Chapter 15 Overwhelmed

When Liu Wendian first arrived at Peking University, he was mocked by Gu Hongming.In the next few years, he has not been very happy in Peking University. In 1921, he wrote to Hu Shi to complain: "Dian is extremely out of date in Peking University. Those who are not as good as Dian, who come to Dian for two years, are all the highest salary. According to the regulations in the regulations, teaching The amount of time, the professor's achievements, writings and inventions, and social prestige. Except for the last one, the first three seem to be no worse than that class of gentlemen. However, the salary is always the lowest for five years. Money It's not a big deal, but it's embarrassing to face, so Dian really doesn't want to do it anymore, as long as there is something to eat elsewhere, this professor (professor) who has suffered and passed the time will be abandoned like a waste."

Liu Wendian once studied under Liu Shipei, but he criticized Liu quite a bit, thinking that he "cited materials in his writings, sometimes only based on memory", so mistakes were inevitable. Guo Xinquan recorded in "Meeting Mr. Liu Wendian for the First Time" that Liu Wendian once said: "I know the characters that others don't understand, and I understand the chapters that others don't understand. No matter what questions you ask, I will answer them." Liu Wendian used to be the editor of a newspaper. He once talked about his thoughts on the editor: "This kind of code is a bit ambitious. Not half of the current newspapers can be edited legally. If the code is to be compiled, it must be completely changed into the appearance of a Western newspaper, at least Just like the Japanese newspapers, you have to write a long article in your spare time and scold all the newspapers in the whole country.”

When the Anhui Provincial Government invited Liu Wendian to return to his hometown to run a school, Liu Wendian did not trust the officials in Anhui. He said: "Those things in Anhui cannot work together, and the so-called university is just that."But later he came to Anhui University. In a letter to Hu Shi, he explained the reason for going to Anhui University: "The reason why my brother ran to Anqing to make a living is because there is a middle school in Anqing ( This is the only fruit left in the whole province), children can read books; secondly, they are oppressed by life, so they are ashamed to fool around there. The life they live is really miserable. You have to deal with a group of irrelevant people all day long, It's like whores."

In the 1930s, Liu Wendian offered the course "Correction Studies" at Peking University. Due to the small number of students taking the course, the school let him teach in the faculty lounge.In the first class, the Chinese Department did not prepare him well before class. Seeing this, he lost his temper and said, "I can't teach this class! I can't teach it!" The students looked at each other, not knowing what to do.At this time, the workers in the faculty lounge brought hot tea and said: "How can it be done! How many learned gentlemen like you are there in Peking University? If you don't call, who will teach!" Liu Wendian finally calmed down and turned around. Turning anger into joy, he continued to give lectures.

Liu Wendian devoted himself to studying Zhuangzi for many years. In 1939, he published the book "Zhuangzi Supplement" (attached to "Zhuangzi Suo Tan").Chen Yinke wrote the preface to this book, and Chen Zai did not hesitate to praise it in the preface.As soon as this book was published, Liu Wendian gained the reputation of "Zhuangzi expert", and Liu himself did his part.Every time he lectures in class, the first sentence at the beginning is always: "Well, I don't understand, and no one understands!" conceited. When someone asked Liu Wendian about the gains and losses of those who ruled Zhuangzi in ancient and modern times, Liukou uttered wild words: "From ancient times to modern times, there are only two and a half people who really understand. The first is me, Liu Wendian, the second is Zhuang Zhou, and the other half Well..., I don’t know yet!” The “other half” has been said in different ways. Some people say that Liu is talking about a certain Japanese scholar, while others say that it is Feng Youlan or Ma Xulun, because both of them talk about Zhuangzi from a philosophical point of view, so they can only be regarded as half.

Wang Yanming recorded in "A Lecture of Mr. Liu Wendian" that Liu Wendian once lectured on Yuan Haowen and Wu Meicun's poems in a class, and said after the lecture: "These two poets, especially Meicun's poems, are no better than me. a bit." When Liu Wendian said in class that "literati look down on each other, it has been natural since ancient times", he said it clearly and logically, but in life, he forgot the theory taught in class.He has always looked down on writers of new literature, and believes that "the ability to create literature cannot replace real learning."When he learned that Southwest Associated University was going to promote Shen Congwen to a professor, he was furious and said openly in class: "Chen Yinke is the real professor, he should get 400 yuan, I should get 40 yuan, and Zhu Ziqing should get 400 yuan." Take four dollars. But I won’t give Shen Congwen four cents! If he is a professor, then what am I?”

When the Southwest Associated University held a meeting to discuss the promotion of Shen Congwen to full professor, everyone raised their hands in agreement, but Liu Wendian expressed his dissent. He said: "Shen Congwen is my student. If he wants to be a professor, don't I want to be a professor too?" ?" At the Southwest Associated University, when he was running for an alarm, Liu Wendian saw Shen Congwen running past him, and he immediately showed displeasure, ignoring that he was out of breath, turned around and scolded: "Why are you running? My Liu People are running for Zhuangzi, I am going to die, no one will talk about it! Who are you running for?"

Zhang Zhongxing also recorded this incident in his article "Liu Shuya": "...there was a runaway alarm. A new literary writer, who was already well-known and also taught at the United Nations University, was anxious to walk in a certain direction. He (Liu Wendian) saw , said sternly: 'Why are you running! I ran, because I was killed, no one will talk about it anymore.'” Wen Zhongzi wrote in "Liu Wendian: "Half a Professor"": "Liu Wendian has always looked down on new literature and new literature creators... He started telling jokes again in the class of Southwest Associated University: 'When the alarm comes, we must I have to run. Although I am very poor, I will borrow money to escape from the city by car. You must know that I have not taught you all what I have learned. If I am killed, more than half of Chinese culture will be destroyed. No In Chinese culture, the Japanese invaders will be even more rampant, so we must run to the police.’ Once, the old man ran out of the city out of breath, and it happened to be Shen Congwen, a master of new literature. Liu asked Shen loudly: ‘Why do you hide? alarm?'……"

Shen Congwen's sister-in-law, Zhang Chonghe, was a student of Liu Wendian. She also confirmed that Liu Wendian despised Shen Congwen.She thought that although Liu was prejudiced against Shen, he had no malice.She said, Liu didn't take himself seriously anymore, so why should the world look at him seriously? Liu Wendian laughed at Mao Dun and said that he "can't even read his own name", and that the word "Dun" is the same as the word "楯" in ancient Chinese characters, so it should be pronounced "shun". One day, Liu Wendian was chatting with others. When someone asked about Liu Bajin and his work "Torrent Trilogy", Liu thought for a while and murmured: "I haven't heard of him, I haven't heard of him." he."

When teaching at Southwest Associated University, Liu Wendian often said to people: "There are only three professors at the Associated University, Chen Yinke is one, Feng Youlan is one, Tang Lan counts as half, and I count as half." When Liu Wendian was in class at Southwest Associated University, he accidentally mentioned to the students that he studied "Shuowen" with his teacher Zhang Taiyan in Japan. At that time, Liu said by the way, "Lu Xun also participated in the study", while sticking out his little finger. In the 1950s, someone exposed him for insulting Lu Xun. Liu defended and said: "I never insulted him. Chinese people compare their elders with their thumbs, which shows their age. Since ancient times, heroes come from youth. Lu Xun is the youngest and most promising among my classmates. I admire him as a contemporary talent, so I stick out my little finger." The other party had nothing to say.In fact, Liu Wendian is nearly 10 years younger than Lu Xun.

Wen Zhongzi said of Liu Wendian: "His characteristic is that he is three points more strange than Liu Shipei, who is famous for being 'weird', so people at the time judge him as 'talented' and 'arrogant'." "Among Peking University professors , Liu Wendian is as famous as Gu Hongming for his 'arrogance'." Zhou Zuoren recalled his colleague Liu Wendian and said: "His appearance is very funny, and he speaks a lot of negative words. Whenever the words are connected with Duan Qirui, he often says: 'Our old Zhongtang'." The following are extremely indecent and tame words, Involved in "Mrs. Tai" and others.Zhang Zhongxing also said that Liu Wendian always used disrespectful words whenever he mentioned Duan Qirui. Someone recorded Liu Wendian's self-report: "My brother recently discovered that in front of the big brother, if you say something crazy, it is not much worse than Shi, Bo Shenxian and Qiao Zi's things. Compared with Quyuan, you can say 'better. 'Woolen cloth!" One year, Liu Wendian went to Beijing to attend the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. During the break of the meeting, Liu met Guo Moruo in the aisle. Li Biyu, a student of Yunnan University, recalled: In September 1955, the Chinese Department of Yunnan University held a welcome meeting.Not long after the meeting started, a thin and withered old man walked into the meeting place with square steps, holding a teapot in his hand and a "Da Chong Nine" in his mouth.Just as the freshmen were whispering and curiously asking each other who this "weird man" was, the dean of the department, Liu Yaomin, stood up and introduced to everyone: "This is Mr. Liu Wendian. In particular, Yuanshen, the right research is even more unique and has achieved outstanding results. Now I invite Mr. Liu to speak to everyone!"... After the stormy applause, Liu Wendian stood up with a smile, nodded to the audience, and said: "I have never participated in such activities. I heard that the new freshmen have good grades. I am very happy, so I made an exception and came to visit Visiting everyone. I don’t teach you, I teach your teacher’s teacher. Speaking of it, it’s not a question of the path of research. Those “scholars” in ancient and modern China and abroad, no matter what path they took, they have a good head and a poor record, and they are barely close. Count. Counting, there are two and a half people in the world who really understand. One is Zhuangzi himself, Chinese scholars plus all foreign sinologists, well, maybe half of them.”