Liang Shuming: Chinese cultural issues

Who knows Chinese culture?

Who knows Chinese culture? The Chinese of the past is probably not easy to recognize. Because he is in the middle of the game, he lacks the contrast of other different cultures. At that time, some of the foreign tribes surrounding China's neighbors were not as clever as our culture, and we certainly had a kind of arrogance. Therefore Chinese for thousands of years, before being seriously attacked by modern Western culture, it has been blinded by this arrogant psychology. After nearly a hundred years of world traffic, meeting with modern Western culture, there is a comparative contrast, it seems to lead to self-consciousness; but it is seriously hit by it, dazed, and trapped in excessive self-indulgence. To this day, knowledgeable people throughout the country can say a lot when asked what are the shortcomings of Chinese culture; if you ask him what are the strengths of Chinese culture, you can't help but hesitate and hesitate. At most, he spoke of the glory of Chinese culture in the past, the value of the past, but what is the point of this? Anyone who is blinded by this self-indulgence is equally unable to understand Chinese culture. If you want to understand Chinese culture, you must have a comprehensive observation of the past history and future of mankind, and find out the position of Chinese culture in it, depending on its length and shortness. But how can this be said!

In my personal experience, it seems that foreigners (especially scholars of the Deep Western Ocean) can recognize the peculiarities of Chinese culture and understand the value of Chinese culture than Chinese. There are many examples of this and are not enumerated. As for Chinese, those who are neither arrogant nor self-satisfied, and those who have a relatively peaceful heart, are not without others, but they may not be able to explain what they see. Although he could not see for himself, it was good to discuss this matter with him - it must be very accessible. Such a person must always be over forty years old or around his age. For he was able to see the world today, and on the other hand, he also caught up with a little old culture, and just in time to participate in the drastic changes of the old and the new. And there is a lot of chewing and reflection in life's happiness and bitterness- this is necessary for understanding the culture, and it is not easy for people under the age of thirty.

Although a person under the age of thirty is not as old as many old people, if he has a long life, there is still good luck behind him. Because of the evolution of history, today is just entering a new stage. This new phase began with the Chinese War of Resistance, and the second world war also broke out. The War of Resistance promoted the consciousness of the Chinese and unfolded the future of New China. The Second World War stepped up the transformation of human history and cultural transformation, which can help to form an understanding of Chinese culture from the side. Chinese day after day in the future, it will gradually recognize the face of its inherent culture and will no longer be "like falling into the fog of five miles"; in the future, people in the world will know the spirit of Chinese culture and the meaning of human culture.

Second, how to understand Chinese culture?

If we want to understand Chinese culture, where do we start? Let's not bring out ancient books, nor should we start from a distant history, but we might as well look at the facts at hand. The immediate fact is that the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression has been going on for four years, and China still exists. Everyone knows that the enemy is a world power, and that it has been preparing for the invasion of China for decades; for us, there have been decades of civil strife, backward education, backward economy, national defense and armaments, and there is almost nothing to say, and only before the War of Resistance did the country show unity. In this sense, it should be easy for it to conquer China. I can't imagine that after four years, I still can't solve it, what is this on our side? To be honest... This all depends on the greatness of our family business, that is, the greatness of the country. Only for the greatness of the Chinese state, the enemy will win the battle and attack will win, but we have no choice but to retreat to the western half, the land is still very wide, the population is still very large, and the resources are still very rich. The enemy has felt that the front line is too long, the time is too long, the strength is exhausted, and I can still support. If you try to compare the European war, let's count how many countries have died in the European war soon. Some died in two or three days, and some died in a few months. All those countries that perished, whose economy and politics were more advanced than ours, were small, had no successors, no retreats, and were finished... China is simply too big. Usually, our National Congress, we ourselves do not feel that today we cannot fail to attract attention, because from this condition we have saved our lives.

Although the great nation has saved our lives today, it has also caused us great suffering in the past. In the past, our country could not be reunified for many years, and it is not a big loss that the country is too big. If China had only been as big as Guangxi, wouldn't it have been unified long ago? Imagine that if there are many people and a large place, it is not easy to get a leader; a person who is a leader in a small situation may not be a leader in the overall situation. Even if he can do it, he must wait until he slowly cultivates his expectations. Without a leader for a while, there is no unity for a while. There are also many people who are large, but they feel sluggish and unconscious. For example, once upon a time when I was in Beiping, Guangxi was not fighting well, and I told others that they were at a loss. Another example is the "9/18" we lost the four northeastern provinces, which is a large place about twice as large as the enemy country; in addition to the people in the northeast who are in pain and anxiety, many people are very indifferent or forgetful of this, as if it is not the same thing. How can state affairs be good if they are so insensitive? There are also few people who have clear responsibilities and cannot be shirked, and too many people will have a light sense of responsibility. A large family is always not as good as a small family, which is why. For example, there are tens of millions of people in China, each of whom is responsible for tens of thousands of thousands, and everyone thinks that there are many other people who are responsible, and they do not have to rely on me. How can such a state affair be good? There is another person who is enthusiastic about the overall situation, but the situation is too big, and it is not easy to make any impact by making some efforts, so that he will have less interest or no courage, and the result is that it is not easy to get the state affairs done well.

The fact that the "National Congress" gives us great benefits and many disadvantages; it can be a curse and a blessing. The relationship is deep and large, so it is worth considering and questioning. Why is China so big? I think this is one of the results of Chinese culture; to understand Chinese culture, you can start from here. In the "History of Chinese Culture" written by Mr. Liu Yizheng, three questions are raised: First, China's vast territory is unmatched in the world. Second, China was civilized very early, and has the longest history; that is, the wealth of historical books is unprecedented in the world. Why? Third, China's ethnic complexity is so astonishing that in the words of the Han Chinese, the assimilated people absorbed are not worried about hundreds of people, and they are still forgotten. What is the reason for accommodating communication? I think that if we can find clear and satisfactory answers to the three major questions pointed out by Mr. Liu, it is not difficult to obtain the essence of the content of Chinese culture.

In addition to the problems pointed out by Mr. Liu, I can also point out a more bizarre point. From the above three questions, it cannot but be said that Chinese culture has a very great power. But what is this great power? It was strange, and when we pressed it carefully, it seemed that there was no power. Ordinary people know that there are three kinds of power: First, knowledge - the English have a saying: "Knowledge is strength." "But Chinese is not known for its knowledge because of China's lack of science." The science that is truly effective and useful is still in the West. Second, the economy - this power is the greatest, everyone knows. However, Chinese was not good at getting rich, and at the same time despised it, so he always stayed in agriculture; when it came to industry and commerce, it was not his strength. Military politics – this force is more effective than the previous two; And China is not stronger here. In particular, the Han nationality, which represents Chinese culture, is not known for its military. Political ability is not low, but it is also passive and laissez-faire, lacking organizational strength. Therefore, on the one hand Chinese does not have power, but on the other hand, it is clear that there is a lot of power. Isn't that weird? If you can have a satisfactory answer to this, you must know Chinese culture.

Third, two major issues need to be announced

If we really want to understand Chinese culture, we must wait for the declaration of two major issues. First, the problem of cultural inability to advance in Chinese social history. Second, what kind of thing is human beings?

The former question is that some people argue that Chinese society is feudal or not? Why does China always fail to enter the capitalist society? In the past few years, the so-called Controversy on Chinese Social History has made a lot of effort on this issue, and has not made any confessions. However, if this problem cannot be revealed to the world in the future, Chinese culture will eventually be a mystery. Although I have a little opinion and judgment on this issue, such as:

First, do not recognize that Chinese society is within the category of feudal social capital society, but recognize that Chinese culture and Western culture are going their own way, and the difference between them can be regarded as a genre view, not a ladder view.

Second, we do not recognize that China is civilized early and progress is slow, but that China has entered a state of circling and inability in the last one or two thousand years. Chinese culture, "is not so much slow and backward as it is misguided." Those who regard China as a person who has not yet entered science are ignorant! Fallacy! China can no longer enter science. Those who regard China as not advancing into Democrashy are ignorant! Fallacy! China can no longer enter Democrussi. In the same way, it is ignorant that China has not entered the capitalist! Fallacy! China can no longer enter capitalism" ,—— these are a few sentences from "The Final Awakening of the Chinese National Self-Salvation Movement" written ten years ago, and the views that existed when I wrote "Eastern and Western Culture and Its Philosophy" twenty years ago, which have not changed to this day.

Third, it has been pointed out that those who are not able to enter the circle are covered with a situation of mutual involvement. ——See "The Final Enlightenment of the Chinese National Self-Salvation Movement" (included in volume V of the complete works. — Editor's Note).

Fourth, it is judged that Chinese culture is the precocious maturity of human culture. ——See books such as "Eastern and Western Culture and Its Philosophy" and "The Final Enlightenment of the Chinese National Self-Salvation Movement".

Fifth, use "ethics as the basis and separation of occupations" to explain the special structure of Chinese society. ----------------- — Editor's Note).

But that's not enough. His deceased friend Lu Han wrote a book called "Family Theory" to illustrate The History of Chinese Society, which is quite valuable, but he died before the book was completed. Whether I can finish this book for him in the future, I dare not say now. It is hoped that many people will do their best to study this issue, with a view to a day of confession on this issue.

The latter question is a more difficult question academically, as well as a more fundamental question in understanding Chinese culture. Why is this a difficult question? Because now it seems that the study of any thing and thing in the academic community has a clue and an achievement compared with the study of "people". In other words, human knowledge today is indeed abundant. Self-knowledge alone is not enough. The object of "man" is his study of psychology; psychology seems to be the most naïve in today's scholarship. The scholarship on the side is almost on track, continuing the research of predecessors, and making progress every day. Psychology is the research of predecessors, and every time it is abandoned by future generations, it does not show the signs of continued progress. And at the same time, there are many portals and many factions. And even what exactly should this study be studied (consciousness, behavior, or other)? How exactly does this study the Fa (i.e., the methodological problem)? There is still disagreement. So apart from some knowledge about "man" from the study of biology and from the study of physiology, man knows very little about himself. It can be seen that this is a very deep problem.

Why is this a more fundamental question in understanding Chinese culture? For as I can see, the characteristics of Chinese culture are early in the development of human reason (after talking); and reason is the characteristic of human beings (the reason why human beings are human beings). The greatest contribution of the ancient Chinese to human culture is to understand that human beings are human beings and have this culture that is rooted in human reason and developed (unfortunately, its development is limited but not complete). However, although the ancient Chinese had a deep understanding of human beings, he lacked the basis of scientific philosophy, which could not be explained. It is only until today's academic community (or future academia) makes this problem clear to the world, and then everyone can understand Chinese culture from the root.

I have not understood the human psyche before, but I have only seen that consciousness is a tool of human life, not the source of human behavior, but is actually an insignificant side; the opposite side of what is important is the unconscious unconscious. At the same time, I saw Kropotkin say that mutual help is the instinct of animals and even humans; Russell of England proposed the impulse, the American Mai Dugu proposed the instinct, and the Austrian Frode proposed the subconscious, and in this way, the meaning that many people are playing is in line with what I see. Therefore, in the book "Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophy", the theories of various schools are used as a basis to explain the ethical thinking of Confucianism. They do not know that most of them are incompatible with Confucianism; they also have many conflicts with each other. In short, I do not know enough about human psychology, but Confucianism has its own psychology, and many of the things that Kong Meng said were implicitly or explicitly pointed to that, or far or near, based on that, and I did not find it at that time. After eleven years of the Republic of China, he gradually repented, until the fifteen years of new insights began to slightly mature, ready to write a book "People's Hearts and Lives" came out. However, to this day, only the abdominal manuscript and the note outline are left, and they have never been written. I am confident that if this book is completed, it can be explained on this big issue. In my lifetime, I must do this work. At the same time, it is still hoped that many people will study this and make this difficult and fundamental problem more clear.

Fourth, the characteristics of Chinese culture

What are the characteristics of Chinese culture? As I can see it, it is characterized by the early development of human reason.

What is rationality? Usually there is no difference between the word reason and the word reason; but here I deliberately separate it; reason belongs to the intellectual side of the human psyche; and reason belongs to the emotional side. Modern Westerners developed reason, while Chinese developed reason early.

In the past, Chinese "people" often liked to say the phrase "read and be reasonable". Of course, there are many books in the West, and there are many truths in them, but what they call each other is two different things. Chinese the "reason" of reading and understanding is many reasons in the world, such as fatherly kindness, filial piety, fairness and faithfulness. Most of the western books talk about number theory and natural science and social science, which we call physics. Reason exists in the subjective, while physics belongs to the objective. Man can understand many things because of reason; man can understand many things, because of reason.

I often say, "Man is precious because he possesses a talent that is too easy to make mistakes," because animals can hardly make mistakes and are not responsible for their mistakes. There are also two kinds of human errors: one is an error in knowledge, and the other is a mistake in behavior. The strife and misery that occurs for the sake of the first kind of error are far less serious than the fault of the second kind. For example, in today's world war, the origin of the calamity, its far origin is covered by the Westerners' intellectual curiosity developed, so that the physical achievements are extremely much, and the rational aspect is less developed by the upward center (this is first obscured by religion, then by utilitarianism), so that the rational connotation is insufficient; as long as you have fewer first mistakes and more helpless second mistakes, you cannot but fall into the destruction of human beings themselves. In contrast, the curiosity of the Chinese is not as good as that of the West, and the upward mind is more developed, and for the second kind of error, it always blames each other, and sometimes sues itself; the cultivation of reason is more serious, "from which it is calm and calm, and it is comfortable to be comfortable without seeing what it has gained; if it is violated, it is apologetic and uneasy, as if it is lost but not what it is lost" (quoted from the old text). Its victory and inadequacy are not one side, and the fruit it eats is of course also on the other side. We all know it, and we don't need to elaborate.

In this way, the reader can understand that Chinese Confucianism can be called rationalism, but it is not the same as the rationalism of continental Europe. I now use the word rational, which refers specifically to it, and is different from the usual rational and rational mixers, so I have to compare it separately to illustrate it as above.

What is the so-called early development of Chinese rationality? Guy man is inherently a rational animal, while reason in mankind is to be gradually developed. In the case of individual life, the development of reason comes with age and physical development and physiological and psychological maturity; in the case of social life, it is slowly carried out with economic progress and other cultural conditions. The so-called rationality developed early in Chinese society, that is, because the time was not yet enough, the conditions were not enough, and rationality had to be greatly developed. To say that he developed early is not to praise the beauty, but to say that it is not anachronistic.

The above will explain what is rational and what is the early development of rationality. As for why it is said that the early development of human rationality is a characteristic of Chinese culture? Then it cannot be said now, and it will be written into a special book in the future. For now, I will confine myself to this conclusion and draw your attention. If you want to understand Chinese culture, you must find out where the characteristics of Chinese culture are. The so-called characteristics are that what is lacking or insignificant in other cultures is seen everywhere in Chinese culture, that is, from this point everything in Chinese culture can be explained. Whoever fails to grasp this point is the word Chinese culture in his mouth only an empty phrase, or it contains many things without a consistent meaning.

V. Chinese-based cultural issues

A few years ago, ten professors in Shanghai put forward the idea of Chinese-based culture. The original text of its manifesto is not at hand today, to the effect that Chinese to build a Chinese-based culture, we cannot lose ourselves by following others. This intention cannot be miscalculated, but it is really unnecessary. I am afraid that you will mishear their words and mistakenly think that I sympathize with them, so I will make a few words of defense here.

The biggest mistake of ordinary people is to only see that China is inferior to the Western side, and does not know that China still has a higher side than the West, so that it is full of feelings of "backwardness" and "lack of progress.". It must be known that if it is simply not as good as progress, it is naïve. However, Chinese culture is really mature, not naïve - this is something that all learned people can see, please remember. Because China is not naïve, not simply not progressive, so there is no need to be afraid of becoming like others and losing everything inherent. If the Chinese side is naïve and the West is mature, from the naïve section to the mature section, that is, China is bound to enter the West, then it is dangerous. But it is not.

Chinese some of his strengths are also very short, and many of these are not within the scope of his progress, but come with his strengths. China must seek progress in many places and build its new economy, new politics and everything. However, when it comes to its progress and construction, it is inseparable from the problem of his special characteristics and shortcomings, and he must pass these special characteristics to complete his new construction. Since the new construction has such a background and personality, of course, it is China-based and not a problem.

In the past, Russell used to cherish the spirit of Chinese culture, advocating that when Chinese solve China's political problems and economic problems, it must not damage its inherent culture (see Russell's book "The Problem of China"). In the book "The Last Awakening of the Chinese National Self-Help Movement", I defended the cloud:

Russell believed that among the three problems of politics, economy and culture, there must be first cultural problems; although his words were true, his plan was left. The China problem was originally a problem of chaos, and those who knew the three problems looked at each other from three sides. One side of the problem makes sense, everything else makes sense; otherwise, everything else doesn't work. China's political problems and economic problems cannot be solved naturally outside the social facts of its inherent culture and the national spirit cultivated; this need not be worried, nor should it be said. But if we ask how to do it on this practical issue of political economy, then there is no need to be a researcher on the cultural question, and if the first hanging does not damage the limitations of culture, and culture is the most illusory thing, then all discussion will be suffocated, it will fall into failure, and the problem may not be solved.

I have never studied the Chinese problem, and at first I did not pay attention to those who had so-called cultural problems. I noticed that the cultural problem was discovered only after studying the construction of a new politics and a new economy in an experiment (in the rural society of Shandong, Henan). I did not think of it before, but it was only now that I discovered it kindly; after discovery, I will not study it on a question other than political economy. I believe this attitude is correct.

Originally published in National Culture (Monthly), May 1941.