The Six Classics (or Five Classics) has always been said to be Confucian classics. Although some people have questioned this, it has not attracted due attention so far, and no authoritative institutions and departments have organized relevant research to clarify and correct it. Even in related lectures, textbooks and other publications and various media, this statement is still popular at present. For example, the Six Classics (or Five Classics) are still instilled in children as Confucian classics in the education and publicity of "Chinese studies", which is becoming more and more fashionable, especially in the so-called "enlightenment" education for children.
Describing the Six Classics (or Five Classics) as "Confucian Classics" is a historical fact that has continued since the Han Dynasty, but it does not conform to the historical fact of the original appearance of the Six Classics (or Five Classics) and its original relationship with Confucianism.
As far as Confucianism is concerned, Confucius (55 BC1-479 BC), regarded as its founder, only lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He didn't call himself "Confucianism", nor did he crown his theory on "Confucianism". The names of "Confucianism" and "Confucianism" were many years after the death of Confucius. Even if "Confucianism" is counted from Confucius, because the Six Classics existed before Confucius, it is not a Confucian classic.
Treating the Six Classics as Confucian classics not only goes against historical facts, but also artificially pushes away the history of China's academic creation. Because a hundred schools of thought, including Confucianism, were born in the Warring States Period, and China's academic germination and maturity were much earlier than this.
Learning is the core part of spiritual culture, and it is specialized or specialized cultural knowledge. First there is spiritual culture, then there is scholarship. China's scholarship is the product of the development of China's spiritual culture to a certain stage, and it is the accumulation, sublimation and condensation of professional knowledge in a certain field and in a certain aspect gradually formed during the development of China's spiritual culture. This process is quite long. If China's spiritual culture began at the latest in the period of the Yellow Emperor (about the 26th century BC), then by the Shang Dynasty, China's scholarship had basically taken shape.
During this period, with the accumulation of surplus products created by the development of productive forces, private ownership appeared, and a class specializing in mental labor, that is, spiritual product production, appeared. At the same time, the characters used in the production of spiritual products and the written language they express are becoming more and more mature and standardized, which creates material conditions for the production of spiritual products and promotes the construction and creation of spiritual culture to make a qualitative leap. As a result, the knowledge specialized in a certain cultural field and aspect began to be separated from the chaotic spiritual culture, and gradually accumulated, sublimated and condensed, forming an academic thought in a certain special field and aspect.
The existing archaeological discoveries prove that China entered such a historical stage as early as Shang Dynasty, and by the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, China's academic works, which we call "National Studies", had already appeared.
Two, when listed as the main source of academic books in China.
From the grammatical structure, although most of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty revealed the simplicity and conciseness of China's early poems, the words and records in Zhou Dynasty should be greatly developed in content and form than in Shang Dynasty. However, if we classify the Six Classics as "Confucian Classics" according to the traditional view, that is, works in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and then contact other works, we will not see such progress! From the concise grammar of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty to the voluminous writings of a hundred schools of thought contend, this writing method has developed by leaps and bounds, which is too inconsistent with the law of things changing from quantitative to qualitative!
When people talk about China's scholarship, they always talk about the "contention of a hundred schools of thought" in the Warring States period, but ignore the source of the "contention of a hundred schools of thought". From this point of view, a hundred schools of thought contend is actually water without a source and a tree without a root.
This is by no means the case. Academic works existed long before a hundred schools of thought contended. They are the source of a hundred schools of thought contend, and they are the main classics that should be listed as the academic source of China.
China's civilization originated quite early, starting at the latest in the period of the Yellow Emperor in the 26th century BC, and was gradually recognized by the academic circles. Although Chinese characters were invented and used after this, they were much earlier than Confucius. According to Zuo Zhuan? According to "Twelve Years of Zhao Gong", Wang Yue said: "Good history, good children! I can read three graves, five classics, eight categories and nine hills. " According to the textual research of scholars of past dynasties, the three tombs mentioned here are books about Fuxi, Tang Yao and Yu Shun. Eight are the earliest gossip books. Nine Hills is a book about the land and customs of Kyushu. Because these books have not been seen so far, their specific contents and the specific historical age of their production are also unknown and confirmed. But it at least shows us that China's ancient books originated very early, and some of them did spread to Confucius' era, thus providing the possibility and conditions for Confucius to study and sort out classic documents.
As far as we know, the classic literature handed down to the Confucius era is mainly the Six Classics, so the Six Classics should be listed as the main classics of China's academic source.
According to historical records, Confucius compiled six arts (classics). Since Confucius compiled the Six Classics, the Six Classics existed before Confucius. Due to the destruction and loss of ancient documents caused by "burning books to bury Confucianism" and the war, it is worth discussing whether the six classics mentioned by future generations are consistent with the six arts (classics) seen by Confucius. Since some people think that the Book and the Rite were written at the end of the Warring States period or even later than Confucius, the Book and the Rite we are seeing now are probably not the original works that Confucius saw. But there is no doubt that the "book" and "ceremony" we see now refer to the original documents to varying degrees, thus reflecting their original features to varying degrees.
Therefore, I think the Six Classics should be listed as representative works and major classics reflecting the academic origin of China. According to its chronological order, its order should be Yi, Shu, History, Li, Yue, Spring and Autumn. The previous arrangement (poems, books, rites, Yue, Yi, Spring and Autumn) was done by Confucianism as a "Confucian classic". Because Confucius and his disciples explained the Book of Changes by writing ten wings, namely the Book of Changes, the Book of Changes was listed before the Spring and Autumn Annals, which was revised by Confucius.
Third, The Book of Changes is the general source of China's academic culture so far.
Compared with Shu, Shi, Li, Yue and Chunqiu, The Book of Changes came into being at the earliest time, and its position and significance in China's scholarship, that is, Chinese studies, are particularly important.
Han Shuzhi said: "Music is a symbol of harmony with God and kindness." Poetry "is just and just; Li "has a distinctive style, and the wise see it, so there is no training; The book is widely listened to, and the skill of knowing is also; " Spring and Autumn Annals is a symbol of faith. Five, cover five principles, should be prepared for each other, easy to be the original. Therefore, it is said that' if easy is invisible, it will be dry or dangerous', and the words will end in heaven and earth. As for the five studies, the world has changed, and the five elements are more useful. The Book of Changes is regarded as "the beginning of heaven and earth" and "the source of five studies", and is placed at the top of the "five studies", which is insightful and in line with historical facts.
There should be works between the concise grammar of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty and the numerous works in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Before there is any new discovery, I think the Book of Changes, which has been mixed in the Six Classics, should be such a work first.
Speaking of the Book of Changes, it naturally involves gossip. As mentioned earlier, Basso is the earliest gossip book, but is Basso a gossip record drawn by Fuxi in legend? What does it have to do with Yi? I don't know, because I haven't been to Basso. It is generally believed that the Book of Changes has experienced three generations: Lianshan, Guizang and Zhouyi. Lianshan has not been found yet, and it has been lost for a long time in recent years, but it has been found and needs to be sorted out, and only the Book of Changes has been circulated so far, so the Book of Changes is usually referred to as the Book of Changes. Zhouyi is a book of divination, which has been recorded in Zuo Zhuan, indicating that it has been circulated in the Spring and Autumn Period at the latest. At present, there is no definite conclusion about the date of its completion, but most people think that it was in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties or the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty that Sima Qian's theory of "Gaiwen Wang Xing Yu Yi Jing" was recognized. There are always different opinions about the word "Zhou" in Zhouyi, but most people think that the representative year is Zhou Dynasty. Even there are different views on the word "Yi" in Zhouyi, but no matter how to interpret it, it is good that Zhouyi says "combining rigidity with softness, changing in it", that is, everything is produced through the interaction of yin and yang. Qin Shihuang burned books, and Zhouyi was spared because it was a divination book. In the Western Han Dynasty, Confucianism regarded Zhouyi, Shi, Shu, Li, Yue and Chunqiu as the six classics, so Zhouyi was also called Yijing.
Because the Book of Changes has been produced and circulated long before the emergence of Confucianism, it is wishful thinking of later Confucianism to classify it as a Confucian classic. Judging from the three generations of Yi, at first it only used symbols to express its meaning by drawing hexagrams. In fact, it is a kind of writing creation between knotting rope and hieroglyphics, and then he went to Zhou Wenwang to interpret 64 hexagrams and make hexagrams (with the participation of his son Duke Zhou). The combination of the evolution of the Book of Changes and the evolution of China characters not only marks the gradual progress of the ancestors' intention of "looking up and observing" and "cultivating the way of heaven and earth", but also reflects the continuous development process of China ancient scholarship with the invention, evolution and maturity of characters. If Fuxi's painting of eight diagrams means that before the invention of characters, the ancestors intentionally expressed their ideology through some symbols, then when Zhou Wenwang deduced sixty-four hexagrams from the eight diagrams symbols and interpreted them with mature characters, the literal meaning of the eight diagrams and sixty-four hexagrams symbols ceased to exist, but only had the meaning of semiotics.
Judging from the handed down documents and archaeological documents so far, The Book of Changes is China's earliest work. At least so far, it is still effective as the general source of China's academic culture.
The Book of Changes has extensively recorded all aspects of the Western Zhou society, and has rich historical and ideological values. To say that the Book of Changes was basically formed in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties does not mean denying that it has not been modified and revised in the following years. Since the Book of Changes was mainly used for divination, it could not be used and tested by more people after the Eight Diagrams became sixty-four hexagrams in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. Some things recorded in the hexagrams in the Book of Changes came from Duke Zhou and King Wen, and beggars' gangs were related to this. However, according to the comprehensive data, the Book of Changes existed before Confucius, and there may be many interpretations, which naturally became a reference for Confucius to sort out the Book of Changes. No matter how different the Book of Changes is from the other five classics in content and form, since they have all been sorted out by Confucius, it determines the similarity between the Book of Changes, the first of the six classics, and the other five classics of Confucius.
Confucius' Yi Zhuan is increasingly proved by archaeology. The article "Yao" in Mawangdui's silk book points out: "The master is old and good at" Yi ".He is present at home and good at his work." "Confucius' Book of Changes, as for the two hexagrams of" lost "and" easy ",there is no reason not to waste the book and sigh ..." It is also recorded that Zi Gan (Gong) did not understand the master's attitude towards the Book of Changes in his later years, and the master explained to him: "I wish it, which I think is moral. You praise and count, you know and count, and you are benevolent. Praise is not enough, it is a witch; Counting without virtue is history. It's good to be ashamed of a witch's history, but don't own it. Future generations doubt the mound, or use it easily? I only seek virtue, and it is also special for me to go back to China by the old road of Wu Shi. The virtue of a gentleman does not seek happiness, so he sacrifices scarcity; Righteousness seeks good fortune, so it predicts and hopes. Wishing witches divination? "It shows the rational attitude of Confucius towards divination at that time. Confucius' remarks recorded in the silk book Yi Zhuan, such as Er Sanzi, Yi Yi, Yao Yao, Jie Jie, Miao He and Zhao Li, are basically the contents of this edition of Yi Zhuan. From the silk book Yi Zhuan, we can know Confucius' creative interpretation of the Book of Changes, which shows that Confucius had a close relationship with the Book of Changes in his later years, especially expressing the philosophy of the Book of Changes, which was summarized and written by his disciples as Yi Zhuan. As Mr. Li Xueqin said, "Confucius is not only a reader, but also an author in a sense. He wrote Yi Zhuan. " "Confucius wrote Yi and Yi Zhuan in his later years, or his disciples wrote them. The book and The Analects of Confucius were written at the same time. There are quotations from Zisi to Xunzi, and this is by no means a late book. Of course, the face of Yi Zhuan at that time was not necessarily exactly the same as today's biography. This is the general law of ancient books, which is not surprising. Studying Confucius is inseparable from the classics of Zhouyi. " Therefore, if the Book of Changes is divided into the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes, then the Book of Changes is indeed a Confucian classic, but it is not. It is only regarded as a "classic" by Confucianism.
If the Book of Changes (not just the Book of Changes) is understood by ordinary Confucianism as its own "classic", then the Book of Changes is not just a Confucian classic. As long as we carefully analyze its content, we will find that it is far from being covered by Confucianism. I ching includes astronomy, geography, mathematics, leadership, decision-making, management and so on. , in addition to Taoism, Buddhism, Yin and Yang, agriculture, medicine, military, vertical and horizontal. Its principles of "the way of three things" and "the construction of three things" about heaven, earth and people (or heaven, Tao and people) are of great reference significance in the face of the natural ecological crisis and humanistic ecological crisis faced by human beings on earth today. The leadership, management wisdom and thoughts in Zhouyi are instructive to today's administrative management, enterprise management and other aspects of social leadership, management and decision-making. The importance of the holistic, systematic, structured and balanced view of the universe and mode of thinking in Zhouyi to the development of modern thinking concepts and modern science and technology has been paid more and more attention by academic and industrial circles at home and abroad. The ethical thoughts contained in the Book of Changes have shown realistic and far-reaching significance to the construction and development of gene ethics, life ethics, environmental ethics, community ethics, family ethics, enterprise ethics, network ethics and even global ethics and space ethics. Judging from the handed down documents and archaeological discoveries so far, it is no exaggeration to say that Zhouyi is "the general source of China's academic culture".
Fourth, books, poems, rituals, music and the Spring and Autumn Period are not just Confucian classics.
Books, poems, rituals, music and spring and autumn actually existed before Confucius, so they were not Confucian classics, and were also listed as Confucian classics by Korea and Confucianism. Because it is listed as a classic by Confucianism, it is called "Jing" respectively. Confucianism listed them as classic covers because Confucius edited them. For example, Sima Qian said: "Confucius said,' Six arts are used to cure one, courtesy is used to save people, music is used to make peace, books are used to teach things, poems are used to express ideas, and it is easy to use to deify. Spring and Autumn Annals is based on morality. ""(Historical Records? The sexual pretence in Guodian bamboo slips is recorded by Confucius about the teaching of poetry, calligraphy, ceremony and music: "Poetry, calligraphy, ceremony and music are all born in people." Poetry has something to do with it; Book "has something to say; "Rite" and "music" are related. Sages will learn it by comparing with others, observe its order and oppose it, measure its meaning, go in and out according to its feelings, and then teach it. Teaching, so born with virtue, China also. "
Among the handed down documents, the related materials about Confucius and the Six Classics were first found in Zhuangzi? Tian Yun: "Confucius said to Lao Dan,' Qiu Zhi's Six Classics, Poems, Books, Rites, Music, the Book of Changes, the Spring and Autumn Period, have been thinking for a long time. Who knows why?" ""Zhuangzi? Tian Yun is obviously not the work of Zhuangzi himself, and it is unlikely to be the work of the Warring States Period, because the reference to the Six Classics only appeared in the Han Dynasty. Moreover, talking with Confucius about "Confucianism and Mohism" is too contrary to historical facts: how can Laozi and Confucius talk about Mozi, who was born after their death? Despite these mistakes, Confucius' treatment of poetry, calligraphy, ceremony, music, change and the historical facts of the Spring and Autumn Period is not groundless. The other "Zhuangzi? The world says, "Poetry is Tao-based, books are Tao-based, rituals are Tao-based, music is Tao-based, and it is easy to use Tao Yin and Yang, and the names are divided in the Spring and Autumn Period. "Although the Zhuangzi? The world is not Zhuangzi's own work, but Sima Qian's Historical Records? Funny biography obviously refers to this article. All these show that Confucius is closely related to poetry, calligraphy, ceremony and music, and has been edited. Of course, the academic circle has not yet formed a * * * understanding of this, but even if Confucius edited or processed Poetry, Book, Ceremony and Music, it cannot be classified as a Confucian classic.
Judging from the book, it is the earliest compilation of historical documents in ancient times, which can be traced back to Yaoshun to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, about 1500 years. The basic content is the ancient imperial proclamation and the record of the conversation between the monarch and the minister. Historical records? Confucius' family said that Confucius "prefaced the book biography, from Tang Yu to Qin Miao in the last century, editing and editing great events." This is a controversial issue for generations. Fools believe that although some chapters in the book, such as Yao Dian, Hao Tao Mo, Yu Gong and Hong Fan, were written by later generations after textual research, and Confucius himself claimed to be "inexhaustible", it is also possible for Confucius to read, edit and preface previous works. The book not only records many ancient legends, but also preserves some important historical materials of Shang and Zhou Dynasties, especially the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Both legends and historical materials contain rich academic opinions.
Yin Yin Li Xia. The system of the Yin people basically evolved from the Xia system. At present, the specific situation of Xia people is not clear, so we can make a general inference from the known situation of Yin people. According to Oracle Bone Inscriptions's research results, the Yin royal family has full-time historians, and some of the Oracle Bone Inscriptions played this role. Their duty is to record the activities of the royal family, and their work rules are like the Book of Rites? Jade algae ",the movement is left in the history books, and the words are right in the history books. Or do you like Hanshu? Yi Wenzhi said that the left Historical Records said that the right Historical Records said. The words and deeds they recorded are probably the contents of the history books we see today, and they are also the documents that Confucius relied on in those years.
So judging from the historical facts reflected in the contents of the book, it should be written by several generations of historians. Although its exact date of completion has yet to be confirmed by archaeology, it existed at least before Confucius, so it is not a Confucian classic.
Look at this poem again. The Book of Songs is the earliest collection of poems in China, with a total of 305 poems, which are divided into three categories: style, elegance and ode. Its Wind is a folk song, Ya is the orthodox elegant music of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and Ode is the dance music for the upper class to sacrifice to the ancestral temple. They widely reflect all aspects of social life from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, and contain precious historical materials. Many of these chapters are folk songs, exposing and attacking the oppression and exploitation, darkness and ignorance of the rulers, and enthusiastically praising the hard work and love of the workers; There are also many works that expose current politics, showing anxiety and melancholy about the decline of the Zhou royal family; There are also some chapters offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors, which record the economic system and production situation at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, but most of them praise and publicize the idea that rulers are appointed by fate. But the length of this poem alone is much less than the original (only one tenth of the original). Sima Qian said in A Family of Confucius: "As for Confucius, there are more than 3,000 poems written by the ancients. It is important to get rid of them, and take them for courtesy, while taking them from Qi and Hou Ji is described as a prosperous period of Yin and Zhou Dynasties, lacking seclusion and perfection. It started with banquet, so the chaos of official gathering began with Feng, Wen Wang started with Ya, and Qing Dian started with yusong. The 305 "Confucius" are all string songs, in order to combine the voices of Shao, Wu, Ya and Song. Rites and music can be described from now on, in order to prepare for kingliness and become six arts. " It can be seen that this edition of The Book of Songs is compiled from a large number of previous poems. After all, poetry came into being before Confucius. Even if it is edited by Confucius, it can't be regarded as a work of Confucius, so it can't be regarded as a "Confucian classic".
The Book of Rites, or Zhou Li, is a work that reflects the etiquette and system of the Zhou Dynasty. It was handed down by the Duke of Zhou. What Confucius saw and compiled was the original work, but now it is not the original work. The date of its completion and its author have always been controversial. Zhou Li consists of six articles, including Tianguan Zhongzai, Local Official Situ, Chun Guan Zongbo, Xiaguan Sima, Qiu Guan Sikou and Winter Litigation Empty. The winter lawsuit had already been lost, and the Han Dynasty made up for it by Kao Gong Ji. The Book of Rites compiled by the Six Classics in Han Dynasty refers to the Book of Rites, not the Book of Rites as seen by Confucius. Li existed before Confucius. Just because Confucius edited it, it can't be considered as a Confucian classic. What's more, the Book of Rites, one of the Confucian classics, is the Book of Rites, not the one that Confucius saw the editor in those years! The Book of Rites is a work of the Han Dynasty, and it is obviously more inappropriate to regard it as a "Confucian classic" represented by Confucius.
Yue has been lost for a long time but has not been found so far, so it is inconvenient to elaborate. But because it precedes Confucius, it is certain, so it can't be regarded as a Confucian classic. It was because of the loss of Yue that it was renamed the Five Classics.
As for Chunqiu, it is said that Confucius revised it according to Chunqiu compiled by historian Lu. Sima Qian called "Zhong You" and wrote Spring and Autumn Annals. "Some people in the past dynasties have expressed doubts about this. Fools think it is possible to compile Confucius' year of birth and death (55 BC1-479) and Chunqiu (722 BC-48 BC1year), but in view of Confucius' confession, there is no monograph left, not even the Analects. Unless "writing" is understood as "editing". Moreover, I'm afraid there was more than one Spring and Autumn Annals before Confucius. Spring and Autumn Annals may be a historical archive document formed by various vassal states since the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Its performance is similar to the current version of Shangshu, but it is different from Shangshu because of Confucius' collation: Shangshu compiles documents in the order of Xia, Shang and Zhou, while Chunqiu records disputes and exchanges between countries with Lu's activities as the main line. Therefore, the existing Spring and Autumn Annals, even if it is really compiled by Confucius, is not the original appearance. As for the Spring and Autumn Annals before Confucius, it may be just as Mencius said: "Jun trace dies and poetry dies, and poetry dies and then the Spring and Autumn Annals. Jin's Cheng, Chu's Prayer, Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, one also. Its theme is Qi Huan in the bronze inscription, and its text is history. Confucius said,' Its righteousness was stolen by Qiu'. "From Mencius' words, at that time, all countries had works similar to Spring and Autumn Annals, but by no means more than Spring and Autumn Annals now. There is no doubt that Confucius said that he had read Spring and Autumn Annals from 120 countries, and Mozi boasted that "I have read Spring and Autumn Annals from 100 countries". In this way, Chunqiu is not a Confucian classic.
In a word, The Book of Changes is an ancient book reflecting China's academic origin so far, and Poems, Books, Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals and Yue Yi should also be included in the main books of China's academic origin.
It is the wishful thinking of Confucianism in Han Dynasty to regard the Six Classics (or Five Classics) as Confucian classics. In fact, if they are regarded as classics, they are the classics of a hundred schools of thought and the academic classics of China as a whole.