Chapter 25 Chapter two

In the ninth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (198 BC), Dong Zhongshu was born in an ordinary village named Dongjiazhuang (now Dadong Guzhuang Village, Hequ Township, Jingxian County, Hebei Province) in Guangchuan County, Zhao State.There is no record in the history books about his family background.But judging from the fact that he received enlightenment education when he was a child, he was born in a relatively wealthy family.There is no school in Dongjiazhuang, and children have to travel more than ten miles to study in the neighboring village of Shilichang.In Shilichang Village, there is a large Su family who originated from an official family and respected Confucian etiquette and righteousness. Therefore, the teaching in the school is nothing more than the set of Confucian theories.In this way, the enlightenment education in childhood decided and influenced Dong Zhongshu's life path all his life.The study, research and development thereafter can only be done along the lines of Confucianism in the early years.

With a little success in his studies, Dong Zhongshu made some efforts to continue to develop outward, but he failed to achieve major success.So, he returned to his hometown and became a folk teacher who "preached, taught, and dispelled confusion". While teaching, he has been studying "Spring and Autumn" with great concentration, seeking the subtle meaning of the book. During the Spring and Autumn Period, each feudal state had a tradition of compiling history books. "Spring and Autumn" was originally a history book recording the history of Lu State, and it was also the first chronicle in Chinese history.However, after Confucius deliberately revised and sorted it out, the value of "Spring and Autumn" doubled immediately, from an ordinary history book to a famous Confucian classic-incorporating praise and criticism, and taking Confucianism as its sect The classics of political philosophy. The scriptures in "Spring and Autumn" are not long, only more than 16,000 characters. The language is concise and the meaning is vague. "Spring and Autumn Liang Biography".These three biographies expounded different thoughts of the author respectively, and they formed their own families and became three independent studies in history.

"Zuo Zhuan" is the first annotated text of "Spring and Autumn", written by Zuo Qiuming, who was a contemporary of Confucius. It explains "Spring and Autumn" with facts, and it is a political history book; both "Chunqiu Gongyang Zhuan" and "Chunqiu Liang Zhuan" are the official biography of Confucius, and Confucius dictated the political thoughts of "Spring and Autumn" to his disciple Zixia, and Zixia separated. Granted to his disciples Gongyang Gao and Liang Chi, the inheritance of this dictation, through the development of Gongyang Gao and Liang Chi, finally formed two unique theoretical systems of "Spring and Autumn" - "Gongyang Biography" and "Liang Chiu". "Biography", they only formed texts in the Han Dynasty, but "Liang Zhuan" was slightly later than "Gongyang Zhuan".The two books have the same style, seldom narrate historical facts, but use their own understanding and imagination to develop and comment on the meaning of "Spring and Autumn".

Dong Zhongshu went to Qidi to study in his early years, worshiped under the Gongyang family, and stayed in the Gongyang Academy for a long time, and he was deeply taught the true teaching of Gongyang.Since then, Dong Zhongshu has taken Chunqiu Gongyangology as his main research goal throughout his life.Most of his writings are quoted from "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang". Dong Zhongshu almost reached the point of madness in order to explore the profound meaning of "Spring and Autumn".According to "Zou Zi" quoted in "Yu Lan" 840: "Dong Zhongshu didn't peep into the garden for three years, and he didn't feel male and female when he tried riding a horse. His ambition is to pass on the classics." I locked myself in the house regardless of day and night, and forgot to eat and sleep, quoting from others and meditating hard. For three years, I never even took a walk by my own vegetable field; Female, all of her mind is tied to the word "Jing Zhuan".Although the above text is a bit exaggerated, it more or less reflects Dong Zhongshu's perseverance and hard work.Not only that, but he also used Confucianism to strictly regulate his behavior. Every word and deed was tainted with the color of Confucianism, branded with Confucianism, and possessed the demeanor of Confucianism, and even "advance and retreat are tolerated, and there is no morality."

With Dong Zhongshu's hard-working spirit and his innate intelligence and understanding, it is conceivable that he will definitely achieve outstanding results surpassing others in the study of Spring and Autumn Gongyang Studies.Therefore, when he was in his forties, he was honored by Emperor Jing as a doctor of Spring and Autumn Gongyang Studies. At that time, there were only two people who worshiped this official position, and the other was the elderly Hu Wusheng, an expert in Gongyang Studies.The ancient doctorate is not the name of a modern degree, but the name of an academic official.During the Qin Dynasty, as long as he mastered the theory of a certain field, he would be awarded the official post of doctor, who would act as the king's adviser and formulate policies and decrees.From this point of view, the doctoral officer is just a tool in the hands of the king, which is the so-called imperial literati in later generations.It is the first time in Chinese history that a doctoral degree has been established specifically for Chunqiu Gongyangology.

It goes without saying that Dong Zhongshu is proud and happy to be awarded a doctorate by the current emperor. This is a reward for his years of hard work, and it is a sign that his academic achievements have been recognized by the society!However, most of the doctoral officers during Emperor Jing's time were just empty titles, and they could only "wait for appointment as officials" and wait for the emperor's appointment.So Dong Zhongshu and Hu Wusheng stayed in the capital together, looking forward to Emperor Jing's recruitment all day long.They lived together for a long time, and there was no resounding divine edict from the emperor.Emperor Jing only paid attention to Huang Lao's learning, and doctors in other disciplines were just "decorations" to make a gesture of reusing intellectuals from all over the world, and they would not be really appointed by the imperial court at all.

Hu Wusheng couldn't wait any longer, so he said to Dong Zhongshu: "Instead of waiting to waste money like this, it's better to go home and find something to do." So, after saying goodbye to Dong Zhongshu, he left Beijing and returned home in a hurry.Dong Zhongshu stayed in the capital for a while, but he couldn't see any hope, so he had no choice but to check his luggage and head back home, preparing to resume his old business. As soon as Dong Zhongshu set foot on the land of his hometown, it formed a sharp contrast with the desolation of the capital.Now, he is a doctor appointed by the emperor. In the eyes of ordinary people, a doctor is a symbol of knowledge and authority.I heard that he was going to formally accept apprentices and give lectures, and there was an endless stream of young people who came to sign up and ask for advice.He no longer talked about Confucianism fragmentarily and superficially as in the past, but systematically taught the theory of Spring and Autumn Classics to students.When there are too many students, there is no room to sit in the classroom, and sometimes we have to teach in the open square.Dong Zhongshu taught Confucian classics. Although the scale and achievements of Dong Zhongshu’s teaching of Confucian classics were not as good as the three thousand disciples of Confucius and the seventy-two sages, he also trained many outstanding figures who had a certain influence in Chinese history.According to "Historical Records: Biography of Scholars": "The disciples of Zhongshu are: Chu Da in Lanling, Yin Zhong in Guangchuan, and Wen Lu Bushu. Chu Da to Liang Xiang. Bu Shu to Changshi... The disciples are masters, as for fate Doctors, there are hundreds of people who are gentlemen, admirers, and anecdotes." Even Sima Qian, the author of "Historical Records", Tai Shiling himself, once studied under Dong Zi's school.

In addition to teaching apprentices in his hometown, Dong Zhongshu also traveled around to study, and was summoned by King Xian of Hejian to ask for advice. He became famous and respected by the world.On the surface, his life seems to be very good, but deep down, there is an unresolvable "political complex". "Learn the art of literature and martial arts well, and become the emperor's family." This is the consistent spiritual pillar and life pursuit of Confucians, especially Dong Zhongshu, who has the essence of Confucianism.Those who cannot enter the center of political power, no matter how knowledgeable, famous, and prosperous they are, seem to be useless without much "promise" and value.After a while, he is over sixty years old; after a while, his life will be over, so, there is an unbearable urgency and anxiety in his heart.However, there is no other way to do it than eagerly longing and silently waiting.

opportunity finally arises! In 140 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che came to the throne.After the accumulation and foreshadowing of the "government by doing nothing" of the previous generations of kings, the politics and economy of the Han Dynasty developed into a fairly prosperous period.Emperor Wu believed that the development of the times no longer needed the Huang-Lao ideas of the past. He didn't want to be bound by inaction.As soon as he came to the throne, he recruited virtuous people, showed great interest in Confucianism, and adopted some measures to emphasize Confucianism. As a result, he was favored by his grandmother, the Queen Mother Dou, who was in charge of the actual power of the Han Dynasty and was fond of Huang-Lao studies. Intervened and died.In May of the sixth year of Jianyuan (135 BC), Empress Dowager Dou passed away. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who had long been eager to show his ambition, believed that his own era had come. The first thing he did was to change the year name. , Change Jianyuan to Yuanguang.It was also from him that the subsequent emperors developed the bad habit of changing their age and title at every turn, reveling in a kind of illusory belief, boasting and self-comfort, but adding artificial complexity to history.

Then there was a "comprehensive governance" internally and externally. Then, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty turned his falcon-like eyes on the world's literati and scholars, and once again recruited virtuous people from the society, asking them to make suggestions and assist the king in governing the country, making the world a hero. "All in the net". When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty recruited virtuous men for the first time, Dong Zhongshu was traveling around to study, and stayed at Hejian Xianwang to discuss knowledge with him.He lived in the Hejian Kingdom, but his household registration was in the Zhao Kingdom, so his name was not among the virtuous men recommended for the first time. "Fortune comes with misfortune", if Dong Zhongshu is recruited for the first time, in terms of talent and personality, he will be ruthlessly suppressed and attacked by Empress Dowager Dou. Zang and Yu Shi doctor Zhao Wan were dismissed under the threat of Queen Mother Dou, and then committed suicide.However, after all, Dong Zhongshu saw the dawn of the revitalization of Confucianism in the young emperor, and placed great expectations on him.Therefore, he also worked harder on the study of Spring and Autumn Gongyang, "specialized in describing the ancient times, and did not look at the vegetables in the garden when he was more than sixty years old." He is a sixty-three-year-old old man. Although he is a bit late, he has always had a great ambition to "participate in politics". No matter how old he is, he will not easily let go of this rare and perhaps last opportunity. .

Therefore, Dong Zhongshu happily came to the capital Chang'an again as a virtuous person.This time, not only did he not "sit on the bench" like last time, as if to make up for it, he also enjoyed a rare honor: ranked first among all the more than 100 recommended virtuous people, and the result of the exam was unexpectedly Satisfactory, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty specially added two extra trials for Dong Zhongshu, and asked him about more systematic and complete policies for governing the country with an open mind.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked three policy questions, and Dong Zhongshu answered correctly three times. This is the famous "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" in history. The main contents of "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" are as follows: 1. Although the monarchy is granted by God, God always warns, condemns, and threatens the bad behavior of the king of the world.Therefore, the king should work hard to implement moral education, depreciate punishment, and change the old bad habits; second, establish Taixue, cultivate wise men, know talents and be good at tasks; third, unify culture, dismiss hundreds of schools, and only respect Confucianism.This is also where Dong Zhongshu's foothold is. He raised the Confucian classic "Spring and Autumn" that he had devoted his whole life to study and said to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty: The "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" is a general outline of Dong Zhongshu's thought theory, and its development, enrichment and perfection are all reflected in his later major work "Spring and Autumn Fanlu". As Dong Zhongshu said, it can be described as "just in line with the lonely will".After reviewing these policies and theories, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty naturally praised them greatly, most of them adopted them, and strictly implemented them: Xing Taixue, Jianxiang Preface, and Mingshi, and combined the five Confucian classics "Yi", "Poetry", "Li", "Spring and Autumn" was raised to the supremacy, making "classic" a special name for Confucian classics; abolishing the doctors of Zhuzi, and establishing a doctor of the Five Classics, the doctor's official was thus monopolized by Confucianism, and Confucianism also became an official school; Incorporating the emperor's Zen activities and the Five Elements Theory into the Confucian system, deifying Confucianism, using the five virtues to always teach the world, changing the calendar, making ordinary people deepen their sense of mystery about Confucianism, and infiltrating its ideas into all levels of political and social life .In this way, Confucianism not only became the guiding ideology of the ruling class, but also became a criterion and norm of social life behavior. "The sky does not change, and the way does not change." Under the guise of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu enshrined Confucianism as an eternal and unchanging law, which established the dominant position of Confucianism at that time and in the feudal rule for more than two thousand years. Although Confucianism has played a certain positive role in maintaining the unity of the country, the negative impact it has produced in the long history of more than two thousand years is too far-reaching.One of the most direct consequences is the politicization of Confucianism.In this regard, Jian Bozan once discussed in "History of the Qin and Han Dynasties": "Confucian philosophy has become the highest political principle of the feudal system, and has become a measure of the standard of cultural thought. All classical philosophy that conflicts with this principle Doctrine, even if it contains more truth than Confucianism, must be destroyed from the beginning to the end. From this era, Confucius was exalted from among the schools of thought and became the Pope of the Eastern world, while Confucian philosophy It becomes an eternal and unchanging truth. Whoever criticizes Confucian philosophy is a sinner of the famous religion and a cultural rebel.” To this day, Confucianism is still regarded as an unchangeable standard by many “defenders”. Determining Confucianism as one is a cultural catastrophe similar to Qin Shihuang's large-scale burning of books. The difference is that the methods used by the two are different. One uses the method of forced destruction, and the other uses the strategy of soft polishing.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Dong Zhongshu's restraint methods were far more sophisticated than those of Qin Shihuang and Li Sihuang, and their changes were more thorough and their impact was more profound.Hu Jichuang said in "History of Chinese Economic Thought": "The culture after Qin suffered three bad lucks: one was the burning of books by Qin Shihuang, one was the dismissal of hundreds of schools by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the other was the imperial examination system in the early Ming Dynasty. Among these three times , if Dong Zhongshu launched this time, it played the greatest role in the long-term consolidation of the feudal regime, and it also caused the most long-term cultural harm.” Once Confucianism becomes the "state religion", it becomes a quasi-religion that is not a religion. The belief of the general public is greatly discounted here, and the God who uniquely dominates the universe is reduced to a feudal emperor, a general, and a representative of Confucianism. .A nation without a true religion will inevitably degenerate in imagination, impoverished in thinking, and secular in its beliefs. An extreme pragmatist with eyes only on his feet will never grow into a great giant. The dismissal of hundreds of schools left the whole country with only one alienated political culture—Confucianism.Officials and teachers all became Confucian students, and the study of Confucianism became a way of understanding, and other theories were naturally left out in the cold.Confucius' idea of ​​"studying well and becoming an official" was established as a formal civil service system.From top to bottom, the books read and the principles understood by Chinese people are all Confucian "things".However, there are only a few Confucian classics, and their teachings cannot cover all aspects of social life.But for more than two thousand years, what all Confucian scholars (including almost all intellectuals) have done is either to recite the Six Classics, or "the Six Classics annotate me, and I annotate the Six Classics", rushing left and right in a narrow circle. No matter what happens, you can't break through the ubiquitous "Network of Confucianism".The wisdom, talents and creations of generations of cultural elites have been wasted in vain. What they left behind is a large pile of useless Confucian monographs that are equivalent in number to the sum of the studies of other schools of thought.The self-enclosure, blind self-sufficiency, conformity to the past, and lack of forge ahead in national character are all closely related to Confucianism's determination to be one. Confucianism regards propriety as the standard, benevolence as the core of thought, righteousness as the criterion of value, and knowledge (wisdom) as the means of cognition.Confucianism suppresses human nature, benevolence and righteousness restrict economic competition and free development, blindly emphasizing morality makes people hypocritical, pragmatism makes people humble and trivial, nostalgia makes people intoxicated by the glory of the past and does not think about making progress, and the three cardinal principles and five constant principles are bound together. Hands and feet are bound... People have lost their own choices and thoughts, and can only judge right and wrong based on the Confucian sages and Confucian classics regulated by the rulers.As time goes on, the people's thoughts shrink, their spirits become numb, their emotions become alienated, and their creations become rigid... But the feudal rulers benefit greatly from it. It has continued consistently for thousands of years. The unification of thought has formed the bad habit of political interference in academics in Chinese history. The situation of a hundred schools of thought contending and a hundred flowers blooming during the Warring States Period has never appeared since then, and it has become an "absolute sound" that literati can only remember.For more than two thousand years, academics have become a vassal and servant of politics, without an independent status, let alone competition and contention.Regardless of academics or thinking, they are all rigid and solidified into a pool of "dead water".So, besides walking around in circles, where is there any other way out for society?