Chapter 56 Section 2 The Joy of Life Surging on the Earth: "Being Precepted"

Wang Zengqi was taught by Shen Congwen when he was studying at Southwest Associated University, and he was greatly influenced by Shen Congwen in his creation.The short story "Being Precepted" 5 is somewhat similar to Shen Congwen's, both consciously expressing a life attitude and ideal state. When "Being Precepted" was first published, it received a lot of praise and also caused quite a bit of controversy, because its writing style was indeed very different from the writing style of novels that people were used to in the 1950s and 1970s.Not only does it have no central storyline, but its narrative seems to run wild.It is manifested in the novel text, that is, the narrator has a lot of intervening elements. If the principle of "plot" concentration in traditional novels is followed, it may be considered to be off topic.For example, the title of the novel is "Being Ordained", but the scene of "Being Ordained" does not appear until the end of the novel, and it is profiled through Xiaoyingzi's eyes. The author does not regard it as the center or hub of the plot.From the very beginning of the novel, interspersed elements appear constantly, describing the local customs of "being a monk", the way of life in the small nunnery where Minghai became a monk, Yingzi's family and their life, the relationship between Minghai and Yingzi's family, and so on.Not only that, but there are also other interspersed elements appearing constantly in the novel, such as a section on the way of life of the monks in the nunnery, which is inserted to describe the characteristics of several monks in the nunnery, and when introducing the wisdom of the three masters, it is also described. See his "flying cymbal" stunt, steal the limelight when setting off flames, the custom of elopement between local monks and women, the folk songs of the third master and so on.Although there are so many details, the narration of the novel is completely natural, like the flow of water, which is both quiet and lively at the same time.Wang Zengqi himself also said: "Although there is not much water in "The Precepts", it is full of the feeling of water." "Water not only became the background of some of my novels unconsciously, but also affected the style of my novels. Water Sometimes it is turbulent, but the water in our place is always soft, peaceful, and flowing quietly." 6 This kind of gossip style that goes with the flow does not seem like the style of a novel on the surface, but it is as good as the narrative of a novel. function of discourse.It is this kind of random chat that naturally creates the fictional world of the novel.People's way of life in this world is secular, but also spontaneous and natural. It is full of fireworks in the world, and at the same time has a super-utilitarian chic and beauty.For example, in the local area, becoming a monk is only a profession for earning a living. It is neither higher nor lower than other professions. The monks in the nunnery are neither superior nor inferior. It is considered a normal thing and is not ashamed of it: "There are no rules and regulations in this nunnery, and no one even mentions these two words."--They can marry wives, find lovers, fall in love, and kill pigs , eat meat, and sing sour tunes like "The girl is born beautifully, with two upturned tits, if you want to touch it, your heart will jump a little".All people's lifestyles conform to their natural nature, are free, primitive and simple, and are not bound by any rules and regulations. As the saying goes, "eat when you are hungry, and sleep when you are sleepy". The monks in the temple are like this, and the local residents The same is true, the life of Yingzi's family, men farming and women weaving, food and clothing, full of a worldly beauty: "Under the eaves, a pomegranate tree is planted on one side, and a gardenia is planted on the other, both of which are as high as the eaves. It blooms in summer, one red and one white, very beautiful. The fragrance of gardenia is so strong that it rushes to the nose. When the wind is down, you can even smell it in Boji Nunnery." On the surface, the protagonists of "Being Precepted" are Minghai and Xiaoyingzi, but in reality The protagonist in the book should be this kind of "Peach Blossom Spring" type of natural and simple ideal of life.Many characters in this peach blossom garden are not bound by the rules and regulations, and their emotional expressions are very direct and simple. Although they are all ordinary people, they have no cunning or malice. Happy living space.The author looks at this kind of life with a comprehensible and even idealized attitude, without the slightest coldness and pedantic habits. The space he creates is poetic and full of fantasy.However, although Minghai and Xiaoyingzi cannot be completely regarded as the protagonists of this novel, their pure, simple, natural and slightly bitter love can indeed give this ideal a soul.In Wang Zengqi's works, Ming Hai is smart, kind, and simple, while Xiao Yingzi is innocent, beautiful, and affectionate.The hazy heterosexual emotion between them presents a romantic and innocent color, playing a beautiful melody in the journey of life.This kind of emotion comes from the childlike innocence that has not been polluted by the secular world, and it just becomes the symbol of the soul of this peach blossom garden, so the author expresses it particularly beautifully.For example, after Ming Hai was ordained, when Xiaoyingzi picked him up and came back, he asked him, "I'll be your wife, do you want it?" Mingzi said loudly and then in a low voice, "Yes!" , the novel goes on to describe:

"The reed flowers just spit out new ears. The purple-gray reed ears are silvery and slippery, like a string of silk threads. In some places, there are cattail sticks, which are bright red, like small candles. Green duckweed, purple duckweed Ping. Mosquitoes with long legs, water spiders. The wild water chestnut has small white flowers with four petals. A green pile (a kind of water bird) is startled, and the sassafras is wiped off, and it flies away from Lululu...” Wang Zengqi is good at setting off the simple folk customs through the description of regional customs, and the pure love between Ming Hai and Xiaoyingzi is also expressed in simplicity, warmth and elegance through the description of regional customs.Therefore, although it is expressing an ideal state, Wang Zengqi's style of writing will not lose the sweetness and vulgarity, but there is a faint bitterness in the elegance: For example, why did Ming Hai become a monk?Can the pure love between him and Xiaoyingzi and even this world like Peach Blossom Spring last? (In the text, the author makes the ages of Minghai and Xiaoyingzi very vague, and tries to make people feel that their age is very young, which is quite elusive)... Although the author has downplayed it, this ideal world is still mixed with so much. A hint of imperceptible bitterness, just not as obvious as the ending of .

The natural and simple world of folk customs in the novel is actually a representation of Wang Zengqi's natural, straightforward and benevolent ideal of life.He said: "Some critics say that my works are influenced by Laozi and Zhuangzi's thoughts more than 2,000 years ago, maybe a little bit.... I think about it, I am more influenced by Confucianism. I think Confucius is a He is a very humane person, and he is also a poet.... Zeng pointed out that the super-utilitarian, straightforward and natural thought is the ultimate beauty of the realm of life....I think Confucianism is about loving people. Therefore, I call myself "Chinese-style humanitarianism" "" 7. "Admonishment" expresses exactly this kind of "super-utilitarian and spontaneous thought" pursued by traditional literati, this "extreme beauty of the realm of life". The ties that cannot be severed are especially lenient and open-minded in attitude.In the new cultural tradition since the May 4th Movement, this kind of attitude towards life and standpoint certainly does not occupy a mainstream position, nor can it be presented in a complete form. It is thus scattered in the folk world and establishes a relationship with the obscured folk culture. some kind of connection.In line with this attitude towards life and standpoint in life, he also pursues a taste of traditional folk art in terms of aesthetics, such as New Year paintings and rural songs, which diffuse a kind of natural charm in the vulgar.

The creation of this unique atmosphere and charm is largely due to the language of the work. The language of "The Precepts" is refined modern Chinese, and its writing is like flowing clouds and flowing water, unrestrained and natural, with its own laws, just as the author said: "The language of the work reflects the author's entire cultural accomplishment. The beauty of the language is not in each sentence, but in the In terms of the relationship between sentences. Bao Shichen’s comments on Wang Xi’s characters seem to be uneven, but they are like an old man carrying his young grandson, looking forward to sentient beings, and the pain is related. Good language is exactly like this.” 8 This is not only the samadhi of the article, but also the An attitude towards life.The unrestrained narration of The Precepts we discussed at the beginning is actually consistent with the author's own ideal of life, which is a deliberate pursuit of "super-utilitarian, spontaneous and natural thinking".