The task assigned by Zhu Cixiang to Kong Yinzheng was neither difficult nor simple.
What he wants is a copy of "ABC of Confucianism", preferably so simple that someone who can read it can understand it. So don’t use classical Chinese—Zhu Cizhong’s own classical Chinese is very good. He has been a scholar for two lifetimes. How can he be bad? Moreover, most of the memorials written by civil servants nowadays are in classical Chinese. Emperor Zhu read them every day. How could the level of classical Chinese be so low?
But he also knows that learning classical Chinese is very painful. First, it is not used in daily life, and it is easy to forget the language that is not used; second, there are many ambiguities in classical Chinese, just to save words! At that time, classical Chinese was engraved on bamboo slips and wooden boards, so characters had to be omitted. But now that there is so much paper, why can’t we write more words to make things clear?
To be honest, those things about Confucianism are very easy to understand when written in vernacular. It’s nothing more than self-cultivation, family order, country governance, and world peace, plus the principle of harmony between man and nature—that’s the God of Confucianism!
If this set of things is refined and written in vernacular, you will be able to understand it roughly after you finish elementary school, and you will definitely be able to speak it fluently after you finish middle school. But it would be difficult to study all the classical Chinese languages! Just reading through it takes a lot of effort.
Of course, there is no end to the advancement of Confucianism. To study advanced aspects of Confucianism is to "investigate things to gain knowledge", which is to explore the principles of nature, or to search for God! But this is not something that the vast majority of Confucian scholars need to pursue. It is the research direction of the great Confucians and has nothing to do with the spread of Confucianism.
And if Emperor Zhu wanted to expand Confucianism and make it the twin main threads of the Celestial Civilization Circle along with Buddhism, he would of course need an easy-to-understand "Confucian Classic".
"Mr. Yansheng, you said that His Majesty would compile an easy-to-understand "Confucian Classic"?"
"Exactly, the emperor is really the great sage of my Confucianism! He wants to make Confucianism prosperous, to make everyone in the world practice Confucianism, and to become a saint. Kong is really admired..."
"You can become a saint after reading a vernacular "Confucian Classic"? How can it be so easy to become a saint? We are all called great Confucians, but who dares to say that we can become a saint?"
"If you can't become a saint, why don't you practice Confucianism? Are the principles of saints just for those who can become a saint?"
In the Wuhan Taixue in Wuchang City (the current Taixue includes Yingtian Taixue, Wuhan Taixue, and is also planning to open a Tianjin Taixue), Kong Yinzheng, who came from the East Lake Palace, was talking to Huang Zongxi, Wuhan Taixue’s wine sacrificer. Siye Wang Fuzhi and Zhang Guozhong discussed the compilation of the Confucian Classics.
Kong Yin was stroking his beard like a steel needle, with an expression of admiration and admiration on his face: "The sage once said that there should be education without distinction. The so-called without distinction, of course, also includes stupid and dull people. Classical Chinese is actually ancient Chinese language is so difficult to understand for today's people that just to understand it is to ask a university question. Idiots and dull people don't know how long it will take to learn classical Chinese. How can they have the extra energy and financial resources to learn the principles of saints?
Are the teachings of saints only for those who are talented and can afford to study hard for many years? For those of us who teach and educate people, is it more important to spread the teachings of saints, or to teach people to learn classical Chinese? Because it is difficult to learn classical Chinese and delaying the spread of the holy way, isn't this the case of neglecting the basics and pursuing the weak?
Fortunately, there was a sage emperor who compiled the "Confucian Classics" to educate the world. Otherwise, those of us who pretend to be great Confucians would have to watch helplessly as the holy way is difficult to spread. What a shame! "
Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi both showed some disdain after hearing Kong Yinzheng's "flattery". This Duke Yansheng was very good in knowledge and martial arts, and he also contributed to the great path of Confucianism. He was worthy of his name as a great Confucian. I just like to flatter you too much... It seems that I will never have the chance to become a saint in this life.
"What Duke Yan Sheng said is right. It is indeed difficult to spread the Holy Way now!" The speaker was Zhang Guozhong, a student of Hebei Confucian Sun Qifeng.
His teacher Sun Qifeng was a great Confucian scholar in Hebei Province and a famous child prodigy in Baoding Prefecture when he was young. He passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen. It was still the Wanli period, so he was an early success. At the age of twenty-two, when he entered Beijing to take the rites examination, he heard that his father had passed away. He returned home and stayed in a family to observe filial piety. After observing his father's filial piety, he was just about to take the examination again. His mother passed away again, and he continued to observe filial piety for another three years. It is observed from the Wanli year to the Tianqi year. Then he encountered Wei Zhongxian controlling the government, and he got too close to the Donglin Party members. He rushed to rescue Zuo Guangdou and others, and even wrote to Sun Chengzong, the then governor of Liaodong, asking him to enter the court to deal with Wei Zhongxian... .. With such a fuss, it is natural that Wei Zhongxian will not be awarded the Jinshi title. So I can only indulge in learning and become a great Confucian.
Later, when Chongzhen came to power, Sun Chengzong and Fan Jingwen wanted to recommend him to serve as an official, but he could not refuse. An Anxin wrote books in his hometown, taught and cultivated talents, and cultivated a large number of famous Confucian scholars in Hebei, forming the Xia Feng School (Xia Feng was Sun Qi's son). Every number).
Later, there were a series of drastic changes such as the Jiashen Incident, the Emperor Nanxing, and the entry of Donglu into the Pass. Sun Qifeng, who originally planned to be a scholar all his life, could no longer stay in the countryside, so he had to take his disciples to Gao Hongtu and Zuo Mao. Third, let’s defend Kong Lin together.
In the end, Kong Lin still asked someone to pour a bucket... and also poured out a "Zi Lun Ge Wu Chapter", so Sun Qifeng stopped being an official and took his disciples to hold a summer camp in Dengzhou, Shandong Province. Feng Academy specialized in the study of "Zi Lun Ge Wu" and produced some results. His student Zhang Guozhong also entered Taixue, first as a professor and then as the right secretary of Wuhan Taixue.
However, although Sun Qifeng and Xia Feng School have made some achievements, they cannot change the current situation that Confucianism is difficult to spread in the north!
Zhang Guozhong sighed: "Although there are many great Confucians nowadays, the lesser Confucians are not as good as those during the Chongzhen period... The young people in the countryside of Hebei don't practice Confucianism very much anymore. Even if they practice some, they are just proficient."
Huang Zongxi said: "That's because there is no imperial examination! After all, Taixue is not an imperial examination, and the examination to become an official cannot be compared with the imperial examination. There are more people, and the threshold is naturally lower. Moreover, petty officials are responsible for doing things, and their martial arts skills Arithmetic and arithmetic are more practical than Confucian principles, so the following civil service examinations only require a rough knowledge of Confucianism."
Wang Fuzhi also said: "Brother Taichong's words are reasonable, but Confucian scholars in the past did spend too much energy studying words and missed practical learning. There was no "Zi Lun Ge Wu Chapter" before, and there was not so much knowledge to study and learn more. A little bit of classical Chinese... There is so much knowledge in "Zi Lun Ge Wu Pian" now, where is the time to study classical Chinese? So now not only are few people practicing Confucianism in the countryside of Hebei, but also the place where humanities are at its peak in the southeast, there is not much study of the Four Books The Five Classics. In recent years, many imperial students cannot even write eight-legged essays, and many newly promoted civil servants, like military officers, have begun to write documents in vernacular."
Kong Yinzheng said: "The vernacular document is good, it can be understood at a glance, there are few ambiguities, and it does not delay things... That is why the Holy Master asked us to compile the "Confucian Classics" in vernacular. In this way, it will be easier to learn Confucianism, and the younger generations will I can spend more time on practical studies.”
Zhang Guozhong nodded: "Then make it up!" He thought for a moment, "Let me start by introducing some ideas. The Confucian Classics should highlight two points, one is morality; the other is heavenly principles. The relationship between morality and natural principles should be made clear. ..... Let the world respect the principles of heaven and be moral."
"Yes, yes, that's right!" Kong Yinzheng said with a smile, "Morality should highlight loyalty and filial piety. For the subjects, one must be loyal and patriotic, and for the children, one must honor their parents... This is the law of nature! Those who are unfaithful and unfilial Those are all evil human desires that must be eliminated. Only those who uphold the principles of heaven and eliminate evil desires can be born virtuous and die a saint!"
"Be born a virtuous person and die a saint?" Zhang Guozhong clapped his hands, "This is good, this is good... This is a bit like going to heaven in Christianity! Yan Shenggong, those who sacrificed their lives for the country and became famous... Are those at Chungryeolsa Shrine considered holy?”
"Of course he is a saint!" Kong Yinzheng said with a serious face, "This is the sage of the country!"
"Sages still need to be divided into different levels?" Wang Fuzhi asked.
"It seems that it needs to be classified," Huang Zongxi thought for a while and said with a smile, "the sages of Confucianism, the sages of the country, and the sages of the country should be divided into sages... We should also set up virtuous temples to worship the sages of Confucianism and the sages of the country. .”
