About "burning books to bury Confucianism", it is recorded in Historical Records as follows:
After Qin Shihuang established political power, he regarded the world as a grass dog, greedy and tyrannical, and abused punishment, making people miserable. In particular, in order to control his own thoughts, he followed the advice of Prime Minister Reese and burned all the books in the world, which caused strong dissatisfaction among scholars.
At that time, there were two people seeking elixir for the first emperor, one surnamed Hou and the other surnamed Lu. They said privately, "The first emperor was a human being, and his nature was just violence for his own use. Because he destroyed the princes and unified the world, he thought that no one could compare with him since ancient times. He was so proud that he couldn't hear the voice of criticism and became more arrogant; In order to please him, officials can only lie and cheat with trepidation. He also promulgated a law that alchemists would be put to death if their skills were invalid. Nowadays, because of fear, no one dares to point out the mistakes of the first emperor, so that everything in the world, big or small, depends on the emperor. He even uses a balance to measure the mistakes of ministers. If the bamboo slips (bamboo slips) presented by ministers every day are less than 120 Jin, no rest will be allowed. We can't ask for an elixir for such a greedy and arbitrary person. "
So, they oiled their soles and ran away.
When Qin Shihuang heard about this incident, he flew into a rage, and because some students in Xianyang were reported to be spreading rumors and misleading people, the first emperor ordered the arrest of some literati who spread "rumors", tortured them and exposed each other, and more than 460 Confucian scholars were implicated. At the first order of Qin Shihuang, more than 400 people were buried alive in Xianyang. This is the "cheating Confucianism" incident that happened on 2 12.
It should be noted that when this passage is mentioned in Historical Records, "Zhu Sheng" is used instead of "Confucian scholars". The word "pit Confucianism" first appeared in ancient books in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, more than 0/00 years after the death of Qin Shihuang.
In the sixth year of the Western Han Dynasty (865,438+0 years ago), Sang Hongyang, the financial steward of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, argued with the Confucians at the famous Salt-Iron Conference, boasting to the effect that the Confucians were only boastful and duplicitous, just like those who called chicken thieves, which had been a scourge since ancient times. The monarch of Lu expelled and abandoned Kong Qiu only because the ends of his first mouse seemed smooth but pedantic and had no practical ideas. For the same reason, Qin Shihuang burned the works of Confucian scholars, so that his remarks could not be circulated, preferring to be buried alive rather than appointed. (See "On Salt and Iron"), Liu Xiang clearly stated in the preface of "Warring States Policy" that Qin Shihuang "entrapped Confucian scholars". Since then, the "students" mentioned in Historical Records have gradually evolved into "Confucian scholars".
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a preface to Kong Anguo in the fake book History of Ancient Literature, which said: "Qin Shihuang, however, destroyed ancient books, burned books and buried Confucianism, became a bachelor in the world, and fled and dissolved." This is probably the earliest source of the word "burning books to bury Confucianism". This sentence has been widely quoted by later generations and has been passed down to this day.
To restore the truth, say "burning books" first.
Book burning originated from a debate between Zhou and Chun.
The first year of 2 13 was the thirty-fourth year of Qin Shihuang's reign. In order to celebrate the Qin Dynasty's construction of the Great Wall and the acquisition of Nanyue, the first emperor held a grand banquet in Xianyang Palace.
A servant named Zhou proposed a toast to Qin Shihuang, saying, "In the past, the State of Qin was very small, with only a thousand miles of land. Thank your majesty, your gods are wise, you have pacified the sea and exiled barbarians, and the sun and the moon have shone on you. " Then, he praised the county system, saying that Qin Shihuang changed the vassal enfeoffment system to the county system, which saved the country from war and enabled the people to enjoy peace for a long time. No one can compare with his achievements since ancient times.
Although Zhou's words are flattering, they are basically true. Unexpectedly, this aroused the dissatisfaction of a man named Chun Yuyue.
Chun has always advocated respecting the past and cherishing the present, thinking that everything in ancient times is good and everything now is bad. When he heard that Zhou praised the county system and belittled the enfeoffment system, he said cheerfully: "I heard that during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the enfeoffment system for children spread to the country for nearly a thousand years because the heroes of the enfeoffment system let them and the monarch take care of each other. Now, the first emperor was rich all over the world, but you didn't enfeoffment your children as a response. What would you do if someone like Tian Tao usurped the state power of Qi? Zhou didn't point this out to your majesty, but he was flattering his face, not a loyal minister! "
Chun and Zhou are all right. This debate is purely a dispute of views, and it also smacks of contempt for scholars. It should not have any substantial consequences. Unexpectedly, at this time, Prime Minister Reese suddenly stepped in and the situation changed qualitatively.
Reese said: "The Three Emperors and Five Emperors have their own ways of governing the country, and they have all done well. This is because they can use different policies according to the general trend of the world. Now your majesty has made great achievements, and generations have made great achievements. Ignorant and corrupt Confucian scholars don't understand the truth. In spring, Yue took the Three Emperors and Five Emperors as an example. Is this worth emulating? At that time, hundred schools of thought contended, and everyone wanted to attract scholars from all over the world. Now that the world has been set, the rule of law means the rule of law, the people should work with agriculture, and intellectuals should study law. This is the right way. Now these Confucian scholars don't start from now, but use ancient examples to confuse the people. I risked my life to advise the emperor: in the past, the world was in chaos, and only when a word was spoken, the princes rose together. Everything is made clear, and none of the rhetoric is useful. Everyone respects chaotic academics, not the state system. If the emperor unifies the world, he should unify his thoughts ... I request: if all the history we have written is not burned, unless it is the duty of doctors, people who dare to speak one hundred languages in the world will be burned by local officials ... "
Reese Lori said a lot, the central content is only one, that is, to cherish the present and cherish the past, not the present. For this reason, he suggested burning books and taking strict measures to implement them.
Note that Li Si wanted to burn historical works outside the Qin Dynasty, and did not suggest that Qin Shihuang should even burn the Confucian Book of Songs, Confucian Classics and hundred schools of thought's books.
Besides, in historical records? This incident was also mentioned in Biography of Lisi. Sima Qian quoted Lisi as saying: "I demand that all people who have literature, poetry, books and hundreds of languages be removed, so that they will be gone in 30 days and become a city." Those who don't go, medical books, divination, divination, planting trees, need scholars and take officials as teachers. Li Si only used the word "go" for those poems and songs, but did not explicitly "burn". Immediately after this passage, there is another sentence: "The first emperor can discuss and take poems, books and the words of a hundred schools of thought to fool the people." Note that this is "receiving" and not "burning".
From the above three paragraphs, it can be clearly seen that the poetry books and the books of a hundred schools of thought were not burned, but were collected by the Qin central government and corresponding government officials, with the aim of "ignorant people" rather than being damaged.
Historical records? A record of the small family can also prove that Qin Shihuang did not burn books. This record is: "He (Xiao He) was the first to receive the Qin Prime Minister, imperial edicts and books ... Hanwang has the knowledge of the world, the number of registered permanent residence, the strength and weakness, and the sufferings of the people. How can he get Qin's book? " It means that after Liu Bang's army captured Xianyang City, Xiao He first confiscated the calligraphy of the Prime Minister and the Imperial Qin Zang; Later, after Liu Bang was in charge of the world, he got information about the world fortress, the number of registered permanent residence, the strength and weakness, the sufferings of the people and so on from these books.
It is not difficult to see from this passage that Qin Shihuang only ordered the collection of folk books and hid them in the hands of government officials and scholars, but did not burn them, at least not all. What else would Xiao He accept? How is it possible that there are 420 articles in a hundred words in the Han Dynasty?
Burning the history books written by the previous generation is undoubtedly a cultural crime, but things should be divided into two, and the misunderstanding of "burning all the books in the world" should be clarified. In fact, the first emperor was not a fool. If all the books are burned, the superstructure will be completely destroyed and the foundation of rule will be greatly shaken. He doesn't even know it.
If "burning books" doesn't mean burning all the books, is "cheating Confucianism" really "cheating Confucianism"? Not exactly.
Let's talk about "cheating Confucianism"
"Pit Confucianism" originated in the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shihuang (2 12 BC). On this day, Ying Zheng was lucky enough to visit Liangshan Palace, and his entourage took a carriage. When he stopped at the top of the mountain with wine in the breeze, Qin Shihuang looked up and found that the prime minister's entourage was many, so he frowned. At that time, there were probably two prime ministers in the Qin Dynasty, namely Li Si and Feng Quji. I don't know who exceeded the standard. This subtle move was discovered by a middle-level official (eunuch) accompanying him. This middle-level official is a friend of the Prime Minister who exceeded the standard, and revealed the fact that the emperor seems to be dissatisfied with his exceeding the standard riding.
A few days later, Qin Shihuang didn't know how to hear about it, so he sent a letter to the prison and executed all the dignitaries around him, making everyone feel insecure. Then Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng fled, and more than 400 people were killed in anger.
Who are the more than 460 people killed here? Since the Western Han Dynasty, people have almost invariably said that they are Confucian scholars. However, Sima Qian wrote in Historical Records? This historical fact is mentioned in The Scholars. The original text is "By the end of Qin Dynasty, the witches of poetry and books were burned". A warlock is not equal to a Confucian scholar. The warlock, the alchemist, was an expert in ancient China magic. For example, Xu Fu, who went to the sea to seek immortality in Qin Shihuang's time, Xin Yuanping, who was so ambitious in Han Wendi's time, and Li, who advocated "ancestral kitchen" in Han Wudi's time, claimed that few people could "be ghosts", and so on.
Moreover, it was the alchemist who cheated Qin Shihuang of his millions of dollars. For example, Xu Fu led boys and girls across the ocean to seek immortality, while Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng slandered Qin Shihuang and fled. Why did Qin Shihuang take it out on Confucian scholars? To say the least, even if Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng were Confucian scholars, Qin Shihuang would not let go of the alchemist who cheated him out of money, but only punished the Confucian scholars. In other words, there is no evidence that all Confucian scholars were killed by Qin Shihuang.
People think that Qin Shihuang's pit is "Confucianism" because Sima Qian wrote in Historical Records? The Biography of Qin Shihuang said that the trapped person was born, while Sima Qian said in the Index of Historical Records that "Confucianism has existed since the Han Dynasty", so "life" means "Confucianism". In fact, this is obviously taken out of context, because before the Han Dynasty, alchemists could also call students. For example, An Qisheng recorded in Historical Records is a famous warlock. Therefore, the "students" in the Qin Dynasty were not entirely Confucian scholars. Moreover, "Pit Confucianism" didn't appear until after the death of Qin Shihuang 100 years ago, so some people think that "Pit Confucianism" should be a pseudo-word imposed on him by scholars in the Western Han Dynasty out of anger at Qin Shihuang's tyranny. For example, Zhang Taiyan, Gu Jiegang and others think that Qin Shihuang did not cheat Confucianism, but actually cheated the alchemist.
There may be Confucian scholars among the alchemists.
Although it has been proved that Qin Shihuang did not specialize in cheating Confucianism, are some of the "students" cheated by him Confucian scholars or quasi-Confucian scholars?
According to historical records? "Scholars" records that Qin Shihuang was born after the book burning pit, and his eldest son Fu Su admonished: "At the beginning of today, people far away may not be convinced. These Confucian scholars (originally "students") are all learning from Confucius. I'm worried that people all over the world will feel fear and anxiety because of your severe punishment. Please observe the emperor clearly. " Qin Shihuang was furious at the suggestion, and drove Fu Su to the distant northern border, making him a supervisor in Meng Tian. This move led to the change of sand dunes later.
When Sima Qian recorded the birth of Qin Shihuang in Xianyang pit, he just said "philosophers" or "magicians" in general. When Fu Su remonstrated, he explained the meaning of "all the students recite the teachings of Confucius". -The disciples and grandchildren of Confucius, the representative figure of Confucianism, are naturally Confucian scholars.
Why is the description of the same book so confusing? Perhaps it was because Qin Shihuang liked ghosts and gods and sent people everywhere to ask for medicine, so some Confucian scholars joined the ranks of warlocks, hoping for fame and fortune, but they were cheated by Qin Shihuang, so Sima Qian said that Qin Shihuang "burned poetry books and cheated warlocks." In addition, most alchemists are also scholars, which can be regarded as quasi-Confucian scholars. What's more, once killed, it may hurt innocent people. These "students" will inevitably kill some Confucian scholars by mistake.
Qin Shihuang's "pit life" behavior dealt a great blow to the Qin Dynasty. In Sima Qian's view, Qin Shihuang's "burning books to bury Confucianism" was a fatal blow to people's learning of "six arts" at that time. During the Guangwu Uprising, Chen Sheng, a Confucian scholar in Shandong, resolutely joined the rebel army. Confucius, the eighth grandson of Confucius, became a doctor in Chen Sheng and later died with Chen Sheng. Chen Sheng was able to establish its own political power within one month, and these Confucian scholars contributed greatly.
It stands to reason that Confucian scholars should be the most important people to maintain the discipline of the monarch and subjects, but at this time they rebelled with Chen Sheng. On the one hand, it may be because the cultural autocratic policy of "burning poetry books" deprived them of the right to conduct academic research, which made them unable to make a living and embarked on the road of armed resistance. It should also be related to the killing of some Confucian scholars. Imagine that if Qin Shihuang trapped and killed all the magicians who played tricks, the blow to Confucian scholars would not be so heavy and the social impact would not be so bad.
To sum up the above points, we can draw the following conclusions: Qin Shihuang burned books, but they were not completely destroyed; The "Kengsheng" incident in Xianyang mainly targeted at alchemists, but also affected Confucian scholars. Qin Shihuang was not as arrogant and unreasonable as we thought. Everything he does is for a reason. Although those real things can't be erased, revealing the truth behind them can help our future generations to see the true faces of historical figures. I hope to resolve the misunderstanding of Qin Shihuang from this article.