Chapter 5 The first floor "Red Mansion" culture (2)

Baoyu is the most equal, the most forgiving, the most sympathetic, the most considerate, and the most generous person. He is the person who least understands what "selfishness" is! Because of this, it is difficult for the common people to understand him, saying that he is a "crazy", "fool", "trash", "monster", and "unworthy boy", so he is not tolerated by the society. His use of affection not only extends to everyone, but also to all things.The so-called "feeling is not sentimental" is precisely this meaning. So I think it is a book with the central idea of ​​respecting, loving, and only people.It is one of the greatest works in the history of our Chinese culture, and it speaks to the vast majority of human beings in the popular form of novels.He has a compassionate mood, but he doesn't have the smell of a "savior".Like Dr. Qu, he laments the deplorable desolation of all fragrances, but he does not have the self-awareness of self-admiration and self-awareness.So I think Xueqin's spiritual realm is more noble and great.

Many people say that Baoyu is a rebel against ethics. There is indeed a "rebellious" side in his thoughts, speech and actions, so there is no need to deny it.But we must also see that the real significance is that he brought the Chinese culture's spirit of respecting, loving, and being human to a new level of "only human beings", which is still consistent with the spirit of the philosophers of the past dynasties, or it is the same goal by different routes. of.That's why I say it is the most representative work of our Chinese nation's culture. The above are the main principles of what I call "cultural novels".

The culture of "Red Mansion" has "three cardinal principles" Cao Xueqin's is not a "tragic story of a love triangle".I personally think that it is the only great work in China that truly deserves the title of "cultural novel".Therefore, I put forward the proposition of "the culture of "Red Mansion". The culture of "Red Mansions" is all-encompassing (some people call it "encyclopedia", which is almost the same meaning), but the great genius writer Xueqin is definitely not for "setting up a stall", holding an "exhibition", showing off "Jiazhen".He also has a "core", with trunks and branches, and outlines and goals.This is again the reason why I put forward the "three cardinal principles" in the title.

If you ask, what are the "Three Cardinal Guidelines"?Of course, it will not be the "three cardinal guides" of "three cardinal guides and five permanent principles" (the ruler guides his ministers, the father guides his son, and the husband guides his wife). The "Three Outlines" of "Red Mansions" culture: the first is jade, the second is red, and the third is love.As the saying goes: outline the key points.If you can grasp the "three cardinal principles" listed above, you can almost understand Xueqin's truth. Let's talk about "jade" first.

The book of Xueqin was originally named.This stone, after being refined by Nvwa, has passed through spirituality-that is, the stubborn and ignorant thing of Shiben, and the spirituality has the ability to perceive, feel, think, comprehend, and express, which is called spirituality.This spiritual stone was transformed into jade later, and this jade was reincarnated into the world, and was born with the jade in its mouth—hence the name "precious jade".Baoyu is the true protagonist of the novel.All people, things, things, and environments appear, display, move, and change around him... In a word, they constitute the entire book.

In this way, if "jade" is not the first guideline of "Red Mansions" culture, then what is the qualification for the first guideline? This time I will talk about the "red" outline. In the fifth chapter, Baoyu travels in fantasy, drinking tea from "Thousands of Reds and One Cave", drinking wine from "Wanyan Tongcup", and listening to twelve pieces of "Dream of Red Mansions"—a chapter in the whole book, hence the name.In this book, the protagonist Baoyu's residence is named "Yihongyuan", and he has a "fault of loving red" in his life, while Xueqin wrote this book, and his residence is also named "Mourning Hongxuan".

In this way, why is "red" not the second outline of the culture of "Red Mansions"? Then talk about the outline of "love". Not long after the opening of the book, Xueqin became the title of the big book: "The main purpose of this book is to talk about love." The reincarnation of a stone happened to be a coincidence: a group of "love ghosts" went down to the earth to go through calamities, and it was "entrained" in it. Fall into the world of mortals together.Therefore, the opening sentence of the introduction of "Dream of Red Mansions" is "opening up Hongmeng, who is the love?" The confrontation between "and "love" is called "borrowing pairs", because there is "green" in the word love. The poet Du Fu has the pairs of "stepping on the moon and clearing the night" and "watching the clouds and white sun", which are good examples.) Notes , that kind of infatuation is not someone else, it refers to Baoyu and Xueqin.

It can be seen from this that "emotion" is another outline, which is absolutely correct. Let me list the "Three Cardinal Guidelines" first, so that I can talk about their meaning and value, realm and charm one by one.We should understand why Xueqin puts so much emphasis on jade, red, and love.If you don't know what to do about this, and think that you can read "Red Mansion" and talk about "Red Studies", that is a kind of fantasy and delusion. Chinese ancestors, thousands of thousands of years ago, recognized jade different from ordinary stones from the use of stone tools.The aesthetic level of the Chinese ancestors is so high that modern people are surprised and called it strange.They observe all things in the universe, not only seeing their appearance and hue, but also tasting the quality, nature, function, virtue, mutual relationship, and influence of each thing... Shennong's taste of all kinds of herbs and knowledge of all kinds of medicines are the best proof .After a long period of tasting, the ancestors understood the quality and morality of jade, crowning all stones, and it can be regarded as the noblest and most precious "entity" of Wanhui products born by nature. "Jade" is the most advanced adjective, adverbial, respectful title, and beautiful name in Chinese vocabulary.

For example, Li Houzhu said that "carved railings and jade masonry are still in place today", and Su Dongpo said "I am afraid of Qionglou Yuyu", they are the most beautiful in the realm of architecture.The lord of the gods who are the prime ministers of the heavens is called "Jade Emperor" if nothing else.Wen Han, who praised people, often called it "Yao Zhang", and Yao is beautiful jade.Zhou Lang's name is Yu, and his style name is Gongjin. What is the analogy?It is also as beautiful as jade.Calling a beautiful woman, let alone a "jade person", "jade body", "jade wrist", "jade arm"...a beautiful young man is "brilliant clothes and jade appearance".Drunken poets, "Jade Mountain collapsed", "Jade Mountain collapsed"... This kind of list is too numerous to list.

This is enough to show that in my Chinese cultural tradition, "jade" always represents all the most beautiful people, objects and environments in people's minds. If you still have doubts, I can make an analogy and explain it another way.For example, there are quite a few types of gemstones in the world, and China has also had the title of "Seven Treasures" since ancient times.But there is one thing that is very strange, and the Westerners are even more puzzled: Westerners only pay attention to diamonds, and regard them as the most beautiful and expensive, but China is not alone.In the Qing Dynasty, there was also a "gem top", which was a matter of officialdom. The elegant people had never heard of a name named after a diamond, such as "Diamond Zhaizhu", but who has seen it?You must know the historical story of "returning the jade to Zhao". It was a major event in the "international" of the countries (vassals) in the late Zhou Dynasty, because the Heshibi of Zhao State was so beautiful that it was famous all over the world. King Qin heard about it , is willing to ask for a "trade" at the high price of fifteen cities, and perform Lin Xiangru's heroic story comparable to that of Jing Ke (he returned to Zhao without sacrificing. Don't misunderstand the word "Lie"), "Lianchengbi" has become the highest praise.But, have you ever heard that King Qin wanted to bid for "Fifteen Cities" for a big diamond?When you read, if you see such a five-character quatrain——

Waiting for the moon to be under the west chamber, the windward door is half open. The shadow of the flowers brushing against the wall moves, it is suspected that someone is coming! So what will your aesthetic enjoyment be like?This can only appear in the jokes of "talking about cross talk" to make people laugh. Confucius was very good at appreciating jade, and he was also a master of art aesthetics. He described the beauty of the smooth texture of jade as "Seruo" and "Fu Yin". He believed that jade had many virtues.His teacher, Lao Tzu, opposed mechanical distinctions and advocated "harmony with light and dust", but in the end he still pointed out the "lulu" of stone and the "luoluo" of jade.If he can't taste the difference between stone and jade, how can he tell the difference?Chinese cultural thought believes that stone is a dead thing without consciousness, while jade is a "living thing" with spirituality. As for the diamond, it does not enjoy a place in the high realm of Chinese culture at all. "Jade" is not difficult to explain after all.But what about the "red"?