These days the Dragon Boat Festival is connected with June 1st Children's Day, which was originally a day for parents to accompany children to play happily, but a few days ago, a Phoenix Weekly article titled "Middle-class Education Contempt Chain: Never Let The Baby and the Children Without English Names and Watch happy sheep read together in kindergartens without foreign teachers" has touched the nerves of many parents, while looking for English cram classes for children who are still in kindergartens, parents are lamenting that children now have to spend a lot of time in early education institutions, and it is difficult to get a happy childhood. In fact, parents from an early age began to attach importance to the cultivation of their children, the ultimate goal is still to let them occupy a favorable position as soon as possible in the future social competition, this kind of hope jackie chan feelings, in ancient and modern China and abroad are very common. In the case of preschool education, although children in ancient times did not participate in "early education classes" as widely as children do now, families with conditions will still strive to let preschool children receive education early, hoping that they will gain the reputation of "prodigy" as soon as possible and gain a head start in the subsequent study of eunuchs. Such a child also has to undergo various strict training from an early age, and his childhood is not at all easier than that of today's children.
Home Learning and Early Education: The ancients' education and cultivation of "prodigies"
The worship and yearning for gifted children has appeared as early as the pre-Qin period. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was already a legend that Qin Guo Ganluo was the prime minister at the age of twelve, and Qi Guoziqi was eighteen years old to rule A County. After the Han Dynasty, more and more prodigies were recorded in historical records, and many of the historical figures we are familiar with have been announced in childhood. For example, Sang Hongyang, a famous economist during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was introduced into the palace at the age of thirteen because he was good at mental arithmetic; Ban Gu, a famous writer and historian and author of the Book of Han, was good at writing various articles at the age of nine; Zheng Xuan, a famous Confucian scholar at the end of the Han Dynasty, could "multiply and divide" at the age of eight or nine; Huang Xiang, who was the father of Wen Xi in the "Twenty-Four Filial Pieties", was "erudite classics and refined Taoist techniques" at the age of twelve, and these people were typical of prodigies at that time.
The story of "Ganluo Twelve for Xiang Xiang" in the comic strip painted by Zhao Rennian
From the eyes of modern people, even if children do not participate in "early education", generally six or seven years old also have to go to primary school to receive chinese and mathematics education, the ancients like eight years old can count, nine years old can write is really a very common thing. However, the ancient education cycle is not like this, according to the provisions of Confucian classics such as "Zhou Li" and "Da Dai Li Ji", ancient children generally began to lose their teeth around the age of eight, which is a sign of "knowledge", at this time they can begin to receive basic education such as literacy, calligraphy, orientation, timing, etiquette, etc.; because Confucius in the Analects claims to be "ten and five and determined to learn", so children usually have to turn fifteen years old to begin formally learning Confucian classics. Therefore, in the case that most people are eight-year-old literate and fifteen-year-olds reading the Bible, the above-mentioned children who can write, multiply and divide at the age of eight or nine naturally stand out among ordinary children and become the object of people's envy.
The ancients, like today's people, liked special and extraordinary things, and if a child had the name of "prodigy", his deeds would be widely spread by the good people. The most important principle of electing officials in the Han Dynasty was "selection in the township", and the greater the prestige of a person in the township, the easier it is to get the attention and recommendation of the chief. Under such a system, children who are widely known as "prodigies" will naturally receive more attention and take advantage of the opportunity in the process of entering the military.
In the Han Dynasty, school education had formed a certain scale, and most of the central and local counties of the imperial court had official schools, and the lower townships had private schools such as bookstores and jingguans, but most of the enrollment age of these schools still strictly adhered to the ancient precepts of "eight-year-old primary school and fifteen-year-old university". In this case, in order to give their children the title of "prodigy", most parents will conduct preschool education for their children at home before the age of eight years old.
Although Wang Chong, a great Confucian in the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, came from a merchant family, he studied calligraphy at home from the age of six, and when he entered the "library" at the age of eight to receive formal calligraphy education, most of his classmates were whipped by their teachers for their ugly writing, while Wang Chong, who had been studying calligraphy for two years, was never criticized. Another example is the famous general Zhong Hui at the time of the Han and Wei Dynasties, as the son of the third duke of Cao Wei and the famous calligrapher Zhong Xuan, who received a good family education from an early age, and he said that when he was a child, he "taught the "Filial Piety Classic" at the age of four, recited the "Analects" at the age of seven, recited the "Analects" at the age of eight, recited the "Book of Shang" at the age of ten, recited the "Yi" at the age of eleven, recited the "Spring and Autumn Zuo Clan Biography" and "Chinese", recited the "Zhou Li" and "Li Ji" thirteen times, recited the "Yi Ji" of the Marquis of Chenghou in the fourteenth, and made the fifteenth envoy enter the Taixue and asked the four strange texts. Zhong Hui had already begun to recite the Book of Poetry when other children were not yet literate; zhong hui had already read the Five Classics when other children had just begun to enter Taixue and came into contact with Confucian classics. In this way, it is already far ahead at the starting line, and the career after that is naturally smooth.
Portrait of Zhong Hui in the Qing Dynasty's "Image of the Three Kingdoms", one of the evaluations of Zhong Hui is "The Year of the Hair is called Early Hui"
With the emphasis of the scholar families on children's early education, the "prodigies" relied on their natural advantages in winning fame to become more and more active in the politics of the Han and Wei dynasties, and even changed the electoral concept at that time, and qin Mi, a well-known scribe at the end of the Han Dynasty, once wrote to the warlord Liu Yan, believing that when the talent was selected for election, there was already a tendency to "more heroic and old teeth" when the talent was selected. In the Jin Dynasty, this tendency intensified, and the elders who should have been respected were often despised by young people, and Pan Yue, a famous scholar of the Western Jin Dynasty, had just turned thirty years old, because a few strands of white hair had grown on his sideburns, he wrote a "Autumn Sound Fu" lamenting that he had reached the autumn of his life; Zuo Si, a literati who belonged to the Western Jin Dynasty, once wrote a "White Hair Endowment", believing that the imperial court at that time was popular "Weak Crown Laishi, Tong Hair Sacrifice Mo." In the policy of electing officials, young people occupy the main position of the imperial court, and middle-aged and elderly people can only keep pulling out their white hair to make themselves look younger, in order to avoid the fate of being abandoned by the times.
Under such a tendency, in order to create a better future for their children, the families of the scholars will do their best to make their children develop in the direction of "prodigies", and this demand has spawned a group of opinion leaders who are known for their ability to identify "prodigies". For example, Wang Xiu in the Three Kingdoms period, the history said that he was "high and soft in the weak crown, and the different kings were based on young children, and eventually they were far away, and the world called them zhiren"; Huan Yi in the Jin Dynasty was "plucking talents and taking soldiers, or out of ignorance, or getting the child's embrace, when the people Fang Xu and Guo", all of them obtained the name of zhiren by accurately identifying "prodigies". For the children of the scholar clan who are eager to become famous, getting a good evaluation of the famous scholar will undoubtedly attract the attention of the elected officials; for famous people such as Wang Xiu and Huan Yi, correctly tasting young children can also bring considerable prestige to themselves. In this way, young children and celebrities cooperate with each other in the atmosphere of advocating prodigies, forming a win-win symbiosis situation. At the same time, various stories and legends about "prodigies" have also become the topic of daily discussion, liu Songshi's famous notes "The New Language of the World", there is a "Suihui" course, which specializes in the deeds of early Hui children; in the Liang Dynasty, more literati compiled a ten-volume "Biography of Young Children", collecting the stories of ancient and modern "prodigies" into a thick book, providing a model for the parents of later Wangzi Jackie Chan to provide a model for children's education.
In the "New Language of the World", the "Suihui" gate is dedicated to recording the deeds of early hui children
As mentioned above, parents are eager to let their children gain the reputation of "prodigy", the main purpose is to let them get the attention of those in power as soon as possible, and gain a head start in the recruitment of inspections, so most of the talents displayed by the "prodigy" are the abilities that the elite in society at that time needed to master. From the Han Dynasty to the Western Jin Dynasty, scholars attached the greatest importance to scriptural cultivation and moral conduct, so most of the "prodigies" at that time were familiar with the Confucian classics and filial piety to their relatives; in the two Jin Dynasties, Qing tan and literary ability became the new elite evaluation standards in the scholar society, and the main performance of the "prodigy" at this time became alertness and quick speech. Among the latter two, the "prodigy" with quick words is the most common, according to the author's statistics, in the historical texts of the two Jin and Southern Dynasties, there are more than sixty records of historical figures being able to compose at an early age, and the age at which the protagonist shows the talent of the article shows a constantly early trend. As mentioned above, Ban Gu could write articles at the age of nine, which was already a typical example of the early wisdom of the Han Dynasty, but after the Jin Dynasty, there were many "prodigies" who were able to compose poems and compositions before the age of eight "entered primary school", such as Lu Yun, one of the famous literati of the Western Jin Dynasty, "Erlu", "six years old can belong to literature"; Jiang Yan, a famous literati who experienced the three generations of Song Qi liang and the protagonist of "Jiang Lang Cai exhausted", "six years old can belong to poetry", Fan Yun and Ren Fang, members of the famous literati group "Jingling Eight Friends" in the Southern Qi era, are "eight years old can belong to literature". The second emperor of the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen Xiao Gang, "belonged to Wen at the age of six", and at the age of seven, he developed a strong love for writing poetry, claiming to have a "poetic habit"; his younger brother Emperor Xiao Xuan of Liangyuan did not hesitate to let go, calling himself "six years old to interpret poetry". Compared with them, Ban Gu, who can only write articles at the age of nine, can only be stunned.
The large number of "literary prodigies" in the two Southern Dynasties of the Jin Dynasty was not due to the sudden evolution of the literary modules in the brains of children at that time, but because in the Two Jin dynasties, scholars who could write poems and write texts were usually more respected, so parents would be more attentive to explore and cultivate the literary talents of their children. According to the Liang Dynasty literary critic Zhong Rong in his poetic masterpiece "Poetry", under the influence of the Shangwen style in the society at that time, the children of the Gaomen clan "finally embellished and groaned at night", while young children were "able to cut clothes, go to primary school, and will be willing to gallop". In fact, just by looking at the tireless cultivation of children's English ability in Chinese urban families today, it is easy to understand the explosive growth of "literary prodigies" after the Jin Dynasty.
"Fake its bargaining, fake its reputation": the ancients' packaging of "prodigies"
As mentioned above, the main purpose of raising children into "prodigies" is to take advantage of the reputation of "prodigies" and let children occupy a more favorable position on the way to learning eunuchs in the future, if the children have mastered superb knowledge of scripture or literary skills, but they are always hidden in the home and not known to outsiders, it is obviously impossible to get the benefits brought by "prodigies". Therefore, in order to let children gain the reputation of "prodigy", the cultivation of actual ability is important, but what is more critical is how to show this ability and let more people know. It is obviously difficult for those children under the age of nine to find resources and platforms for self-presentation, so the heavy responsibility of promoting the name of "prodigy" naturally falls on the shoulders of the relatives of "prodigy". In the ancient historical records about "prodigies", almost all of them find busy figures of relatives going around promoting packaging.
After the Song Dynasty, the popular Tongmeng education reader "Prodigy Poems" is said to have been composed by the Song Dynasty prodigy Wang Su, in addition to the famous "Tianzi is heroic, and the article teaches Ercao." In addition to reading high, it also emphasizes the importance of "young people who must study diligently".
Liu Xiaoqiu, a famous scholar of the Liang Dynasty and who participated in the compilation of the Anthology of Literature, is a typical example. Liu Xiaoqi was the son of Liu Hui, a famous scholar during the Song Dynasty, and Liu Yi was a common friend of many members of the most prestigious literary group in Southern Qi, the "Eight Friends of Jingling". With the help of such convenient conditions, Liu Xiaoqiu was brought to his circle of friends by his father from a young age to show his literary talents, and when the Biography of Liang Shu Liu Xiaoqiu said that he was "not studying in his old age", "the father's party Shen Yue, Ren Fang, Fan Yun, etc. heard of his name and ordered to drive the Yan", Shen Yue, Ren Fang, and Fan Yun all belonged to the "Eight Friends of Jinling", and were the most influential literary scholars at that time, and they could get their visits, just as the current literary teenagers were directly praised by Mo Yan and Yu Hua, and naturally their reputation could ascend to the heavens step by step. The reason why these literary leaders can put down their bodies to visit this little friend is obviously related to their status as "father party".
In addition to Shen Yue, Ren Fang, and Fan Yun, the "father party", also helped Liu Xiaoqiu to publicize the name of his uncle Wang Rong, who was also one of the "Eight Friends of Jingling", who was famous for his articles at that time, and his famous article "Preface to the Qushui Poems on the Third Day of March" became a sensation in the Qiwu Emperor's dynasty, and even the Northern Dynasty literati rushed to copy it. According to the "Biography of Liu Xiaoqiu", Wang Rong often let Liu Xiaoqiu, who was not yet ten years old, sit in his car, take him around to visit relatives and friends, and when he saw people, he called his nephew a "prodigy", and specially said to his friends: "If there is no self in the world, Angelica Ass (Liu Xiaoqi's nickname)", and boasted of Liu Xiaoxuan's literary talent as only below himself. Under the praise of his uncle and his father and friends, Liu Xiaoqiu became famous from an early age, and when he first stepped into his career, he was selected for the position of "Writing Salang" that was envied by the children of the Shi clan at that time.
Of course, living in the circle of celebrities like Liu Xiaoqi is only a special case, most scholars want their children to get the name of "prodigy", they must strive to mobilize the resources that can be found around them, such as the "Chen Shu Lu Congdian Biography" said that the Chen Dynasty literati Lu Congdian once wrote a "Liu Fu" when he was thirteen years old, although his father Lu Qiong did not have so many powerful relatives and friends, but he "was the steward of the Eastern Palace, the palace staff and a moment of Junwei", there were many high-ranking talents among colleagues, so Lu Qiong took "Liu Fu" to colleagues to read. As a result, those colleagues "Xian Qi's strange talents" helped Lu Qiong publicize Lu Congdian's name as a "prodigy".
If the parents of the "prodigy" could not find either influential relatives and friends, nor colleagues and acquaintances who could help with the publicity, they could only take the last step, using financial resources to impress the influential celebrities at that time and ask them to help them. For example, the literati of the Liang Dynasty went to Shu and Qia Brothers, although they were literate at a young age, but they lost their fathers at a young age, and they were born in a cold door, and they could not find too many social resources to help them publicize, fortunately, their mother Wei Shi had a little asset, so they found the literary leader Ren Fang at that time, "Si Yue Zhong's capital, for the second son to push Fang", the result ren Fang really appreciated, "Heng Ti with Yu, Qia two, widely praised", and finally pushed them to the official position in the center of the imperial court.
"Things die quickly": the ancients' reflections on the "prodigy"
From the above examples, we can see that the establishment of the name of "prodigy" depends not only on the ability of the child itself, but also on whether it can find an influential display and publicity platform, which to a large extent depends on the social resources and interpersonal relationships owned by the parents of the "prodigy". Even if a child is really talented in some way, if the parents can't find someone who has influence and a voice in society to help promote it, then it is still difficult for others to know the existence of this "prodigy"; on the contrary, if it is well-functioned, then even a child with mediocre qualifications has the opportunity to obtain the title of "prodigy".
Take the "literary prodigy", the articles created by the "prodigies" may not be so wonderful, but after the articles are written, parents can constantly revise them through their own or others' hands, and finally reach an amazing level. The scholar Yan Zhitui of the late Southern and Northern Dynasties gave an example in the "Yan Family Training: Facts", saying that there was a scribe in the Northern Wei Dynasty who "read only two or three hundred volumes, and the genius was blunt", but the family wealth was rich, often "with wine and calves to play with the famous scholars", asked people to write articles for themselves, and then let the celebrities "praise the articles together", and finally won the name of literary genius. The imperial court even regarded him as a representative of the country's "Wenhua people" and sent him to the Southern Dynasty to participate in diplomatic activities. Later, Han Jinming, the king of Eastern Lai of the Northern Wei Dynasty, limited the rhyme foot at a banquet and asked the scribe to compose a poem on the spot, but the scribe did not prepare in advance, and could not ask someone to write in a hurry, which revealed the horse's foot.
Yan Zhitui commented on this matter: "Treating the children's articles, thinking that the price is high, the big evil is also." One is not permanent, and finally reveals its feelings; the other is that scholars have evidence, and the benefits are not refined. Yan Zhitui believes that helping children revise articles to win the name of "prodigy", although it will be effective in the short term, but it is not a long-term solution, first, the ability of children is placed there, one day will show the horse's feet; second, the young age is called "prodigy", which will make children lose the motivation to work hard and eventually fail to progress.
Yan Zhitui's analysis is worthy of our attention, in fact, most of the "prodigies" are amazing only because their abilities exceed those of their peers, and if the achievements of these "prodigies" are placed in the adult world, that is, the average level. Therefore, if the "prodigy" is satisfied with his title of "prodigy" and stops moving forward, as they grow older, their amazing capital will gradually fade, and eventually it is inevitable that they will be "invisible" like Fang Zhongyong in Wang Anshi's pen. What's more, the title of "prodigy" often brings the vice of arrogance to young and vigorous teenagers, which will make their future path more difficult. For example, the "prodigy" Liu Xiaoqiu mentioned earlier, although he became famous as a teenager and his career started smoothly, he was "a man of great talent, many of whom were disobedient, and extremely slanderous"; soon after becoming an official, he offended a large number of colleagues because of his arrogance and arrogance, and was once impeached and dismissed, and finally only achieved the official position of joining the army in the royal palace, and did not honor his talents. Yao Cha, a historian who wrote the Book of Liang, commented on this and said: "Filial piety is not informal in words and deeds, he is self-destructive, he is depressed in vain, and he is not without encountering it", believing that the end of his great official and micro is completely self-inflicted.
The "Young Wisdom" door that records the deeds of the prodigy in the Song Dynasty book "Taiping Royal Collection", the picture is from the Song periodical "Taiping Imperial Dictionary" collected by the "Four Series"
In view of these drawbacks of "prodigies", there are also many people of insight who oppose the premature packaging and publicity of children. For example, Wang Chang, a famous minister of the Three Kingdoms, once commented on the practice of advocating prodigies at that time in the "Book of Commandments" that taught his sons and nephews: "If the husband and wife are quick, they will die of illness, and if they are late, they will die well." The grass of Chaohua is scattered at sunset; the lushness of pine and cypress is cold and unbroken. It is a dayachild evil that is quickly accomplished, and the party is also discouraged. In order to let his disciples remember this sentence, he named several of his sons and nephews Wang Shen, Wang Mo, Wang Hun, and Wang Shen respectively, and warned them to sink their breath, sharpen their character and cultivation step by step, and do not rush to achieve success. Among these last few descendants, Wang Hun became the Situ of the Jin Dynasty, a very popular subject; Wang Shen and Wang Mo both served as the center of the imperial court and achieved Shangshu; Wang Shen also served as the official of Jizhou Assassination History: although these people did not get the title of "prodigy", they also embarked on the path of excellence in life.
Although there are talented people in the world, most of the so-called "prodigies" are "gods" only because they are educated and trained earlier than others, so that they are more skilled than their peers in some fields, and they continue to perform under the arrangement of their parents, so that people have the illusion of "genius". Instead of letting the child grow up in this "prodigy" illusion and accept the cruel fact that he eventually became a crowd when he grows up, it is better to let the child be like Wang Chang's sons and nephews, learning and cultivating step by step, and feeling his true ability and value in the progress of the moment. Although this method of education is not as immediate as the cultivation of "prodigies", it is more suitable for a person's long growth journey.