Chapter 10 Chen Yinke: "Professor's Professor"

Chen Yinke (1890.7.3-1969.10.7), born in Yining (now Xiushui County), Jiangxi Province, is the most famous historian, classical literature researcher and linguist in modern China.Chen Yinke is a great scholar. In the depth of his character and thought, there are only broad and simple, and the profundity beneath the simplicity.He inherited the excellent morals of Chinese "scholars": everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.Chen Yinke claims that he doesn't talk about politics, but he never forgets major national events; his research on history is full of textual research on the surface, but what he talks about in his heart is success or failure; in the face of power, he is proud and independent.

As early as during his hard study in Berlin, Chen Yinke was called the real "seed of reading" by the people at that time. Chen Yinke studied hard and skillfully; he read with his heart and pen.He reads with circles, collations, comments, eyebrow comments or interline comments.Liang Huijiao's "Biography of Eminent Monks" (First Collection) is the book he has corrected the most, and the handwriting of his corrections is as small as a hair, which is difficult to read.Jiang Tianshu said in the article "Chen Yinke's Reading Notes Preface": "Mr. reads in his life, uses the details of his thoughts, and reaches endlessly. He often sees the big from the small, and then returns to the fine from the big. If readers can see the big from the small Great, Si got it. Mr. reading, thoughtful, elegant and meaningful, not many words but can be thought-provoking. Most of the records are expressing one's own opinions, or taking new materials to supplement the old history; or examining the similarities and differences of schools, and the notes of predecessors It is quite interesting to draw conclusions based on narration and examples. The publication of Mr. Future’s book will have a profound impact on the future academic circle, which can be predicted.”

Most of the books written by Chen Yinke are also based on his hard-working notes, and his critics often become the blueprints for later books. Influenced by the family and the turmoil of the current situation, Chen Yinke, like everyone who cares about the fate of the country, hopes to find a way to save the world and enrich the country and strengthen the people. In 1910, Chen Yinke, who was studying in Berlin, heard the news of Japan's annexation of Korea, and wrote a poem: "I was shocked to hear that the land of Jizi for thousands of years was slaughtered twice in ten years." Roar." In 1911, in Switzerland, he heard the news of the 1911 Revolution from the newspaper, and immediately went to the library to borrow "Das Kapital". Europe is taken for granted.Reading the German version of "Das Kapital", Chen Yinke may be the first person in China.

During his time at Harvard, Chen Yinke began to develop a mature and calm personality, and thus he also developed a profound history and broad culture.In a conversation with his friend Wu Mi, Chen Yinke said that emphasizing practicality may make China's industry develop and become a wealthy businessman in the world. When he first came to study in the United States, Chen Yinke's feat of buying books was unforgettable for all the students.He advocated that books should be purchased in large quantities, multiple purchases, and all purchases.One day, Chen Yinke said: "I am studying world history today." Then he bought back dozens of huge volumes such as "Cambridge Modern History", "Cambridge Ancient History", "Cambridge Middle Ancient History" published by the University of Cambridge, and made a complete set.Driven by him, Wu Mi also bought a set of 19 volumes of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare", a collection of annotations from various schools.

In 1923, Zhao Yuanren and his wife went to Berlin and met Chen Yinke who always ordered fried kidneys for lunch.Later in Tsinghua University, Chen Yinke lived with Zhao Yuanren. Zhao Yuanren's wife Yang Buwei always asked the cook to make kidneys, but Chen Yinke didn't eat any.Yang Buwei thought it was very strange, so he asked, "Didn't you always eat kidneys in Germany?" Chen Yinke told Yang Buwei that it was because kidneys were the cheapest in Germany.When studying in Berlin, Chen Yinke lived a very poor life. He bought a small amount of the cheapest bread every morning, that is, went to the library to spend the day, and often did not eat formally all day.

Chen Yinke stayed abroad for more than ten years and entered many institutions of higher learning. However, he did not come back with an advanced degree certificate. He only studied for the sake of studying.Where there is a good university, where there is a rich collection of books, he will go there to learn from teachers, attend lectures and do research.He not only reads books, but also pays attention to the local customs, but he is indifferent and uninterested in the degrees that most people value. Xiao Gongquan once said: "I know that some Chinese scholars have studied in European and American universities for many years, only seeking knowledge and not receiving a degree. The famous historian Chen Yinke is the most prominent one. A truly learned person does not need a master's or doctoral title to decorate the appearance .Unfortunately, some international students place too much emphasis on degrees and intend to take advantage of them. They choose degrees, departments, courses, and even thesis topics. Unfortunately, there are still some people who have been abroad for several years, and after returning to China, they claim to have awarded a degree from a certain university. They use the fake degree as a cover to get involved in the domestic education office or other businesses.”

In 1925, Tsinghua School established the Academy of Chinese Studies, and Wu Mi, who had already taught at Tsinghua University, introduced Chen Yinke to Liang Qichao.Liang Qichao recommended Chen as the tutor of the Academy of Chinese Studies. Cao Yunxiang, the principal at the time, had never heard of Chen Yinke, and asked Liang: "Which country is Chen a doctor?" Liang replied: "He is neither a doctor nor a master." Cao asked again: " Does he have any books?" Liang replied: "Neither have any books." Cao said: "It's difficult to be neither a doctor nor have any books!" Liang Qichao was very angry, so he replied: "I, Liang, have no books either. A Ph.D., works are equivalent to one’s life, but they are not as valuable as Mr. Chen’s few hundred words. Well, if you don’t invite him, let him go abroad!” Then Liang Qichao introduced several professors from the University of Berlin and Paris to Chen Yinke. After hearing the praise, Cao Yunxiang decided to hire him as a tutor in the school.

A generation of academic leaders, with great knowledge, but no proud degree diplomas, this is one of the strange things about Chen Yinke.But his extensive knowledge is world-famous and proud. Chen Yinke prepares lessons very seriously.Before preparing lessons, explain to the assistant the issues and content to be taught this semester, and then specify which books the assistant should read to him.The first book he wants to read is always, followed by "Tong Dian", "Hui Yao", "Liu Dian", two "Tang Shu" and so on.When preparing lessons, he first asked his assistant to read which volume of "Tong Jian", or when to what year, and told him to read slowly and clearly, and stop when he reached a paragraph, meditate, ask some questions or points that should be paid attention to, Ask the assistant to write in the notebook, usually after listening to a certain passage of "Tong Jian", ask the assistant to find out the relevant materials recorded in two "Tang Shu", "Hui Yao" and "Tong Dian", and then read it to him Listen, and then point out what are the differences between the records of these kinds of historical books, which records are reliable and which are not.The assistant recorded these one by one.

Assistant Wang Yongxing recalled, "After reading like this for a few days, he asked me to repeat to him what was written in the notebook. He summed it up and dictated it for me to write down, which formed a lecture draft or a detailed outline of the lecture. No It is only the main content of the lecture, and he has rigorously collated and verified the historical materials involved in the lecture and every piece of material related to the lecture." "He never lectures without materials." "After the lecture, he often Ask me if the students can accept my lectures? He often asks me to seek the opinions of the students before revising the lecture draft. Mr. Chen’s lectures are superb, simple and fascinating, and behind this is his hard work in preparing lessons. He starts classes every year , This is how I prepare and lecture every year.”

In 1925, a major event that had a profound impact on Chinese academics took place in Tsinghua: the establishment of the "Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Studies".The purpose of the research institute is to use modern scientific methods to sort out national heritage and to cultivate talents of Chinese studies who "take writing as their lifelong career".At that time, Tsinghua was a preparatory school for studying in the United States, and the preparatory school for studying in the United States came to run the Chinese Academy, which itself was to absorb Western learning to build its own culture.

The newly established Academy of Chinese Studies has four mentors: the first is Wang Guowei, who pioneered the use of oracle bone inscriptions to study the history of Yin and Shang; the second is Liang Qichao, a core figure in the Reform Movement of 1898, who has written many books; the third is a return from Harvard University Famous linguist Zhao Yuanren.The three mentors have different personalities, but they are all famous.Among the four mentors, Chen Yinke, who arrived at the school the latest, was not well-known at the time. Chen Yinke is very humorous.Because Liang Qichao among the four mentors was a disciple of Kang Youwei, the "sage of the South China Sea", and Wang Guowei was the study consultant of the last emperor, so Chen Yinke sent a pair of couplets to the students: The sage of the South China Sea passed on to his disciples again, A boy who was a classmate of the Qing emperor. What amazed the teachers and students was Chen Yinke's erudition.The knowledge he taught in the classroom runs through both Chinese and Western cultures. After class, he analyzed the evolution of languages ​​in various countries, and he even explained to the students the context of where wine originated and where it was spread.When he was in class, even the professors from Tsinghua University often came to listen.Some people call him a "living dictionary", while others call him a "professor's professor". At that time, Mr. Feng Youlan was a university student with a much better reputation than Chen Yinke, but Feng Youlan was also respectful in front of Chen Yinke and regarded himself as a student, which even the students at that time could feel. At that time, the academic circles in North China were divided into two factions, one was the scholars trained in the country, and the other had the experience of studying abroad.The local school believes that the foreign school does not understand the national conditions, and no matter how advanced your knowledge is, you are still scratching your head and cannot solve China's problems.Those who study abroad feel that the local school is too pedantic, has too narrow a vision, and does not have the tools of modernization, so the two factions look down on each other.But no matter which faction it is, no one dares to look down on Chen Yinke, which is legendary in the academic circle. Excavating and using original materials is one of Chen Yinke's academic principles.He abides by the tradition and experience of Qianjia scholars and German Muller scholars who value the use of first-hand information, and emphasizes the use of original materials as the fulcrum for research.He pointed out that if you don't understand the basic materials in learning, you are eager to talk about trivial matters, and the conclusions you get are often untenable.Fu Sinian, who has a similar style of study to Chen Yinke, once put forward a famous point of view: If you have a little material, you can say a little bit; In 1930, Chen Yinke put forward a famous point of view in his article "Preface to Chen Yuan's "Dunhuang Robbery Records"": "Academics of an era must have new materials and new problems. If we use this material to study problems, then It is the new trend of the times. Scholars who are able to anticipate this trend are called “pre-flow.” Chen Yinke’s consistent fine style of study is to avoid vanity, to be delusional, to seek trustworthiness and truth, to accumulate knowledge, and to use new materials to study problems. Chen Yinke's eldest daughter, Liuqiu, once recalled that Chen Yinke lived a compact and regular life in the late Tsinghua University. "Father always carries a cloth bundle with books when he goes out every day. He works at his desk as usual at night. My father is never satisfied with the tools he has for studying. Every Saturday morning, regardless of whether it is hot or cold, he goes to the city to find a man named Gang He in Dongjiaomin Lane. Thailand’s foreign teacher, learning Sanskrit.” Chen Yinke recited rubbings of Sanskrit classics in his home study from time to time, and his nephew Feng Xiong once listened to the “Sanskrit” when he was young, and asked: “Uncle, what mantra are you reciting?” I can't stop laughing.In addition to learning Sanskrit, Chen Yinke often went to Dagaodian Military Aircraft Office by car to look at the files. During the Qing Dynasty, the confidential documents were all written in Manchu. When Chen Yinke gave lectures, he wore thick robes and mandarin jackets in autumn and winter, and blue cloth gowns in spring and summer.Every time I attend class, I must bring the books to be quoted. I will wrap them in a yellow furoki for Buddhist scriptures and Zen literature, and black cloth for other courses.One high and one low struggled to carry him into the classroom, and he never used his hands to help the teacher.The only thing that remains unchanged is his attire, but his classes always confirm old news with new materials, or discover new understandings in familiar historical books.All Western scholars who have made new discoveries in the study of Chinese history will cite them category by category.Therefore, the students also listened with gusto and were inspired. Chen Yinke's class was very exciting, and Wu Mi often went to listen to it, saying that he was "precise and beautiful in writing".According to the memories of Lan Wenzheng, a third-level student who was admitted to the academy in the autumn of 1927, "Mr. Chen gave a speech, and the classmates seemed not good enough... During class, we often couldn't understand it. When he wrote it, oh! I realized that it was German. Chinese, that’s Russian, that’s Sanskrit, but you can’t fully understand it until you ask for its pronunciation and meaning. Wu Mi, the director of the research institute, will definitely come to listen to the lecture, the teaching assistant will come, Zhu Ziqing will come, and Peking University’s foreign professor Gang Hetai Come, students and professors from other university departments don’t come because they don’t understand.” Ji Xianlin, a well-known professor at Peking University, once recalled: "At this time, I listened to Mr. Yinke's 'Buddhist Sutra Translation Literature'. The reference book was "Six Patriarch Altar Sutra". I once went to a big temple in the city to buy it. I have read this book. Teacher Yinke’s lectures are the same as his writing articles. He first writes the necessary materials on the blackboard, and then explains, researches, analyzes and synthesizes them based on the materials, paying special attention to place names and personal names. His analysis It is as fine as a hair, like peeling a banana leaf. The thinner it is, the deeper it becomes. It is not arbitrary, exaggerated, or distorted. Suddenly enlightened, leading us to Yangguan Avenue. Reading his articles and listening to his lectures is simply a kind of enjoyment, an incomparable enjoyment. Among many Chinese and foreign scholars, only Henrich Abroad can give me this kind of enjoyment. ·Lüders, there is only Chen Shi in China. He is recognized as a master of textual research by scholars at home and abroad, which is completely appropriate. This style of study is not far from the style of study of "replacing history with theory" that later became a source of poison. However, in the vast scholarly forest, it is rare to understand people, and some so-called "scholars" who blare their tongues to confuse scholars are arrogant and domineering, which is admirable." "Master Yinke's style of study has affected my lifetime." In 1929, Chen Yinke became a joint professor of the Chinese and History departments of Tsinghua School.He attends classes, usually in a small classroom of the Third Hospital. Besides Tsinghua students, many Peking University students also come to listen by car from the city for 40 to 50 minutes, and some professors also come to observe.Because he can often explain people's doubts, Tsinghua University regards him as a "living dictionary" and "living dictionary".At that time, Liang Jiabin, a student attending the class, saw that Kong Fan, the professor of Tsinghua University's "Literary Method" and "European Medieval History" classes, often came to the lecture hall to attend the lecture. Chen Yinke's lectures focus on content rather than form.There is never roll call in class, and there is never a small test, and the big test is just according to the rules.He often said that the question-and-answer written test is not the best way to test knowledge.Some students asked him to write short papers instead of big exams, but Chen Yinke also said: "There must be new materials or new insights in writing papers, otherwise it is useless; it is best for students to think carefully after listening to lectures and research. At the end of the semester, each teacher will ask one or two questions, but whether the students can ask appropriate questions, you can also know whether the students have used kung fu, and you can roughly separate the grades. Of course, most of the students dare not adopt this method. Because it would be embarrassing if the question you asked was deemed not smart." The Anti-Japanese War ended and Tsinghua University resumed.Chen Yinke, who is blind in both eyes, named his study "the room where seeing is pure".Lei Haizong, the head of the history department, came to visit Yinke. Seeing that he was weak and sick and blind, he advised him not to start classes for the time being, but to rest for a while and do personal research.Chen Yinke immediately replied: "I am a teacher. How can I be called a teacher if I don't teach? I want to start classes. As for personal research, that is a secondary thing. I have a lot of salary every month. How can I just get money and not work?" " Chen Yinke has been like this all his life.His teaching is also of a high level. For example, he lectured on the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and Tang Dynasty dozens of times, each time with new content and different emphases.He prepares and lectures very seriously, meticulously, and never misses a single word.Every time he finished a class, he was extremely tired. Chen Yinke uses his life to do what he thinks should be done and ordinary things. This is the profound meaning of "how can you not work".In May 1929, in a poem titled "Graduates of the Historian Department of Peking University's Jisi Class", he wrote: "Innately pedantic and 'self-sacred mad', reading is not willing to be busy for others. What I have learned in my life is better than others." Gift, this alone is the secret recipe." Chen Yinke's remarks on love are very interesting. He said that there are five grades of love. 1. There is no one in the world who has the highest love.Suspending imagination, but willing to die for it, just like Du Liniang.2. Those who have a good acquaintance with other people, but have never shared a quilt, are next, such as Bao, Dai, etc., and Chinese unmarried virgins.3. And secondly, they used to sleep on the mat once, and they will never forget it forever, such as Siqi, Pan You'an, and the Chinese widow.Fourth, and secondly, those who are couples who have never had an affair for life.5. The bottom one is joints everywhere, only desires are pictures, and it doesn't matter about feelings. That is to say, the first-class love is to fall in love with a stranger, and you can die for it; the second-class is to love each other and not go to bed; the third-class is to go to bed once and love each other for life; the fourth-class is to love each other for a lifetime; the fifth-class is to go to bed casually . Those who have never met each other but love each other deeply like Du Liniang were indeed purely spiritual love in the past, the highest level.It's a pity that Chen Yinke died too early, and had no chance to witness the prairie fire of online dating.It is ridiculous for Mr. Chen to put unmarried virgins in the second level of love. Unmarried virgins do not necessarily mean not marrying for love, but chastity for love.If you have never loved before, how can you count as second-class love?It can be seen that the theory of fifth-class love is not true. In the end, Chen Yinke married Tang Yuan and lived with him forever. According to his rank, he was no more than fourth class.However, the two have a deep relationship and never leave each other through hardships.Chen Yinke also pre-written the elegiac couplet: "Weeping and weeping against the cow's clothes will become a history of heartbreak; the disabled and the leopard will hide, and the nine springs will wait for the dry-eyed." More than a month after this elegiac couplet was written, the two passed away one after another.Love, if it can reach this level, it should be regarded as first-class. It was 1919 when Chen Yinke published the theory of the fifth class of love, when he was still an unmarried young man.At that time, he mentioned this argument in a chat with Wu Mi and Mei Guangdi at Harvard.At that time, when the trend of new culture thoughts was surging, the conversation between the three Chinese students was recorded in Wu Mi's diary. That night, the three of them got together and talked about the New Culture Movement, as well as marriage autonomy.Chen Yinke cited the marriages between the upper and lower classes of Western society, and concluded that "there is no such thing as free marriage in the world, but it is a first-rate evil to use it as a custom in China." Basically, he is opposed to the freedom of marriage. attitude. Mrs. Chen Yinke's name is Tang Yuan, and she also came from a family.His ancestor, Tang Jingsong, had been an official for many years. During the Sino-French war, he generously volunteered for military service. He was promoted due to his meritorious service and later served as the governor of Taiwan. After the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, China was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki to cede Taiwan to Japan. Local patriots decided to resist Japan on their own, established the "Taiwan Democratic Republic", and promoted Tang Jingsong as the "President".Tang sent a telegram to the Qing court: "Taiwan's subjects are not obedient to the Japanese. Although they are an island country, they will always wear the Holy Qing." However, the Qing court still handed over Taiwan to Japan, and Tang was forced to flee back to the mainland.Tang Yuan studied at Tianjin Normal University and Shanghai Sports College since he was a child, and then taught in some schools. Regarding their acquaintance, Chen Yinke himself has a record. ... Even in Tsinghua University, there was an occasional saying among colleagues: I saw a female teacher hanging a poem on the wall, with "South Zhusheng" signed at the end.Yinke was shocked and said: "This person must be the granddaughter of Duke Tang Jingsong of Yangyang." , so his family background is known to You Min.Because of the liberty of visiting.Not long after, they made an appointment to grow old together. Lu Jiandong lamented this in "The Last 20 Years of Chen Yinke": "The simple word 'amazing', many times, life is to wait...Here, we seem to see that there has been an arrangement in the dark "A match made in heaven"...but what really connects the fate of life is the innate charm of the aristocratic family." Since then, the two have spent their lives hand in hand.Tang Yuan is not only Chen Yinke's life partner, but also his spiritual support.Many people think that private life is insignificant to a scholar like Chen Yinke. It seems that a great scholar can abandon all trivial matters and concentrate on learning. For a human being, this may be an important condition for him to survive safely. A person who is extremely rational in thought and emotional in heart is often unable to self-regulate his emotions, so the smoldering feelings in his heart often become a dead knot that cannot be solved. At this time, the wife around him has become an important factor to balance his psychology. In 1951, when Chen Yinke was bedridden due to high blood pressure and taking sleeping pills, he wrote a poem like this: "The wind of the knife disintegrates the old practice of Zen, and one couch becomes dizzy and Ren Huaqian. When I get sick, I am even more startled by the end of spring, and the green shade becomes a curtain to listen to the cicadas." It is full of hurting spring and self-injury, but Tang Heshi explained it for him: "To get rid of worries and get sick and practice Zen, the scenery will change with the four seasons. Lonely three springs and bitter rain, and smell cicadas in hot summer." Compared with Chen Yinke's poems, it is more easy to go with the situation.This is Tang's excellence. In the early years, Chen Yinke complained: "The world has been hurt and parted since ancient times. I really believe that the world is not free." Much more; in his later years, Chen Yinke felt sad when he missed the old residence of Yandu. Taking a step back means that the world is broad, this kind of attitude towards life that goes with the flow may not be Tang's original intention, but it may calm the tension that Chen Yinke has been entangled in his heart from time to time. And their two daughters wrote behind them in a simple and sincere style: ...Mother is not only his father's affectionate life partner, but also his like-minded spiritual support and business helper.She cared for and cared for her father in every possible way in life. When an assistant left suddenly after her father lost his sight, her mother immediately replaced him so that her father could attend classes and write books as usual.There are quite a few poems sung and chanted, reflecting their ideological resonance... When they were persecuted during the "Cultural Revolution" and knew that they could not last long, their father wrote an elegiac couplet to their mother in advance: Contains a history of heartbreak. It is difficult for the disabled to hide, and the nine springs wait for the eyes." Without a mother, it is hard to imagine that the frail, sick, blind, old age and feet, can have such fruitful teaching and research results . In his later years, Chen Yinke, who was "frail, sickly, blind, and lame", took old texts other than "On the Origin of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "On the Political History of the Tang Dynasty", and "Yuanbai Poems and Notes", It was compiled into "Han Liu Tang Ji" and "Jin Ming Guan Series Manuscripts", and wrote the 850,000-word masterpiece "Liu Rushi's Biography", and finally wrote "Han Liu Tang Ji Meng".His assistant Huang Xuan once said with emotion: "In the old age of blindness, Master Yin worked tirelessly and diligently to complete this manuscript (namely "Liu Rushi's Biography"). His perseverance spirit is really shocking and weeping." The spirit of ghosts and gods." After feeling and admiring, we also vaguely saw the ordinary and great figure of Tang Yuan.