By the freshman year, chaotic etiquette
-- On the origin of Chinese civilization
Zhang Xin
School of Archaeology, Peking University
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3. Li Is born in separation
As mentioned above, chaos is an understanding of the origin of human society by ancient philosophers, and a generalization of the traditional image left in people's minds in the original period of human society. Therefore, it actually represents the beginning or beginning of Chinese society in one of the most obscure and primitive historical stages.
Zhuangzi, Han Feizi, Huainanzi, On Heng and other documents record or recount the general situation at this stage:
"Zhuangzi • Qisheng": "The ancient man, in the midst of chaos, and the first life and the desert." When it is time, yin and yang and stillness, ghosts and gods do not disturb, four hours of festival, all things do not hurt, the crowd does not die. Although man knows, he has no use for it, and this is called the one. When it is, it is often natural. ”
"Zhuangzi Nature" is also quoted: "The art of chaos... Know the first, do not know the second; govern the inside, not the outside. ”
"Han Feizi • Ten Passes": "Shi Kuangyue: ... In the past, the Yellow Emperor and the ghost god were on mount Taishan, driving the elephant car and the six dragons, Bi Fang was out of the jurisdiction, the clam was in front, the wind was swept in, the rain master was sprinkled, the tiger and wolf were in front, the ghost god was in the back, the snake was lying on the ground, the phoenix was covered, and the great ghost god was covered, as a clear horn. ”
"Huainanzi Feng's Commentary": "At this time, yin and yang are peaceful, and the wind and rain are in season." All things breathe, the nest of birds and magpies can be probed, and the animals can be bound and obeyed. "At this time, the beasts and pit vipers all hide their claws and teeth, hide their stinging poison, and have no intention of grabbing."
"Lü's Spring and Autumn • GongJun Lan": "In the past, taigu tasted no monarch, and its people gathered in groups." Mother knows father, no relatives (parents), brothers, husband and wife, the difference between men and women, there is no way up and down, the way of growing up and down. ”
"On Heng • Nature": "At the time of the Three Emperors, the one who sits in Yu, the walker dwells, at first thinks of himself as a horse, at first thinks of himself as a cow, can be virtuous and the people are hazy, and the heart of Xiaohui is not formed." At that time, there were no disasters, and if there were any disasters, they were not known as dispatches. Why? When people are stupid, they don't know how to blame each other. ...... The words of the admonition are born of the divided, and the people are also accurate in their hearts. ”
"Lu Shi • Zhongsan Huangji": "The old man knows: The ancients were sent without a collar, and with the king of the world, their virtue was born without killing, and they gave but did not take." The people of the world do not obey him but share their virtue. When it is, yin and yang are peaceful, all things are breathless, the nest of the bird can be probed, and the beast can be tied and followed. Gai Zhi Zhonghanhe, except for the day without age, without the inside and without, the rule of this chaotic clan is also. ”
It can be seen from this that the basic characteristics of this stage are: heaven and earth and all things, majestic into one, the people's wisdom is hazy, confused and ignorant, "a mixture of people and gods" ("Chinese Chu Language"), "beasts live in groups" ("Guan Zi • JunchenXia"), "male and female miscellaneous travel" ("Liezi Tang Qing"), life and death are no different, seamlessly integrated, and general. This can also be proved by the image of the so-called humanistic ancestor or emperor scattered in ancient texts at this time. For example, Dijiang (Hong) "resembles a yellow sac", "Hun Dun has no face" ("Shan Hai Jing, Xi Ci Three Classics"), the seven tricks are not born; Fu Xi, female snail, and Xuanyuan are all "human face snake body" ("Shan Hai Jing • Overseas West Classic"), the five bodies are not divided; the jaws are "teeth, eyebrows" ("Shan Hai Jing Xi Ci Three Classics"), eyebrows are not clear, and so on.
All in all, everything has to be summed up in one word: chaos. And if there is chaos, there will be no distinction between heaven and earth, no distinction between all things, no distinction between heaven and man, no distinction between man and beast, no distinction between men and women, no distinction between life and death, let alone a husband and wife, a father and a son, and so on. "Humans ... Neither do you think of all non-human beings as aliens, nor do you know what kind of spirit you are", "There is no other and no such thing, it is difficult to solve" (Pang Pu's "One Divided into Three"), muddy and nightmarish. The beginning of human society was developed extremely slowly in such a state, thus constituting the longest historical stage in human history, accounting for more than 99% of the entire history of human life, which is what archaeology calls the Paleolithic Age. And there is only one root cause for its slowness and lengthiness, that is, there is no division, no distinction, no differentiation. Generally speaking, division, division or differentiation is not only the starting point of human society, but also the basis and driving force for its development. Around 8,000-10,000 years ago, it was precisely because of the three major social divisions of labor based on the differentiation of human nature's initial sexual behavior and the natural division of labor caused by talent, need and chance that human society achieved a great acceleration development that was impossible to achieve in ancient times for two or three million years.
There are no more than two initial and most basic divisions and distinctions of human society, one of which is to distinguish oneself from the external natural world, which mainly includes the division of heaven and man and man and beast, or the distinction between non-self and non-self; The second is to separate oneself from others, that is, to separate oneself from others, from others, from groups. The basis is the distinction between men and women, and the others are the ensuing distinction between husband and wife, the division between father and son, the division between brothers, and the final distinction between kings and subjects, the distinction between upper and lower ranks, and so on.
With talent is a relatively long process. For a long time after human beings differentiated from the animal kingdom, although objectively they have become independent beings separated from the natural world, they have not realized the difference between themselves and nature, and at this time people are still "instinctive people" or "savage people". Only when one has a sense of self-consciousness that is separated from heaven, or when one's personality is initially awakened, can man be truly separated from nature. Only after the separation of heaven and man and the separation of characters can human beings have an understanding of heaven and have people's pursuit and discussion of the origin of the world. Thus there were concepts such as the first year, Tao, Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, Si Yi, and Bagua, and only then did the ancient Chinese have the subjective understanding of "the heaven and earth, the origin of life" ("Xunzi • Ritual Theory"). At the same time, there was the fundamental question of what attitude people should have toward heaven and nature, or how to deal with the relationship between heaven and man, and only then did they have the unique Chinese concept of the unity of heaven and man and the concept of "following the way of heaven and still being humanistic". And why follow the path of heaven? The first thing is, of course, to make friends with heaven and be close to nature. Thus the act of "blessing god is done" ("Explanation of Words") occurs. Then "ritual", a great humanistic creation based on China's unique ecological mechanism, was finally born, and thus formed the basic attitude of the Chinese tradition towards nature: treat each other with courtesy and give reasonably.
Sharing with people is a more complex and detailed and more basic humanistic project, and the process should be longer. Distinguishing oneself from others, others, and even groups has begun at the same time as the above and the talents mentioned above. The first and foremost is the distinction between men and women, because this is directly related to the production of mankind itself and the continuation of society.
Engels said: "The social system under which people live in a certain historical epoch and in a certain region is subject to two kinds of production: on the one hand, by the stage of development of labor, and on the other hand by the stage of development of the family." (The Collected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. IV) The most primary division of labor in human society, the division of labor in sexual behavior, is a distinction between men and women in a natural state, which is not yet the real meaning, that is, the difference between men and women in the sense of social roles. Mr. Jin Jingfang believes that "the difference between men and women is the practice of individual marriage, because before the implementation of the individual marriage system, it was the implementation of the group marriage system, knowing that there is a mother but not a father, neither talking about husband and wife, nor talking about father and son" (Jin Jingfang's "Talking about Etiquette"), which is very insightful. Therefore, it can be said that the distinction between men and women is the basis and primary component of the whole project of separation from people. Only on this basis will it be possible to achieve other distinctions. The realization of the division of all people is something that happens after the disintegration of clan society. For in a clan commune based on kinship, the concept of clan is shrouded in everything, and there can be no self-consciousness of an individual's independent personality, but only a group consciousness that is indistinguishable from the clan consciousness.
With the realization of the distinction between men and women and the distinction from others and groups, it becomes possible to discuss the origin of human beings themselves, that is, the origin of human society. Therefore, there were the so-called concepts of "Chaos", "Hongyuan", "Yin and Yang", and only then did there were the so-called emperors or humanistic ancestors such as the Chao clan, the Furen clan, the Fuxi clan, the Yellow Emperor, and the HuangDi and the Emperor, and the ancestor worship, and initially led to the formal birth of the ritual with the purpose of "anti-Ben Xiugu" ("Li Ji Li Ji Li Ji").
At the same time, the so-called division with people is, in the final analysis, the division of human morality, that is, the distinction between husband and wife, father and son, brothers, and later kings and subjects, upper and lower, that is, the so-called "five luns" of the name positioning. Only when the social and human relations are clearly defined, will there be people's social roles and the positioning of social responsibilities, so that people can be in their places, each keeping his own points, each doing his best, and doing his own thing. Thus the harmony of society and even the harmony of heaven and man and the harmony of nature in the whole universe are finally achieved- Taihe. This is the basic spirit and basic meaning of the liturgy.
Here most of the ancient philosophers had a clear understanding, and there were surprisingly consistent arguments:
Such as "Left Transmission". "Twenty-three Years of Zhuang Gong" (曹刿) said: "Fu Li, so the whole people are also." Therefore, the rules of training the upper and lower levels, the festival of making money and use, the righteousness of the righteous class, and the order of the handsome and the young. "Thirty-one Years of Xianggong" (Beigongzi) said: "The basis of etiquette lies in distinguishing between kings and subjects, upper and lower, father and son, brothers, inside and outside, and size." The Twelfth Year of Xuan Gong (sui wuzi) says: "Gentlemen and villains, things have clothes, nobility has constant respect, lowliness has equality, etiquette is not reversed." The Twenty-fifth Year of the Duke of Zhao (Uncle Zi) says: "Etiquette, the age of the upper and lower levels, the longitude and latitude of heaven and earth, and the reason why the people are born." ”
Such as the Book of Rites. The Commentary: "Etiquette is great, and incivility is not the god of heaven and earth; incivility is not able to distinguish between kings and subjects, up and down, and the order of the elder and the young; incivility is not related to the intercourse of men and women, fathers and sons, brothers, and marriages." "Qu Li Shang": "Husband Li, so set relatives and estranged, decide to be suspicious, don't be the same, know right and wrong." ...... Moral benevolence and righteousness, incivility is not accomplished; lessons are just and customary, incivility is not prepared; disputes and lawsuits are argued, indecisiveness is not decided; kings and subjects, fathers and sons and brothers, indecent and uncertain. "Fang Ji": "Husband Li, Fang (prevention) people's fornication, Zhang Min's difference." "The Mean": "The benevolent are also the greatest, and the relatives are greater; the righteous are also appropriate, and the honorable are great." The killing of relatives, the honor of the virtuous, etc., the birth of the ceremony. The Book of Music: "Liturgy, the order of heaven and earth is also ,...... The order is different. ”
Such as "Xunzi". "To the Soldiers": "Etiquette is fixed." "Gentleman": "Therefore, Shangxian enables, waits for nobles, divides relatives, orders the elder and the young, and this way of the first king is also." ”
And some of them are interpreted in the natural order of the Heavenly Dao. For example, the Book of Rites and Music: "Heaven and earth are honored and humbled, and kings and subjects are determined." Humble and high, noble and lowly. Movement is constant, and the size is different. If the square is clustered and the things are grouped, the lives are different. In heaven into the image, in the earth into the formation, so that the worshipper is the difference between heaven and earth. ”
Others talk about etiquette in terms of the difference between man and beast. Such as "Pipe • Situation", "Ritual • Guanyi", "Etiquette • Qu Lishang" and so on. The Book of Rites and Guanyi says: "The reason why mortals are human beings is also righteousness." "Li Ji Qu Li Shang" said: "The husband is rude only to the beast, so the father and son gather together." It is made of saints, and it is used to teach people with courtesy, so that people can distinguish themselves from beasts with courtesy. ”
All in all, the so-called ritual of "originating from the first year" and being the "extreme of humanity" is the result of division or separation, the result of the separation of heaven and man and the separation of everyone, and also the inevitable requirement of the development of classical Chinese society. Therefore, it can be said that the point is the basis of the liturgy, and it is also the essence of the liturgy.
We can now proceed to make further analysis of why rites are born separately with the help of contemporary anthropological research and the results of primitive social history and archaeological research.
Professor Zhang Xin's calligraphy works interpretation: Tao Zhu Yao Shun
The Zhou Yi Preface says: "There is heaven and earth and then there are all things, there are all things and then there are men and women, there are men and women and then there are couples, there are husbands and wives and then there are fathers and sons, there are fathers and sons and then there are kings and subjects, there are kings and subjects and then there is the world, there are up and down and then there are etiquette and righteousness." This material actually constructs a history of the evolution of ceremonies from conception to birth to growth, and the words are concise and concise. In this sense, it is not an exaggeration to call it a history of social development.
"Li Wei Han Wen Jia" said: "There are three ceremonies, the ceremony begins with Taiyi, the ceremony begins with the Sui Emperor, and the name of the ceremony begins with the Yellow Emperor." "The hypocrisy of the Book of Wei is a historical conclusion, but it is not completely absurd. This passage further reveals the origin of the ritual on the basis of the Book of Rites and Fortunes, reflecting a kind of deep thinking of the ancient philosophers on the origin of the rites. The rational is the invisible truth and meaning; the thing and the name are the tangible. Taiyi, self-explanatory, that is, chaotic. The origin of speech and etiquette should begin here.
However, at the beginning of human beings, the people's wisdom was not opened, "chaotic and undivided, and there was no difference between animals and animals" ("Anthology • Ban Zhao 'Eastern Crusade Fu]" Li Shanzhu quoted Cao Zhi's "Capital Transfer"), and could only rely on a subconscious natural combination to survive, which is the so-called "primitive group" period. "Men and women are miscellaneous, no media and no employment" (Liezi Tang Qing), so the characteristics of this stage are: "mixed outside and inside, there is no difference between men and women" ("Han Feizi • Death Sign"). This is undoubtedly the longest period of obscurity in human history.
Later, blood family communes replaced primitive groups, and group marriages replaced hybrids. This stage preceded a "marriage based on a sibling and sister"[7] (P18) blood marriage. The myth of fuxi and female snails is its relic; this stage is followed by the Pronaroan marriage that excludes the marriage of brothers and sisters. "Heavenly Destiny Xuan Bird, Descending and Born Shang" ("Poetry Shang Song Xuan Bird"), "Chu Chu Sheng Min, Shi Wei Jiang Yuan" ("Shi Da Ya Sheng Min") as his widow. "The people know their mother, but they do not know their father" is a true portrayal of that time. The characteristics of this stage can be summarized as: divided without being clear.
During the period of entering the clan commune, due to the exclusion of consanguineous marriage, the physical fitness of human beings was greatly improved. In matrilineal clan societies, husbands are identified from women's extra-clan marriages, which is called "dual marriage". "Indeed biological father" has been confirmed since the beginning of the present. From this beginning, the totemicism that began to seek out the hazy consciousness of its clan ancestors was accompanied by it. The "Dragon Age" and "Bird Age" of Tan Zi contained in the "Seventeenth Year of zuo chuan and zhao gong" are clear evidence. In the consequent patrilineal society, monogamous marriage as the "cellular form of civilized society"[8] (P78) finally took place historically. The true distinction between men and women is completely realized, the distinction between husband and wife is clear, and "children from a certain father" become "conclusive"[5] (P57). So the patrilineal family appeared, "for the palace, distinguish between inside and outside", it is also imperative. "The World of Adults and the Etiquette" ("Etiquette and Fortune") has finally become possible. The characteristics of this stage can be summarized as: basic differences.
Husband and wife are the beginning of humanity. The clarification of the relationship between husband and wife and father and son is a great progress of epoch-making significance in human history, laying an internal foundation for the final farewell to ignorance, the victory over barbarism, and the era of civilization.
With the emergence of private property and classes, with the disintegration of the clan system, the concept of "great unity" and the sense of equality that are undifferentiated between individuals and groups no longer existed, and the "public power separated from the masses of the people" above the clan system arose. As a result, the division of "kings and subjects" was formed, and finally the distinction between the upper and lower levels of the new concept of "honor" was finally established. The ritual thus used to regulate the relationship between human beings in society was finally completed.
Of course, the formation and positioning of the distinction between kings and subjects and superiors and subordinates did not happen overnight. According to the literature, there were monarchs and courtiers in the Xia Dynasty and even before, but initially they did not have the nature of upper and lower ranks, and in fact belonged to a natural relationship, that is, there was a relationship similar to that between the head of the clan and the clan. Therefore, Wang Guowei's "Treatise on the Yin Zhou System" pointed out: "Since Yin, the division of princes and subjects of the Son of Heaven has not been determined,...... The princes of Gai are to the Son of Heaven, and the princes of the later generations are to the allies, and there is no distinction between kings and subjects. [9] (P466) Even in the Shang Dynasty, due to the "Yin Shangqing" or "Yin Dao kinship", the relationship between the monarch and the vassal in the true sense of political society was not established. It was not until the Western Zhou Dynasty that due to the distinction between concubines and the positioning of the large and small sects, the so-called "monarchy" really ranked above the "sectarian system", and the hierarchical order between the upper and lower levels was formally established, and the complete meaning of the ceremony was perfected, that is, the so-called "final long" in the ancient books ("The Great Dai Li • Li Sanben").
Professor Zhang Xin's calligraphy works explain: "Respect for the body".
In short, etiquette is born of separation, and from division to "detachment", from division to "literature", from division to "long", and the basic or most fundamental division of division is the distinction between men and women. Therefore, the pre-Qin classics' exposition of the origin of the ritual cannot help but be admired:
"Etiquette • Late Righteousness": "Men and women are different and then the couple has righteousness, husband and wife have righteousness and then father and son have relatives, father and son have relatives and then kings and subjects have righteousness." Therefore, the one who faints in the ceremony, the original of the ceremony. ”
"Etiquette • Inner Rules": "Etiquette begins with the couple, for the palace room, to distinguish between inside and outside."
"Etiquette • Moderation": "The way of a gentleman, to create a husband and wife." And to the end, to the heavens and the earth. ”
In summary, we can make the history of the evolution of the ceremony as follows: the pure → (heaven and earth) → the → husband and wife of men and women→ father and son→ the monarch and the subject → the ceremonial system. It is not difficult for us to find that this chain system basically corresponds to the pattern of the natural generation and change process of the Heavenly Dao based on the first year of the year, and does not it allude to the basic spirit of the great idea of "the unity of heaven and man"?
Therefore, "although the rites are artificially created, they imitate the heavens and the earth, and take the natural order of the universe as the solid foundation of their existence" [10] (P445-446).
Fourth, etiquette is an important symbol of the emergence of Chinese civilization
There are four recognized symbols of civilization in academia today: bronze, writing, city and state. The world's four ancient civilizations are nothing less (ancient Egypt is a national civilization without walls). The state should be the most important symbol above other forms of materialization. Because all three of the above are associated with the state, and their role is concentrated in the cultural form of the state, Engels said in The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State: "The state is a generalization of civilized society. ”[8](P200)
Although the characteristics of the ancient civilizations of the world are not the same, the basic points are the same, namely, "public power separated from the masses of the people"[5] (pi35) and "nationals by region" [8] (P138).
The so-called "separation" refers to the establishment of classes and upper and lower hierarchies, that is, the "blood relations" that are politically separated from the old society. This is the ancient classic so-called "kings and subjects have righteousness" and the distinction between superior and inferior, noble and inferior. During the three generations of civilization in our country, because the blood relations of the old society to maintain the clan communes were not strongly denied as when the Greek society realized the transition from barbarism to civilization, the original patriarchal customs were basically retained. However, it is not a continuation of the original, but a step-by-step politicization, the establishment of a patriarchal system and a hierarchical system, "not respected by relatives and relatives" ("Gu Liang Chuan Wen Gong II"), and finally achieved "separation".
The so-called "division of the people by region" refers to the inferior composition of the geopolitical factor of the human state, which is an external force of the super-clan and the result of the conquest war between the clan tribes. China's merchants replaced Xia, Zhou Keshang, and even the early Zhou Dynasty.
Engels said: "The clan system grew out of a society that did not have any internal opposition." [8] (P192) That is to say, the clan system is based on a primitive democracy based on the equality and kinship of clan members. Therefore, the transition from barbarism to civilization can never take place and be completed within the clan, but can only be outside the clan and can only be subject to the external forces of the clan society. So even if private property, or even a clear hierarchy or class differentiation, arises in the clan commune, it does not mean that the state can arise from it. Since "clan society is inherently democratic, monarchy and clan system are incompatible",[8] (P176), it is impossible to establish a political society and a family on top of the clan system".[8] (P108).
In this way, considering the Longshan culture and the archaeological cultures such as Liangzhu and Shijiahe before the three generations of civilization in China, we can draw the opposite conclusion from some scholars that the Longshan culture has entered the era of human civilization. There are four main reasons for this:
1. The dozens of Longshan cultures and contemporaneous city sites discovered so far are general defensive castles. Its size is limited and not much different. There is no sign of any kind of intrinsic connection between cities that resembles that of descendant cities, such as subordinate attribute levels. The relics of cultural relics in the ancient city site generally have the same cultural attributes. At the same time, it is particularly important that no similar three-generation period city sites have been found in the ancient city sites of the above-mentioned archaeological cultures, such as Zhengzhou Shangcheng and Yanshi Shangcheng, and different architectural settings have clear functional divisions or differences in nature, such as large-scale palace buildings and zongmiao temples independent of a specific area.
(2) No similar tombs of descendants have been found, i.e. large aristocratic cemeteries that are completely separated from their subjects, but only public cemeteries that reflect an equal relationship. Even if some large tombs appear, they are all in the same place as the general small and medium-sized tombs, and there is no obvious sign of "separation from the masses".
3. No ceremonial instruments with relatively fixed and standardized materials and shapes, a clear division of labor and a systematic social function have been found. Although there are a large number of or even large-scale so-called jade utensils such as jade, jade, jade bi, painted pottery and stone chimes, drums and other musical instruments unearthed, they are not systematic, far from having the strict and complete systematization of the ritual instruments of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, nor do they have any functional distinctions and procedural characteristics. And the choice of quality is arbitrary, and there is no obvious difference with daily utensils.
4. Judging from the typical relics of Longshan culture, the development and evolution of its representative cultural relics, pottery, has constituted a complete chronological sequence without missing rings. That is to say, there is no doubt that The Longshan culture is an archaeological culture with an independent nature and a continuous lineage, during which there is neither a lack of rings nor a mutation of nature. The reason why it is called the Yongsan culture and not others is because of its independent nature and consistent logical sequence of development and evolution.
The third point listed above is the most important, because the ritual vessel is the ritual activity, the specific artifact used in the most noble and important activity of classical Chinese social life, and is an important material composition of the ceremony and an important carrier of the Chinese ritual civilization. [11] (P1165-1178)
The key to truly understanding the significance of ritual instruments lies in the understanding and grasp of the basic meaning, basic connotation and nature of the ritual. A passage from Confucius contained in the Book of Rites and The Middle Way can be seen as a classic interpretation of the content of the rites:
"The Son: The benevolent man is also the greatest of his relatives; the righteous are also great, and the honorable are great; the killing of relatives, the honor of the virtuous, etc., are also born of rites."
Among them, there are two important points; one is the killing of relatives, and the other is the honor of the sages. The two constitute the most basic connotation of the ceremony. The so-called killing of relatives refers to the distinction (decreasing) of blood relations in the patriarchal sense. Its core is benevolence, benevolent people love, benevolence begins with blood relatives, so love has the distinction of being close to each other. In clan society this kinship was a natural one, and in monarchical society it was given the meaning of nobility or hierarchy.
The so-called honor and the like point to society, refers to the upper and lower ranks in the sense of monarchy. Its center of gravity is righteousness. The righteous should also be what should be done. Therefore, it is only suitable for the outside of the blood family, and there is no such thing as should or should not be within the blood family, that is, there is no such thing as righteousness, so the concept of righteousness is produced after the emergence of the state. Therefore, etiquette with benevolence and righteousness as the main content is the product of civilization.
As mentioned above, it is known that etiquette is truly completed after the formation and positioning of the relationship between the monarch and the subject, the relationship between the upper and lower levels, and the monarch and the upper and lower levels undoubtedly belong to the concept of monarchical society and national politics. As Sima Guang's Tongjian said, "The office of the Son of Heaven is greater than that of courtesy." Etiquette is greater than points, and points are greater than names. What is etiquette? Ji Gang is also. What is a point? Monarch is also. What is the name, Dr. Qing is also. ...... Husbands and wives, distinguish between nobles and lowly, and order relatives and relatives. Cutting down the masses and making things. Thus the ceremony eventually became an important tool and means of the monarchy. It constitutes the most basic characteristic of ancient Chinese national politics and gives Chinese culture a unique characteristic of liturgical music culture.
To sum up, human society begins with one breath, step by step, step by step, step by step. Divide chaos, say goodbye to obscurity, defeat barbarism, and enter civilization. The ceremonial process was born out of the birth, and the ceremonial system was established. If there is confusion, then there is a difference between male and female sex, which is the etiquette (Tao); when bidding farewell to obscurantism, the blood marriage is excluded, which is a ceremonial event; when the barbarism is overcome, the husband and wife are positioned, which is a ceremonial birth and a ceremonial instrument. And with the rightness of the monarch and the division of the rank of the upper and lower nobles, the ceremonial system is completed. So China's history went from chaos to chaos, and the three emperors, and the five emperors, finally realized three generations of civilization. Therefore we say that rituals are born of separation and civilization. Etiquette is the difference between barbarism and civilization, and etiquette is the basis of Chinese civilization and an important symbol of the formation of Chinese civilization.
Originally published in Journal of Peking University, No. 4, 2002; Journal Digest of Colleges and Universities (CUPA), No. 6, 2002.
Calligraphy Interpretation: Professor Zhang Xin's Poetry Appreciation
About the Author
Zhang Xin, the word for this husband. Famous scholar, professor of Peking University, doctoral supervisor. He is a director of the China Overseas Friendship Association, a director of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, a member of the Academic Committee, the president of the Peking University Calligraphy and Painting Association, an expert in the review of humanities dissertations of the Ministry of Education, and one of the earliest doctors of archaeology in China. He was once rated as one of the "Top Ten Teachers of Peking University" and was hired as the general consultant of the national "True Language" series of activities.
Note: This article is the original work of Professor Zhang Xin, please do not reprint or copy without the author's permission. Respect the rights and interests of authors together!