In the early Western Han Dynasty, Liu An, the son of Wang Lichang Lu, the grandson of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, was the uncle of Emperor Gaozu Liu Che (179- 12 1 years ago). ) and Li Shang, Su Fei, Wu Bei, etc.
This book was written in the late reign of Emperor Jingdi and presented to the court in the second year of Jianyuan, the beginning of Liu Che's reign.
Liu An, the king of Huainan, was a man with profound academic attainments among the royal aristocrats at that time. He drew thousands of books, saying that "there are twenty-one chapters in the inner chapter, many books in the outer chapter, and eight volumes in the middle chapter, telling the story of the immortal Huang Bai, which is also more than twenty thousand words" ("Han Shu Liu Changchuan Huainan Wang Li"). And this cultural masterpiece, which covers a wide range, has only 2 1 internal book, that is, Huainanzi, which we see now.
Liu An was determined to seize the political initiative when something happened in the world, actively manufacturing war equipment, amassing money and bribing local power groups in the Han Dynasty. He has studied military maps day and night and secretly deployed operations. The illegal activities of Huainan nobles were gradually exposed. When the court traced them, Liu An finally found them out. Resist. However, the rebellion was quickly put down by the Han Dynasty. Liu An was convicted of treason and committed suicide. Huainan prefecture is abolished. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up Jiujiang County here.
The content of Huai Nan Zi
There are 2 1 articles in Hanshu Yiwenzhi, and there are 33 articles in the book, including Taoist discourses and miscellaneous sayings. This book has twenty-one articles. Mainly based on Taoist thought, it combines Confucianism, law, yin and yang. , and generally listed Huai Nan Zi as a saint. In fact, this book is the representative work of Huang Lao's research theory system, which is guided by Taoism and absorbed hundreds of theories from the Warring States to the early Han Dynasty. When explaining philosophy, Huainanzi refers to strange things and ghosts and gods, and retains some mythological materials, such as Goddess Mending the Heaven, Shooting the Sun in Houyi, and * * * Don't touch the surrounding mountains with public anger, etc., which are mainly circulated in this book.
Huainan subdirectory
The first volume, the original Taoist amulet, the second volume, the mantra amulet.
Volume III Astronomical Training Volume IV Falling Physical Training
The fifth volume is training, and the sixth volume is ghost training.
Volume VII Spiritual Training Volume VIII Classic Training
Volume 9 Main Skills Training Volume 10 Miu Praise Training
Volume 10 Customs Training Volume 12 English Training
Volume 13, general theory of training, volume 14, explanation of speech training.
Volume 15 soldiers' brief training Volume 16 says mountain training
Volume 17 on Xun Lindi 18 on human training
Volume 19 Maintenance Service Training Volume 20 Thailand Training
Summary of Volume 2 1
Influence on future generations
After reading this book, future generations all think that this book is just a Taoist book intended to invite immortals to visit Taoism and learn from Huang Laoyan. Huang Lao Dao was an official school highly praised by Wen Jing in the early Han Dynasty. As we all know, this book is the product of fierce political struggle and ideological debate in the early years of Jianyuan.
Thoughts and Features of Huainanzi
Huai Nan Zi is a collection of essays written by Liu An, the king of Huainan, at the turn of Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. Liu An (BC 179+ BC 122) was the son of Liu Bang, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and was younger than Liu Chang, the king of Huainan. Li, the king of Huainan, was convicted of "conspiracy" and died of hunger strike on the way. After that, the fief of Li, the king of Huainan, was divided into three parts, and Liu An was made the king of Huainan. Liu An has sent a number of guests to do this, including many scholars. * * * Editor-in-Chief of Huai Nan Zi. This book has ***2 1, and the last one is called "Introduction", which is the preface of the book. Judging from the outline, the writing of the whole book has a unified plan and arrangement. But from the content point of view, it is not completely unified. It is reasonable to list it as a "saint" in History of Han Arts and Literature. In addition to Taoism, the contents of the book also include Confucianism, Legalism and Yin and Yang. Mr. Fan Wenlan said that Huainanzi is based on Taoism, but it is eclectic and "still shows a certain tendency of integration."
(A)' Huai Nan Zi' and pre-Qin Taoist thought
In the aspect of cosmology ontology, Huainanzi inherited the pre-Qin Taoist thought and reformed it with materialism. The book "Evolution of Heaven" says: "Tao begins with emptiness" and "Tao begins with oneness". It holds that before the formation of heaven and earth, the whole universe was a seamless and amorphous emptiness, and it was a "oneness" with ambiguous connotation. "Former Tao Xun" said: "The so-called invisible person is also called; The so-called one, no one is suitable for this world. Outstanding independence, the block is alone, there are nine days on the ground and nine fields on the ground, not in the rules, not in the square, as big as one. " According to the above analysis, "Tao" is the "empty" Tao, and "One" Tao is the way of things in the final analysis. This transforms the pre-Qin Taoist view of "Tao Sheng" into the view of "things have achieved something", which is clear materialism. On the theory of cosmogenesis, The Theory of Evolution points out: "The Tao begins with one and is unborn, so it is divided into yin and yang. Yin and yang are in harmony, and everything is born, so it is said: life two, life three, life three. " It is also believed that the gas of the universe is "thin and extravagant for the sky, heavy and turbid for the earth", with Yang as the sun, Yin as the moon, and Yin and Yang divided into four bodies. This is a clear theory of the composition of the universe, which almost became a recognized conclusion of ancient materialism before the emergence of modern science.
Huai Nan Zi also actively reformed and explained the pre-Qin Taoist viewpoint of "governing by doing nothing", and clearly pointed out that inaction is not inaction, but actively guides the situation. "Training for the Repair of Things" criticizes the passive inaction theory that "the inaction is silent, indifferent, unable to attract and push away", and points out that the "saints" recognized in history are all positive and promising, such as Shennong's religious figures "sowing grain", inventing medicine and "meeting seventy poisons a day"; Yao is actively engaged in political management and social education. "Teach Xiwo people, have a monarch in the east, a monarch in the north, and a Jiao Jiao in the south, put them in Chongshan, escape three seedlings in the three dangers, work in Youzhou, and swim whales in Yushan"; Shun "opened the valley of trees, conquered the southern three seedlings and died in the sky"; Yu stopped the wind and squeezed the rain, "definitely dredging the river, chiseling the Longmen, and spreading the Yi"; Don is sleepless at night. Diligence, these ancient sages and kings, have made great achievements all their lives. "It's wrong for sages to be so observant of people's feelings and call it' inaction'!" This shows: "As for Shu Ren, under the son of heaven, his limbs are motionless, so he doesn't have to think about it. People who manage things successfully have no education! " This paper gives a correct explanation of "inaction". It says that Laozi's inaction is by no means inaction, but a guide to the situation: "Husband's terrain, water flows eastward, people will do something, and then the water will go to the valley; When crops are born in spring, people will process them, so grains will grow. If you let it drift, you will get: if you let it go, the whale and Yu's merits will not stand, and Hou Ji's wisdom will not. " This is a correct explanation of the relationship between objective regularity and subjective initiative in Huai Nan Zi, which greatly sublimates the pre-Qin Taoist thought.
By the way, Huai Nan Zi is also closely related to Huang Lao School in the early Han Dynasty. Holidays in the early Han Dynasty: There were many books with titles that the Yellow Emperor thought were lost. Silk books unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb; There are four ancient lost books: Daoyuan, Jingfa, Weighing and Sixteen Classics. Huainanzi is related to these four silk books. Both Yuan and Dao Yuan are monographs on Tao, and their words are very consistent. Besides, there are many other similarities. For example, Cong Jianxun: "Misfortunes are the same" and Jing Fa: "Misfortunes are the same"; Former Tao Xun: "The sum of all things can be read from one hole", and Sixteen Classics: "Everything can be read"; Interpretation and explanation: "A saint does not start, does not specialize in himself, follows heaven, does not plan, does not give up time, stays with heaven, does not seek, does not care about blessings, and is governed by heaven", and says: "A saint does not start, does not specialize in himself, does not plan, does not care about blessings, and is governed by heaven." Wait, the list goes on. This can also be seen from one side. Huainanzi absorbed a large proportion of Taoist nutrition.
(B) Huai Nan Zi and pre-Qin Confucianism
First of all, Huainanzi inherited and waved the original humanistic thought of "Benevolence and Love" of pre-Qin Confucianism. "Teacher Training" said: "The reason why the country exists is benevolence and righteousness." He also said: "it is unwise to know everything without understanding human nature;" It is not benevolence to love all people but not human beings. The benevolent loves its kind, and the wise cannot be confused. " This concept originated from the pre-Qin Confucianism, and was higher than the pre-Qin Confucianism, especially the application of the concepts of "benevolence" and "humanity" in Huai Nan Zi, which was of great value in the cultural history of China. Huainanzi also advocates people-oriented. "Balun Xun" said: "Governing the country is regular and benefiting the people is the foundation." "Teacher Training" said: "The eater is the foundation of the people; People are the foundation of the country; The country is the foundation of the monarch. " On this basis, Taizu Xun put forward the idea of governing the country with benevolence: "The so-called benevolent loves others; The so-called knower knows people, and the lover does not torture. He who knows others is invincible. There is nothing absurd about governing the country with arts and sciences. Punishment is not abusive and there is no tyrannical trip. " This can be regarded as the further development of Confucius and Mencius' theory of "virtuous politics" and "benevolent politics". Huainanzi advocates that human nature is good. Tai Xun holds that "humanity is endowed with benevolence and righteousness", which is the inheritance of Mencius' thought. However, I don't fully agree with Mencius. Huainanzi emphasizes that "the capital of benevolence and righteousness" must be combined with acquired education in order to achieve perfection: "Therefore, there is no sex and no class; Have their own nature, have no support, and can't obey the Tao. Cocoons are essentially silk, but they can't be spun unless two women cook hot soup. If an egg becomes a chicken, it can't be a chicken unless it vomits for a long time to keep warm. Human nature is endowed with benevolence and righteousness. If you are not taught by saints on the grounds of statutes, you should not turn to the other side. " In other words, goodness is the internal foundation and education is the acquired condition. The combination of the two can achieve the goodness of adults, which is obviously different from Mencius' emphasis on anti-origin and internal pursuit. As for the view that the external conditions are attributed to "the teaching of saints", from the perspective of social history, it is also the same shortcoming of ancient philosophy.
(C) Huai Nan Zi and the Pre-Qin Legalist Thought
Huai Nan Zi inherits and develops the historical evolutionism concepts of Shang Yang and Han Fei, and points out that social life is changing, and the legal system should also change with the times, that is, "the system of the first king is not suitable or abolished". "Instructions" said: "The sacred man-made ritual music is not ritual music. Governing the country is regular and benefiting the people. Politics and religion have classics, which is beneficial to the people and the Lord. Don't have to be ancient; If you are in trouble, you don't have to follow the old one. " He also said: "Law and time change, courtesy and custom. Clothes and equipment, each for his own use. Laws and regulations have their own reasons. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with becoming ancient, but it is not enough to become a vulgar. " These remarks, from ideological point of view to specific words, are closely related to Shang and Han. Judging from the social reality at that time, the "Han inherited Qin system" was not completely reformed. At the turn of the scene and martial arts, the economy of the Han Dynasty has been restored, and it is objectively necessary to establish a new system. Of course, this system is by no means completely equivalent to the system advocated by Shang and Han, but the ideological principle of legalist reform still has practical significance. What is commendable is that Huainanzi believes that the formulation of laws and regulations should meet the needs of the crowd, consider the general trend and the will of the people. "Master's Training" said: "Law is born of righteousness, righteousness is born of the public, and the public is suitable for the people. This is also the key to governance. " This is obviously a more progressive view than the pre-Qin legalists, and it is also the result of the integration of Confucianism and Legalism.
Is Huai Nan Zi related to Shi Lv Chun Qiu? According to the original work, Huai Nan Zi kept silent about Lv Chunqiu, which may be related to the anti-Qin ethos in the early Han Dynasty. But in fact, it is Lu's Spring and Autumn that has the greatest and most direct influence on Huai Nan Zi. These two books were personally presided over by the upper class aristocrats and written collectively by many scholars. The procedure of writing a book is to draw up a plan first, write it separately, and finally compile it comprehensively. The structure of the book is unified, the content is regular, the editors and directors are related, and the words are carefully scrutinized. Both of these books summed up the theories of pre-Qin philosophers, learned from others' strengths, and formed a comprehensive and huge theoretical system that could connect heaven, earth and people, providing a comprehensive ideological and theoretical basis for a unified feudal empire. The difference is that Huai Nan Zi was in the prevailing cultural atmosphere of Huang Lao when it was written, so it paid special attention to Taoist thought. Therefore, in a sense, Huainanzi is a masterpiece of Huang Lao's thought, which of course does not prevent it from absorbing the ideological essence of other schools besides Taoism.
Medical Contents of Huainanzi
Twenty-one chapters of Huai Nan Zi, whose real name is "Lie Hong", were collectively written by Liu An, king of Huai Nan in the Western Han Dynasty (BC 180 ~ BC 123). This book is a systematic and detailed summary of Taoist thoughts in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, and it is an extremely valuable and rich material for studying Huang Lao's thoughts. There are many medical contents in the book, which are worth discussing and studying.
Advocating theory, yin and yang and five elements
This book advocates the theory of yin-yang and five elements. First of all, it discusses the occurrence, development and change of everything summarized by Yin and Yang. For example, Ben Jing Xun pointed out: "Yin and Yang inherit the sum of heaven and earth, form various shapes of bodies, ... and finally begin to fill from empty to empty." This statement includes all things in nature, and its changes are endless. This is in line with the theory of yin and yang in Huangdi Neijing.
Water, fire, sun and moon are metaphors of yin and yang in the book. For example, the "Astronomical Training" said: "The heat of Yang accumulates to make a fire, and the essence of internal heat is heaven; The cold of yin accumulation is water, and the essence of water vapor is the moon. " There is another cloud: "The sun is the master of Yang; The moon is also the Sect of Yin. " Here, common water, fire, sun and moon are used to illustrate the properties of yin and yang. This vivid metaphor makes it easy for scholars to understand the boring and abstract theory of Yin and Yang.
Secondly, it expounds the attributes of the five elements and the laws of their birth, use and abuse. Such as "East, Wood, …". In the north, there is also water. ""aquatic wood, wood makes a fire, fire makes soil, and soil makes gold. " "Wood wins soil, soil wins water, water wins fire, fire wins gold, and gold wins wood, so Wo Chunsheng died in autumn ..." The content of the five elements theory here is consistent with the Huangdi Neijing, indicating that the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements at that time has penetrated into many disciplines.
The book also discusses the physiological characteristics, courage, wisdom and stupidity, longevity and so on. For example, "in the East, ... people are in shape, with a small head, a big nose and a kite shoulder, which are familiar." The muscles and qi belong to the cloud, and the light color dominates the liver. When you grow up, you know early, but you don't live long; In the south, in the west, ... white governs the lungs and is brave and ruthless; In the north, ... people are stupid; The fourth largest authority of the central government, ... is wise and sage and easy to manage. " Although this may not be the case above, it generally shows the influence of different directions and regions of the five elements on the human body
Holism, the agreement between man and nature
The book emphasizes the overall concept of the correspondence between heaven and man, such as the cloud in Ben Jing Xun: "The universe of heaven and earth, one person's body is also; Within Liuhe, the system of one person is also. " "Kong Qiao's limbs are connected with the sky. There are nine things in the sky, and people also have nine tricks ... "It is pointed out that people live in the universe and are closely related to nature. This coincides with the view that "the heaven and earth, the Liuhe, the Qi of Kyushu, the nine orifices, the five zang and the twelve solar terms are all related to the weather" in Su Wen's On the Wrath of Heaven.
The change of climate in the four seasons directly affects the human body and forms diseases. For example, "Time is Training" records: "Meng Chunyue, ... autumn will lead to major diseases and epidemics." "Summer vacation in Ji Chun will bring many diseases and epidemics to people." "In summer in Qiu Meng, ... there are more people and more malaria. ..... summer is the season and autumn, and ... people are crowded. " It can be seen from the above that the disharmony between qi and qi will lead to the occurrence of human diseases. At the same time, it warns people that the human body must adapt to the climate changes of the four seasons and natural seasons in order to survive healthily in the universe, just as the classic saying goes: "In the four seasons, spring grows and summer grows, autumn harvests and winter storage, so take it sparingly and sometimes go in and out."
There is also the influence of holistic view on disease symptoms, such as "if the husband is sick, he will be colored outside." "Carbuncle occurs in the fingers, and the pain spreads all over the body." The former says that there are diseases in the five internal organs, which causes the color change of the body surface, that is, "what is inside must be shaped outside"; The latter points out that local lesions can affect the whole human body.
Health, quiet and quiet.
This book focuses on the art of keeping in good health. If Zhenxun emphasizes the cultivation of sexual morality, it says: "Quiet and peaceful, so it also raises the nature; Harmony and happiness are nothingness, and so is moral cultivation. ..... If so, the qi and blood will not stagnate and the five internal organs will not suffocate. " There is also the "Training of Repairing Things", which puts forward spiritual recuperation, pointing out: "Today, Taoist priests are good at hiding inside, calm, quiet and indifferent, and have no evil spirits in their chests ... and then they can adjust their interests and their pulse is incomparable." "God is calm and peaceful, and ten thousand knots are peaceful, which nourishes nature." Looking at the above, we can see that if you have a clean heart and don't think about anything, the five internal organs will be peaceful, the pulse will be smooth, and all the orifices will be healthy. This is in line with the regimen of "indifferent to nothingness, obeying the true qi, hiding the spirit inside, preventing diseases" and "taking pleasure as a service" in Huangdi Neijing.
Another aspect of health preservation is to prohibit addiction. For example, "Time is Training" said: "Meng Dong, ... gentlemen fast, want to be quiet, get rid of prostitution, get rid of prostitution, and keep fit." When the winter is closed, it is advisable to hide and not leak, so it is advisable to abstain from sex and hide the essence. The original text of Tao Xun also said that "a saint can't make peace unless he obeys things", which also emphasized the importance of abstinence. Only by nourishing the spirit and regulating the qi can human beings be healthy and live with all things in the world in the laws of nature. Therefore, "The Former Tao Xun" pointed out: "Therefore, saints must nourish their spirits, decline their qi, be flat, and rise and fall with the Tao." The above contribution of Huainanzi to human health can be used for reference.
Push the cause of disease, emotional environment
In the book, the causes of the disease are studied, and it is considered that emotional changes and geographical environment have great influence on the human body and are important factors of the disease. For example, both "Spiritual Practice" and "Practice in the Original Way" point out: "When people are angry, they break the yin, and when they are overjoyed, they fall into the sun ..." "Thin clouds make you crazy with fear, full of sorrow, and illness is a product." The above emotions are too extreme and accumulate into illness. This is the same as the viewpoint in Huangdi Neijing that anger hurts yin and sudden joy hurts yang. This understanding of the etiology has been guiding the later clinical practice. At present, the proportion of emotional diseases is getting higher and higher. For example, Professor Yang Xueqin pointed out through investigation that "70% ~ 80% patients with psoriasis onset and recurrence have anxiety and depression before onset, and they have particularly unpleasant things."
Geographical environment also directly affects the human body and is the cause of disease. For example, "strong natives are strong, weak natives are fat, ..." "There are many men in the mountains, many women in the mountains, many deaf people in the atmosphere, many forests, many days in summer and many days in cold." Different geographical environments and climates have influences on people's physique, fertility, onset and longevity, which is one of the causes of diseases. This kind of medical thought originates from ancient literature and is innovative. For example, Lu Chunqiu records: "... Shui Xin Institute, there are many gangrene and acne; There are many people in the bitter water. " Here refers to people who live in places with spicy water, who suffer from carbuncle and scrofula; In places where water tastes bitter, people often suffer from chicken breasts and hunchbacks.
Talking about treatment, combining theory with law
The book also discusses the treatment of diseases in detail. For example, Shi Xun puts forward the four-season treatment rule: "Cure in spring, moment in autumn, strength in winter and balance in summer ..." Here, the balance rule therapy is different from the balance rule and four-season pulse in Huangdi Neijing. For example, "Su Wen Pulse" said: "When you exercise at four o'clock, your pulse should go up and down. Spring is appropriate, summer is appropriate, autumn is appropriate, and winter is appropriate. " Su Wen's theory of yin and yang should be like a big picture: "Look at its rules and know its main disease." The former says that the pulse condition changes with the seasons, that is, the pulse condition coincides with the four seasons; The latter understands the cause according to the floating, sinking, slippery and astringent pulse condition. It can be seen that the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic discusses the pulse condition by composition; Huainanzi, on the other hand, deals with it according to the rules, each with its own meaning.
It is mentioned in the book that the treatment of diseases should be considered comprehensively, so as not to take care of one thing and lose another, so as not to cause serious illness. For example, "Talking about Xun Lin" pointed out: "The point of treating rats is not good, and small soap will produce acne gangrene."
There are records of early treatment of diseases in the book. For example, "purgatory on earth" warns people: "those who suffer from it and then worry are those who seek good medical treatment before they get well." Despite the ingenuity of Bian Que and Yu Yu, I still can't be born. " According to the context here, although medical metaphor is a political truth, its preventive medical thought of preventing before illness and treating early can really inspire future research, which is the same as "medicine is medicine after illness" in Huangdi Neijing.
With regard to drugs, we should focus on practice.
The book pays attention to practice in the recording of drugs, and has its own uniqueness in the collection, processing and variety identification of drugs. First, you should try to collect drugs yourself. For example, as the saying goes in the "Training for Service", "Shennong began to teach people to dive into the valley, ... to taste a hundred herbs, ... to encounter seventy poisons a day." This is a true portrayal of ancient doctors looking for and discovering drugs in practice. Secondly, according to the performance of drugs, harvest drugs by season. For example, "cicadas begin to sing, and Pinellia ternata is born" means that the drum wings of cicadas begin to ring from the summer solstice, which is the ripe harvest season of Pinellia ternata. Third, warn people to pay attention to drug processing methods. "Cow bile is painted on eyes ... Take eight-year-old cow bile and three inches of cinnamon, and take it for a hundred days." This statement put cinnamon into cow bile, and it took a hundred days to be used as medicine. Fourthly, the identification problem of easily confused drugs is put forward. Such as "husband, disorderly people, men.
Poverty is similar to Artemisia, and snake beds are similar to elk weeds. "This practice, make drugs worthy of the name, is the guarantee of safe and effective medication.
For example, in his book, he also discussed the zang-fu organs; Due to the limitation of space, the record of disease naming and the discussion of form, qi and spirit are not repeated here.
To sum up, Huainanzi, contemporary with Huangdi Neijing or a little later, contains certain medical contents, and we should excavate and sort out its essence to enrich the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine.
Huai Nan Zi and the Political Struggle in the Early Han Dynasty
1. Ideological Debate in the Early Years of Jianyuan
This book is a collection of more than 100 words except Confucianism since the Warring States Period, mainly Huang's words. It covers everything, from the opening of heaven and earth and the universe to the health care of Huang Lao. On the surface, however, it seems that the politics and current situation at that time were not involved at all. Therefore, ancient and modern theorists believe that this is a purely academic book.
This book was written in the late reign of Emperor Jingdi and presented to the court in the second year of Jianyuan, the beginning of Liu Che's reign.
After reading this book, future generations all think that this book is just a Taoist book intended to invite immortals to visit Taoism and learn from Huang Laoyan. Huang Lao Dao was an official school highly praised by Wen Jing in the early Han Dynasty. As we all know, this book is the product of fierce political struggle and ideological debate in the early years of Jianyuan.
The focus of the ideological debate in the early Han Dynasty was the dispute between Confucianism (Zong Xun and modern literature school) which advocated respecting the king and resisting foreign countries, and Huang, who advocated following the old system and doing nothing. From a modern point of view, the former advocates nationalism, while the latter advocates natural laissez-faire, that is, liberalism.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was once in danger.
In the first year of Jianyuan (BC 140), Liu Che ascended the throne at the age of 16. As soon as he ascended the throne, he reused Confucian scholars who advocated strengthening imperial power as princes. It is ready to adopt the political ideas of Jia Yi and Chao Cuo, who suffered great setbacks during the Wenjing period, that is, to weaken the governors internally, strengthen the central government and resist the Huns externally. Liu An wrote Huai Nan Zi, aiming at Liu Che, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Liu Che is determined to respect the king, cut the princes, break the Huns, and implement the policy of "great success". Liu An advocated following the old norms and governing by doing nothing. This extends to the policy, that is, to adhere to the old system in the early Han Dynasty to protect the vested interests of the Liu Wang clique. There is an article in Huainanzi, which talks about the art of emperors.
In the early years of Jianyuan, it was not the young emperor Han Wudi who had become emperor, but the empress dowager and the famous Taoist Wei who dominated the political trend. In the second year of Jianyuan, the Doushi family came to power, dismissed the appointed Confucian generals, and denied the policy direction of strengthening imperial power and weakening vassals. This is actually an unmoved court coup.
In this political debate, even Tian Fen, the uncle of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and the younger brother of the Queen Mother, secretly sided with Liu An. "Hanshu" biography of Huainan Wang: Liu An Youhao Anhoutian Powder. (Tian fen) whispered to him, "There is no prince in the world today, and the palace car will be open for one day. Who can stand without a king? " King Huainan was overjoyed and generously went to Wu 'an Hou. You know, Liu Che is only seventeen or eighteen at this time, in the prime of life. Unless there is a sudden change and an abnormal death, how can we talk about "driving a palace car for one day"? Tian Fen, a powerful prince's maternal uncle (Han Taiwei holds the relieving equivalent to the Minister of National Defense), has been secretly contemplating Liu Che's funeral with Liu An, and is expected to take Liu Che, my old maternal uncle, as the heir of the young emperor. This shows that Liu Che's political status at that time was fragile and dangerous.
In the sixth year of Jianyuan (B.C.135), the Empress Dowager was critically ill, and a comet appeared the day before her death. Liu An believes that this kind of astronomical phenomena indicates that "the enemy is in a big state" and the world will be in chaos. So "wait for ordnance to accumulate wealth" and prepare for an armed uprising. Look at the sinister political situation at that time!
3. Is it difficult for humanities to be completely divorced from politics?
In the sixth year of Jianyuan, Dou Taihou died and finally presided over the state affairs. In the first year of Yuanguang (BC 134), Dong Zhongshu, a famous Confucian, was summoned. Dong Shi put forward the famous "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" to him, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was determined to carry out comprehensive reform. This is the "Yuan Guang Jue" in the history of the Western Han Dynasty. The first policy of the New Deal is to reform the national ideology, that is, "oust a hundred schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone". Among the hundreds of words deposed, one is the words of strategists who advocate conspiracy politics, and the other is the way of Huang Lao. It was not until Tian Fen's death that Liu Che knew about his plot with Liu An. Said: If Tian is still alive, we should be destroyed! In the first year of Yuanshou (B.C 122), Liu An's long-planned plot was finally exposed and he committed suicide after being investigated. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty won the final victory.
This historical event shows that it is difficult for the humanities in history to be completely divorced from politics. However, later generations have surpassed this historical struggle. Modern people talk about the way of Huang Lao in the early Han Dynasty, which is often a sigh and admiration of inaction. However, if we don't refer to the general situation from the early Han Dynasty to the first year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the debate between Confucianism and Taoism in the early Han Dynasty can't be really understood. Today, people all think that Huai Nan Zi is just an academic work. Sure, what else?
Huainanzi Reading Network: /zibu/ Huainanzi/hnzml.htm.