character, and firmly agreed to this family affair. In the twelfth year of Shunzhi (1655), when Pu Songling was 16 years old, it was rumored that the imperial court wanted to elect women to enrich the harem, so people were panicked and married women. Liu Jiqiao sent his daughter to the Pu family for refuge. After two years, Pu Songling officially married his wife. Shuxiang Mendi's daughter married Poor Xiucai, and Poor Xiucai was eager to repay, which is a very prominent theme in "Liaozhai Zhiyi". Pu Songling has been desperately participating in scientific expeditions all his life, although there are family and social factors, and there may also be a sense of retribution for his wife who has promised him!
Another example is that after the birth of Pu Songling's eldest son, his extended family was divided. The reason for this, according to Pu Songling's disclosure in "Liu Wei Ren Xingshi", comes from the quarrel of his sister-in-law. Pu Songling's sister-in-law has a very fierce personality, which gives Pu Songling a deep stimulation, which becomes the prototype of the humble women in the later "Sun Tianguan Girl", "Jiang Cheng", "Lü Wu Disease" and other articles of "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
For another example, Pu Songling traveled to many places during his time in Jiangnan. He traveled to Huaiyin, hanging the Bawang Ancestral Hall, Pan Shaobo Lake, climbing the Northern Gushan Mountain, and traveling through Yangzhou, "knowing the wind and smoke in the north and south." The investigation and understanding of Jiangnan folklore has injected vitality into the story of the south narrated by Liaozhai Zhiyi. The reason why "Frog God", "Five Links", "Sunset Xia", "Wang Gui'an" and other articles have such a strong jiangnan water town atmosphere and style is due to his trip to Jiangnan. It is worth mentioning that during the southern tour, Pu Songling also met a singer and prostitute named Gu Qingxia. She can sing and sing poetry, and Pu Songling admires her chanting skills, praising: "Man's voice is delicate, and it is refreshing in the ear." "In "Bai Qiu Lian" and "Lian Zou" and other articles, we can see the shadow of this young girl who loves to recite poetry.
Finally, the story about the imperial examination in "Liaozhai" is the expression of Pu Songling's bitter and uneven psychology, which is not only an exposé, satire and lashing of the imperial examination, but also a record of his mental journey. Like "Ye Sheng", who wrote an article and wrote an article to crown Ye Sheng, who was trapped in the field for a long time at that time, after his death, he still stayed in the world in an illusion to set up an account and apprentice, so that the son of his confidant became famous. At the end of the text, there is a large paragraph of "Different History", expressing the sadness and indignation of his frustration. Later, Pu Songling gradually realized the corruption of the science field, so he exposed the phenomenon of fraud in the examination room and ridiculed the unspoken eyes of the examiners.
The modern value of "Chatting with Zhiyi"
Although "Liaozhai Zhiyi" is a collection of short stories, and the content is mostly related to gods and ghosts, there is a certain connotation and truth behind its story, which is not without reference significance today.
First of all, "Liaozhai Zhiyi" embodies a cordial and harmonious view of nature. The Zhuangzi Qiwu Theory says, "Heaven and earth are born with me, and all things are one with me." "In Pu Songling's pen, all things are sentient and righteous, full of spirituality and wisdom, whether it is foxes, flowers, birds or tigers, snakes, dragons and turtles, etc., they are in close and natural contact with people and live in harmony. This is the inheritance and development of the ancient Chinese idea of animism and sincere communication between things and things. Like in "Jiaona", Kong Sheng is a mortal, and Jiaona's family is a fox. However, Jiaona has the grace of healing for Kong Sheng, Brother Juana and Kong Sheng have friends, and Aunt Juana and Kong Sheng have more marital feelings, and Kong Sheng goes to the trouble to save Jiaona from the robbery of thunder. After that, they were even more in the same place, and they and Jiao na "played chess and wine, talked about feasting like a family". This kind of harmonious coexistence between people and things or between people and nature is what Pu Songling pursues and yearns for.
Secondly, "Liaozhai Zhiyi" embodies Pu Songling's outlook on life of worrying and loving the people. For example, in "Unjust Prison", Zhu Sheng was unjustly beheaded, and the former Zhou general of Emperor Guan was possessed to kill the real murderer and reprimanded the fainting official, so that the unjust prison was rehabilitated and Zhu Sheng was able to live. At the end, Pu Songling sternly condemned the lawsuit with ink beyond the original text: "The lawsuit is the first task of the officials, and it is here that the cultivation of yin and the destruction of heavenly reason lie in this. Irritability and defilement, stubbornness, stasis, and injury to people's lives. If one person is intrigued, the number of people will lose time; if a case is completed, ten families will be ruined. Pu Songling indignantly pointed out the profound impact of the fainting official on the lives of the people and on the living conditions of the people, and also reflected his awareness of caring for the people's well-being and loving the people.
Third, "Liaozhai Zhiyi" embodies the promotion of the "Ti" Tao. The meaning of "悌" is explained in the Shuowen Jiezi as "悌, good brother also". "Good brothers" means to treat brothers well and love brothers. The Qing Dynasty scholar Cheng Yunsheng wrote in "Kindergarten Qionglin": "The most rare brother in the world", reflecting the Qing people's emphasis on brotherhood. In order to promote the Tao, Pu Songling wrote some chapters of brotherly love in "Liaozhai Zhiyi", which is represented by "Zhang Cheng". The story tells that a man surnamed Zhang, who was engaged in business in Henan, set up a home in Henan because of the war in his hometown. After that, he married two wives, and after his ex-wife gave birth to a son Zhang Ne, he died of illness shortly after, and his stepwife Niu Shi gave birth to a son Zhang Cheng. Niu Shi is extremely jealous and fierce towards Zhang Ne. Once, Zhang Ne went to the mountain to cut firewood, and because of a storm, the amount of firewood cut was not enough, so Niu Shi would not let him eat. When Zhang Cheng, who returned from school, learned of the original commission, he quietly sneaked out to let the neighbors make it for his brother to eat. And from the next day, he took the initiative to go to the mountain to help his brother cut firewood, without an axe, he "broke the firewood to help his brother", even if his fingers were worn and his shoes were worn, he did not change his original intention. Similarly, the elder brother Zhang Ne is also very friendly to his younger brother, and even spares his life to save his brother. This kind of story that embodies the brotherhood of brotherhood promotes a positive energy.
Finally, the corruption and darkness of the feudal ruling class are exposed in "Liaozhai Zhiyi", and the cruel and ugly behavior of various corrupt officials and corrupt officials is denounced, reflecting the author's sense of justice. Although Pu Songling's middle-aged and young age lived in the so-called Kangxi prosperous era, due to the chronic disease of the feudal social system, he still could not stop some officials from "establishing power in the city, connecting with party henchmen, selling officials and lords, arbitrarily dispatching vacancies, befriending Jin Fu, and restraining officials." Pu Songling witnessed all this and used one bizarre ghost story after another to reflect reality. For example, in the article "Han Fang", he used the ghost of the underworld to complain to the ghost, and along the way was the story of the ghost officials of the underworld asking for bribes to satirize the officials at that time who set up a name and exploited the lower people. He commented at the end of the article: "Along the way, people go to the road in order not to use evil things, which is the same as the horse should 'not seek the science of hearing'!" The world's major events are similar to this. Remembering that between Jia Shu and Yi Hai, the people involved made the people donate grain, and the people were "happy to lose". So the states and counties took the profit as much as they could, and even the cost of knocking. When the county north of Qiyi is watery, the age is not bad, and it is particularly difficult to urge it. Tang Taishi occasionally went to Lijin and saw more than ten people who were arrested. Because he asked, 'What's the matter?' The answer was: "The palace catches us and goes to the city, rather than chasing the "happy to lose" ear." The peasants did not know how to interpret the word 'happy to lose', so they thought that the name of the servant knocked on the comparison, which was not to be lamented and ridiculous! This passage directly targets the shortcomings of the times and exposes that those corrupt officials and corrupt officials are actually half officials and half officials, borrowing power, cleverly setting up names, and forcibly plundering. In the article "Xi Fangping", Pu Songling even used the corruption and abuse of the officials in the underworld to attack the darkness and corruption of realpolitik. From this point of view, "Liaozhai Zhiyi" can also be called a realist work.