Starting from Zhang Zai's "Taixu is Qi", the concept of Qi appeared in Neo-Confucianism.
However, Zhang Zai's theory was not recognized by later generations, but instead attracted criticism.
This is also something missing in the development of traditional Chinese philosophy, that is, inheritance.
There is a clear line in the development process of Western philosophy.
The predecessors raised a problem, and the descendants were responsible for solving the problem.
This method has continued for thousands of years, and the "what-and-what conjectures" often seen in the mathematical world of later generations are a manifestation of this.
In the development process of Confucian thought, what later generations often did was to refute the thoughts of their predecessors and then propose new ideas.
As a result, various ideas emerge in an endless stream, influencing each other but not integrating, making each idea fragmented and difficult to form a system.
After Zhang Zai, Er Cheng criticized his "Taixu is Qi".
【There is an inside and outside of heaven and earth. To say that there is something outside of heaven and earth is to not know the world. Human beings in heaven and earth are like fishes in water. They don't know there is water, and they don't know they can move until they get out of the water. If we establish the pure and void as the source of all things, we may not be able to settle down. We must combine the pure, turbid, void and solid to be able to speak of the spirit. The Tao, body and matter should not be left behind, and there should be no place for it. 】
Criticized, but not thoroughly criticized.
So much so that the concept of "qi" was still inherited by Neo-Confucianism, but because it was not perfect enough, it became a brick to be moved wherever it was needed.
When Huang Zongxi asked what Tao was, Zhang Cai couldn't give an explanation, so he introduced Zhang Zai's concept that Tao is Qi.
Of course, this failed to convince Huang Zongxi, and he asked what is Qi?
All Zhang Cai's efforts are focused on the meaning of classics. To explain these issues, he naturally needs the support of classics.
He still appropriated Zhang Zai's theory.
"Qi is the source of the growth of all things, and Tao is the foundation of the growth of all things. Therefore, the only great road in the world is Qi and principle."
Huang Zongxi was very serious and followed closely.
"What does Qi look like? What does Tao look like? Why is Qi the source of growth of all things and Tao is the root of growth of all things?"
What Zhang Cai states is the form of things, while Huang Zongxi pursues the essence of things.
Even Zuo Mengeng didn't know that Huang Zongxi's philosophical ideas had begun to move closer to Hegel's "essentialism".
And his question is tantamount to directly questioning the rationality of Neo-Confucianism.
The theoretical system of "Tao", "Li" and "Qi" established by Neo-Confucianism has been deeply rooted in people's hearts after hundreds of years of development, but Huang Zongxi's purpose is to let Neo-Confucianists explain the essence of these three.
You can't say that Qi is the source of the growth of all things and Tao is the foundation of the growth of all things. That must be the case, right?
Although from the perspective of natural science, this statement is actually not wrong, Huang Zongxi wanted Neo-Confucianism to come up with arguments for explanation.
Can Zhang Cai take it out?
Of course he couldn't come up with it without scientific support.
Being controlled by Huang Zongxi and unable to find a way to break the situation, Zhang Cai felt a little weak.
"This is the wisdom of the sages and is followed by everyone. How can Brother Huang not know about it?"
This is about using authority to suppress doubts.
How could Huang Zongxi be afraid of this? He took a step forward and raised his voice loudly.
"Mr. Nan Guo thinks about himself, so why should he blame the ancients? Times have changed and the world has changed. Today's situation is already different from that in ancient times. Everything should be done according to the ancient ideas. Don't you know that it is foolish to ask for a fish based on a tree?"
As soon as these words came out, the scene immediately exploded.
Luo Congyu couldn't help but shouted: "Bold!"
Zheng Sanjun was in a panic, his eyes darting around, wanting to leave immediately.
The rest of the people criticized Huang Zongxi even more.
In the eyes of these people, questioning the sages is undoubtedly a grave sin.
The public sentiment was raging, but Huang Zongxi was content and fearless, pointing coldly at thousands of people.
"Shao Kangjie (Shao Yong) refuted Zhou Lianxi (Zhou Dunyi)'s theory that 'Tao is one', and Ercheng's 'Tao body and things should not be left out, and there should be no method'. Zhu Xi's 'Li Qi is one body' was finally achieved. You all respect it. The forefathers all had the courage to question the old and bring out the new, but today you are foolishly clinging to the old principles, going against the current situation, not thinking about making progress, harming yourself and others, and bringing disaster to the world."
This time the scolding was harsh.
It directly threw Zhang Cai and others into the ranks of being conservative, and even said that they violated the purpose of the sages.
Shao Yong questioned Zhou Dun's theory that Yicheng became a family, and then Er Cheng questioned Shao Yong further, and Zhu Xi perfected Neo-Confucianism on the basis of Er Cheng.
It can be said that the later achievements of Neo-Confucianism are due to the courage of the great sages of the previous generations to argue and innovate.
Today's Zhang Cai and others can only dig through old papers and blindly respect the words of the sages without considering the current situation. Naturally, they were scolded by Huang Zongxi.
The people in Nanjing were furious, but they couldn't say a word.
How to refute?
The deeds of the sages of Neo-Confucianism are known to the world, and Huang Zongxi refuted them, as the saying goes, use his spear and attack his shield.
No matter how I argue, I end up criticizing myself.
Zhang Cai secretly hated it. If he had known what happened, he would not have been in such a hurry to engage in this debate. When Zhang Pu comes back, if they combine their efforts, they may not be so passive.
However, Zhang Puyuan was in the capital at this time and had not yet come out of the freshness of his first involvement in officialdom, so he could only support it alone.
Zhang Cai has given countless lectures and has seen countless scenes, but he is also somewhat quick-witted.
"Then in Brother Huang's opinion, what is Qi?"
This is also to use the other's spear and attack the other's shield.
Zhang Cai didn't believe it. He had studied Confucianism for decades and gained nothing. How could Huang Zongxi, a young man, clearly explain what qi was?
Since you can't explain clearly, then your doubt is not valid. On the contrary, Neo-Confucianism’s theory of qi will become orthodox again.
Unfortunately, he was asking Huang Zongxi.
If he had asked Liu Zongzhou, he might still have achieved results.
It is true that Liu Zongzhou was a great master, but in the end he was still a traditional scholar, focusing only on knowledge.
Huang Zongxi was deeply influenced by Zuo Menggeng, and he was always diligent in learning new knowledge.
But he also had a solid foundation in Confucianism. He could be said to have practiced both Confucianism and science, covering everything.
"There are two kinds of Qi. One is integrity, and I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring Qi. This is how it is. People in the world read books, sharpen their minds, get rid of cowardice, greed, and sin in their hearts, shape their bodies with integrity, and eventually become gentlemen..."
This explanation was not surprising to anyone present. It is not uncommon for almost everyone to be able to make this explanation.
But the other thing Huang Zongxi said was beyond their ability to understand.
"The other kind of Qi is natural Qi, which exists around us all the time and is necessary for the survival of all living things."
Everyone was shocked and confused, and kept looking around, but apart from feeling the breeze blowing, they couldn't see the Qi that Huang Zongxi was talking about.
"Brother Huang said that Qi will be around us, but who has seen it? It is difficult to deceive the world by making arrogant words."
Li Wen just said that Huang Zongxi was a liar.
Huang Zongxi didn't feel dissatisfied and just said: "Brother Li, if you don't believe it, you can cover your mouth and nose with your hands and see what happens."
Li Wen was hesitant and actually gave it a try. Not only him, many people have quietly tried it.
Needless to say, the result was that within just twenty breaths, Li Wen and others were so suffocated that they almost fainted. They quickly let go of their hands and gasped for air.
Seeing their embarrassment, Huang Zongxi smiled and said: "When Brother Li was breathing, did he ever feel the cool breath entering his body? This breath is Qi. In Shandong, we call it air. Once the mouth and nose are isolated, it will If you can't breathe, you will suffocate and die. Therefore, air is closely related to our lives and cannot be ignored."
Everyone looked quiet on the surface, but in fact they kept breathing, feeling the presence of the air.
I have never thought that such an ordinary behavior actually contains the great power of "Qi".
"In addition to the air we can feel when we breathe, the wind we see every day is actually caused by the flow of air. And this air is not single, there are several types. The specific number of types is currently unknown. I believe that in time, there will be Able to clear up doubts.”
"Hahaha, it's really ridiculous."
Another student of Zhang Cai stood up.
"Brother Huang said that the things we breathe are qi, so I can't comment on it. But everyone can see this qi. It is colorless, tasteless, formless and qualityless, simple and clear. Have you ever seen this qi look like anything else?"
Everyone in Nanjing burst into laughter, feeling that Huang Zongxi was trying to please others.
But Huang Zongxi looked at the man very seriously and said: "This brother doesn't understand the way of air, but I don't blame you. However, in Shandong, someone has discovered a different kind of gas, which Zhongheng named Hydrogen. Hydrogen is lighter than the air around us, and when it burns in fire, the flames are blue, which is very different from the red fire we see every day. This person is currently trying to separate other gases from the air, and now he has There are clues. Empty talk is unfounded. This real example is enough to prove that the air around us is not uniform."
The man was speechless and instinctively felt that this should be the case, but he still said stubbornly: "Shandong is thousands of miles away, how do you know the truth of what you said?"
Huang Zongxi laughed loudly and said loudly: "No matter how far away Shandong is, there are not many people who have been there. Moreover, what Huang said is there. Brother, you can check it at any time."
After saying this, everyone present knew that what Huang Zongxi said was true.
Otherwise, he would become a liar.
Not only would he himself be ridiculed by the world, but the reputations of Huang Zunsu and Liu Zongzhou would also be completely ruined.
No scholar would dare to do this and make fun of the reputation of their ancestors and teachers.
