Zhu Hui Yuying Passed on the Torch - Tang Yongtong's Academic Influence on Feng Qi

　 The famous philosopher and historian of philosophy, Feng Qi (1915-1995), inherited Tang Yongtong's research on "the discernment of words and meanings", carried out theoretical exploration of "transforming knowledge into wisdom", and created a unique system of wisdom, thus becoming the most original philosopher in the contemporary Chinese philosophical field. In the exchange and interaction with Tang Yongtong, Feng Qi formed a deep friendship between teachers and students, and ran through the whole process of the emergence of Feng Qi's philosophical thoughts, becoming the source of his study.

　　Talk about learning and the tao, the unity of knowledge and action

　　In 1935, Feng Qi was admitted to the Department of Philosophy of Tsinghua University with the second place in the country, and soon participated in the 12.9 Movement with his friends Yu Guangyuan and Tang Yixiong, the eldest son of Tang Yongtong. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, under the mobilization of Xu Teli, he broke through the blockade and came to Yan'an to study at the Lu Xun Art Academy. After that, Feng Qi moved to the Jin-Cha-Ji and Hebei-Hebei enemy rear base areas until he returned to the Department of Philosophy of Southwest United University in the autumn of 1939 to resume his studies.

　　During his stay at the Ungalacine General Assembly, Feng Qi received the cordial care and teachings of Tang Yongtong, the head of the department, and the teachings of the spring wind and rain, which made him remember it for life. He successively took courses such as "History of Indian Philosophy", "Wei jin metaphysics", and "Rationalism in Continental Europe" by Tang Yongtong. Feng Qi's "mass society" under the leadership of the underground party in the Ungain General Assembly was busy organizing the study of revolutionary theory and current politics, and often missed classes, but Tang Yongtong's teaching classes always attracted him to study seriously, and he was never absent except when he was ill. Feng Qi's twilight years still remember these beautiful years:

　　"It is admirable that he alone was able to offer courses in the three philosophical traditions (Chinese, Indian and Western) of high quality and so knowledgeable! ...... Just as he preached from a lofty height, he had a broad vision and was not urgent; the information was informative and not cumbersome, and the theory could be integrated, and sometimes he made a comparison of Chinese and foreign philosophies without any trace; in the layers of in-depth explanations, novel and original insights were naturally put forward and demonstrated. So that you appreciate the beauty of theory and taste the joy of speculation. So, listening to his lessons is really a pleasure. ”

　　After the Anhui Incident, it was rumored that the secret agents were about to enter the school for a big hunt. The underground party decided to stop the public activities of the "mass society" and evacuated many of the backbone cadres to the countryside. Feng Qi then went to the Institute of Liberal Arts of Peking University in Longquan Town, Kunming, to borrow it, and Wang Ming, who was studying at Tang Yongtong's graduate school, set up a desk and canvas bed for him. Since the philosophy students had dispersed several people, Tang Yongtong went to comfort Feng Qi, came to his residence and quietly asked, "There are a few students in the philosophy department who have disappeared, do you know where they have gone?" Feng Qi said: "I don't know." "It wouldn't be arrest, would it?" "I didn't hear of it." "You won't be able to do it, will you?" Feng Qi replied with a slight hesitation: "I will not leave for the time being." He sighed and stared affectionately at Feng Qi and said, "I hope you can stay!" Feng Qi's simple conversation impressed Feng Qi and suddenly realized: it turned out that Mr. Tang was not a scholar who did not ask about politics, but a cunning person who "did not do anything" ("Analects and Zilu"). At this critical moment, he cared so much for and sincerely cared for his progressive classmates, which made Feng Qibei feel kind.

　　In 1941, Feng Qi was admitted to graduate school at the United Nations University and moved to the Tsinghua Institute of Liberal Arts in the suburb of Sijiaying. After the underground party of the Communist Party of China implemented the policy of long-term ambush, Feng Qisui concentrated on studying. Whenever he had any experience and questions, he was eager to ask the teacher for advice. Usually, when he encounters Western philosophical problems, he will ask Jin Yuelin, and if he encounters Eastern philosophical problems, he will ask Tang Yongtong and Feng Youlan. Feng Qi recalled: "The road to Mr. Feng's house is a little farther, Mr. Tang's road is the closest, after dinner, I walked in the field, and after a while I walked to The Wheat Village." Mr. Tang also welcomed me to talk, I asked questions, he always had to ask questions, or gave me pointers, told me to look up what books; I put forward my own opinions, he always patiently discussed with me, so that I felt unrestrained. So every time I go, I feel like I've gained something. Gradually, the number of visits increased, the scope of conversation expanded, and the people in his family became familiar with each other. At that time, Ichisuke and his sister were still young, and in elementary and middle school, the housework was taken care of by the teacher and mother. Sometimes I go, Mr. Tang went to school and did not come back (at least an hour and a half walk from the city to home), the master and mother talked to me about the hardships of life, and cared about Mr. Tang's health... "At that time, the joint masters and students ate moldy rice mixed with countless sand and stones, and if they were not careful, they would break their teeth and hurt their stomachs, but Tang Yongtong was a wise man who was poor and guarded, and his transcendent and distant realm was enough to settle down.

　　Feng Qi and Tang Yongtong once had a good conversation, but suddenly the sky was completely dark, and Mrs. Tang came in the door and said, "You don't light a lamp, the black hole hole, the conversation is so vigorous." Tang Yongtong said, "We talk about the occult, and it is better to talk in the dark." Feng Qi said: "We catch black cats in the dark room." The two laughed heartily. When they were interested, they chatted freely until the night was quiet, and Feng Qi returned from the field path in the moonlight, truly experiencing the joy of benevolence and wisdom of the unity of the scene and the unity of heaven and man. However, he does not agree with the purpose of philosophy, that is, to "find holes and happy places", but believes that philosophy should face reality and guide life. Feng Qi and Tang Yongtong had been in contact for a long time, and only then did they realize that he was actually not so "detached", he was concerned about state affairs, and he deeply resented corrupt officials. In front of him, Feng Qi could unabashedly criticize the reactionaries' perverse behavior, and he would also ask Feng Qi about the situation in Yan'an and the front line of the War of Resistance, and when he learned of the heroic deeds of the soldiers and civilians in the base areas behind the enemy lines who struggled hard and fought against the Japanese Kou, he praised them endlessly.

　　Although Tang Yongtong was "kind and benevolent, that is, he is also gentle", at the congress of the Philosophy Department of the United Nations General Assembly, he and Jin Yuelin both denounced the literati who took learning as the step of advancement. Tang Yongtong advocated that scholarship and politics should be kept at a certain distance, and repeatedly told Feng Qi: "A philosophy is appreciated by the rulers and can be popular for a while, but it has no academic value." It is still those who are willing to be lonely and have contributed and have an impact on future generations. At least in Chinese history, this has been the case throughout the ages. Although Feng Qi recognized it, he also thought: "Mr. Tang is inevitably a little negative. Lu Xun said in "Exiting the Customs" that the same pair of shoes, Lao Tzu walked quicksand, confucius was the court. Mr. Tang is a bit like Lao Tzu. Feng Qi advocated that there is another way, that is, to go among the people, grasp the pulse of the times, and transform society with knowledge and action.

　　Seeking wisdom and passing on the torch

　　Feng Qi talked most to Tang Yongtong about the problems encountered in reading, at this time he wanted to systematically study various philosophical masterpieces, but felt that it was too difficult: the literature was vast, philosophy was a first-class genius, only hard work can grasp its profound ideas, but it is easy to indulge in its charm is difficult to come out, so it is difficult to "get in" and "can get out" is even more difficult. When Feng Qi raised this concern, Tang Yongtong said, "Take your time, you can do it!" While studying the mahayana writings, Tang yongtong instructed Feng Qi to read the Three Treatises, the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra, and re-read the Zhao Theory. He was good at heuristic teaching, and asked Feng Qi what he had experienced, and Feng replied, "Monk Zhao has summarized the essence of the Prajnaparamita Sutra. Tang Yongtong said: "Chinese is highly talented, and Indians say so much, that is, some ideas such as "Zhao Theory". Feng Qi suddenly felt the problem of how to "enter and exit": "Monk Zhao is a typical example of being able to enter and exit. Mr. Tang's history of philosophy not only pays attention to comprehensively grasping the data and conducting rigorous research, but also pays attention to integrating and revealing clues to its development. Therefore, his writings are also typical of both in and out. ”

　　During this time, Feng Qi focused on the metaphysics of Wei and Jin and Chinese Buddhism with Tang Yongtong. Tang Yongtong took the lead in proposing that metaphysics is to summarize the philosophical controversy of the Wei and Jin dynasties based on the controversy over natural names and religions, "meaning of speech, existence or non-existence, and end of the book", thus historically examining the evolution of various schools of thought, thus revealing the clues of development. In this regard, Feng Qi reported to Tang Yongtong: "This method of revealing the contradictory development of thought from grasping the main controversies is essentially the use of dialectics to govern the history of philosophy, which is applicable not only to wei and Jin metaphysics, but also to the study of the entire history of Chinese philosophy. "From Wang Bi's 'Gui Wu' to Xiang and Guo's 'Chongyou', and then to Sangzhao's 'non-existence and non-nothingness', it is the main line of metaphysical development, and at the same time, in the Buddhist study of Prajnaparamita, from Dao'an (Ben Wu) and Zhi Shu (i.e., Color) to Sang Zhao, a similar process has also been experienced. This theoretical clue appears clean and neat, very convincing to scholars, and can give people a speculative beauty. The above discussion laid the basic idea that Feng Qi chose to write a graduate thesis with the theme of "wisdom".

　　After Feng Qi went to Shanghai to work in 1946, although the opportunity to meet Tang Yongtong was small, every time he went to Beijing, he always took time to visit, and Tang Yongtong was still as concerned about Feng Qi's philosophical research as always. After the founding of New China, Feng Qi was surprised to find that Tang Yongtong had no "cunning" atmosphere at all, and when he talked about the future of the motherland and social undertakings, he was full of vigor and confidence, and also had a positive attitude toward administrative affairs. In 1957, Feng Qi went to Beijing to visit his mentor and said that he was exploring the development logic of Chinese philosophy, but he felt that there were limitations, and it was impossible for Mr. Tang to compare the three major philosophical systems in the world. Tang Yongtong also encouraged him with the old saying: "Take your time, you can do it!" He replied, "When I write it out, I will ask Mr. Tang for advice." "I didn't expect to wait for him to write "The Logical Development of Ancient Chinese Philosophy" after painstaking efforts, but the tomb of the teacher was arched.

　　On the occasion of the centenary of Tang Yongtong's birth, Feng Qi wrote an essay "Remembering the Days of Teaching Mr. Tang in Kunming" dedicated to his mentor, in which he talked about the formation of the "Wisdom Theory":

　　"Looking back on this 'starting point', I am reminded of my study at the Tsinghua Institute of Liberal Arts, and I am full of gratitude for the kind teachings given to me by Mr. Jin and Mr. Tang at that time." The two teachers have their own characteristics: Mr. Jin attaches great importance to the logical analysis of theory, and through demonstration gives me strict thinking training, requiring each argument I put forward to be rigorously demonstrated; Mr. Tang pays attention to obtaining a thorough theory based on detailed information, is good at enlightenment, and encourages me to think freely and explore the mysterious philosophical realm. Mr. Jin is rigorous and profound, Mr. Tang is well-versed and smart, and I was able to get guidance from two teachers at the same time during my stay at the Sijia camp, and I learned a little habit of rigorous analysis and free thinking from them, which is a rare opportunity. ”

　　The teachers and students mentioned in the article talk about learning and discussing the Tao, and the love and wisdom of the salary and fire are a good story of building an academic community, which often makes the future students envious. Professor Tong Shijun commented: "Reading this article together with many articles in the Tang Yijie Collection, including articles and interviews about the common life of Mr. Tang Yijie and Mr. Le Daiyun, how members of an excellent academic community are cultivated, how academic ability is trained, how academic traditions are inherited, how academic interaction is practiced, how academic boundaries are transcended, and so on, we can have a lot of understanding from this." ”

　　The author's admiration for the moral articles of Mr. Tang and Mr. Feng Zhu stems from the tutoring he received since childhood. In 1956, Jia Yan entered East China Normal University for graduate school, and his supervisor was Mr. Chen Xulu, who invited his close friend Feng Qi to teach Yan Philosophy course. Mr. Feng was Tang Yongtong's proud protégé and the most appreciative contemporary philosopher of Tang Yijie, who said that one of the reasons why he embarked on the path of philosophical research was influenced by Feng Qi's wisdom theory. By karma, I admired the former sages earlier, and in 1996, I was in charge of Peking University and studied tangmen for 18 years, which seemed to have been doomed 60 years ago. The author assisted Mr. Tang Yijie, based on Feng Qi's transcript of listening to Tang Yongtong's course, to sort out a "Wei Jin Metaphysics Lecture Notes", which was included in the "Complete Works of Tang Yongtong" Volume IV. Feng Qi's lecture notes enriched the content of Tang's "Treatise on the Metaphysics of Wei and Jin" and was a precious ideological historical material. From this, compared with Feng Qi's relevant memories and treatises, we can better understand the source and purpose of his "wisdom theory".

　　(Author Affilications:Institute of Philosophy, Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences)

Source: China Social Science Network - China Social Science Daily Author: Zhao Jianyong