Generally speaking, philosophy is the most difficult to read in modern disciplines. Western metaphysics, in particular, often takes years of meditation to enter the door. However, China's classics are quite different, with both tedious textual research and thoughtful parts. To really go deep into them, it is by no means possible to achieve it through personal meditation when one is alone. Therefore, our ancient reading methods are absolutely different from those of western philosophers, and we often need many younger brothers to discuss them together, so that learning can be beneficial. In particular, Biography of the Ram is famous for its meticulous thinking, and the most difficult part is the regulation part, which is famous for being difficult to handle.
Take the newly published Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram (He Xiuzhu, Xu) as the background, one day a week. At first, I couldn't understand it at all. Over time, I gradually realized its beauty, far from being comparable to other books. It took us about three years to read the whole book. Later, we all felt that if we meditate only by individuals, it is impossible to persist and it is difficult to truly appreciate the beauty. So there are many people watching the biography of the ram now. It's hard to get into the gate of Yangcheng without a few kindred spirits. At best, it is only a rough understanding of its meaning. As for the subtlety of the regulations, I don't understand them at all.
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So, why is the biography of the ram so difficult to read? The key is that its provisions are difficult to understand. The Biography of the Ram includes three parts, namely, justice, rules and etiquette, which are also three ways for ancient scholars to manage rams. For example, Dong Zhongshu and Kang Youwei are good at explaining justice, while Hu Wusheng, He Xiu and Liu mainly study regulations. As for Lingshu, Chen Li and Liao, they started by clarifying the ritual system. Generally speaking, righteousness is the easiest to master, and most researchers of rams start from here, but if they stay here, they just get a glimpse of it and have not entered the study of rams. The ritual system is even more difficult, because the study of famous things and names is famous for its triviality, especially the need to know the relevant contents such as "Yili" and "Book of Rites" like the palm of your hand, in order to bypass the classics and succeed. As for the rules, it involves the most exquisite calligraphy of the sage Spring and Autumn Annals. Usually, what the ancients called "whispering" is something at this level. In fact, the regulations involved in the biography of the ram are simple and easy to master, but it is much more complicated when it comes to He Xiuzhu, and perhaps even more complicated. Even in ancient times, few scholars really went deep into it. It can be said that Xu is the pinnacle of the study of laws and regulations in past dynasties, and it is also the most subtle and profound part of the biography of the ram. Therefore, I have always believed that if we really want to master the biography of the ram, we must understand Xu, otherwise we can't go deep into the temple of the ram at all, and we will only wander around the door wall. Therefore, I advocate that people who read Ram should start with Xu. Once this matter is over, the rest will be easy.
In addition, some people are afraid that the ram is difficult, so they start with Zuo Zhuan. Probably because they think it is easy to read Ram after they have a certain understanding of historical events in the Spring and Autumn Period. Of course, it does not rule out that other readers simply like the stories told by Zuo Zhuan, or are influenced by modern historiography and feel that Zuo Zhuan is more important. But I think this way is wrong. Because reading in this way, we only read Chunqiu as a history book, but did not enter the door of Zuo Zhuan. As for the door passed by the ram, it is even more impossible to see it.
Gongyang statue
As far as the inheritance of the study of Chunqiu is concerned, although the sequence of the three biographies is still difficult to determine, it can basically be concluded that it was formed in the pre-Qin period. However, as a science, Ram was first formed, followed by Gu Liang, and Zuo Zhuan was the latest. Why? Ram was not only handed down from generation to generation in the pre-Qin period, but also studied from generation to generation. Later, when he arrived at Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, with the abolition of the book-carrying order and the imperial court's reward for scholars, the "ram" was first written on bamboo and silk, and soon became a scholar, which won the support of the imperial court. During the Jingdi period, Hu Wusheng and Dong Zhongshu were the most outstanding scholars in ram science, and they could become doctors. During the 400 years after the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu's * and his later studies were in the position of official studies for several generations. We might as well look at the government's differentiated support for universities and disciplines now, so it is not difficult to understand how important the status of official learning is to academic development. This is the case today, why not in ancient times? Therefore, this exclusive position of ram has created a large number of researchers in the Han Dynasty, pushed the study of ram into depth and detail, and profoundly affected the construction of the family system in the Han Dynasty. As for the formation of Biography of Gu Liang, it should be later than Biography of Ram, which draws on many statements in Biography of Ram and is more reasonable and concise. However, Gu Liang was supported by the imperial court much later, and was not established as a doctor until Emperor Xuandi of the Han Dynasty. At this time, the scholars in Gu Liang undoubtedly drew lessons from the Confucian classics method in Gongyangxue. For example, Gu Liang's analogy between the sun and the moon is deeper and more complicated. However, Gu Liang may be due to his own defects in interpreting classics. For example, some scholars in the Eastern Jin Dynasty said that Gu Liang was superficial. Therefore, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Gu Liang was once again excluded from academic officials.
As for Zuo Zhuan, although it was written earlier, it is generally believed that its author Zuo Qiuming is just a historian. Therefore, Zuo Zhuan's records as historical materials may be shelved. Unlike "Ram" and "Gu Liang", it has been studied by scholars of past dynasties as a work to explain "Spring and Autumn Annals" and passed down from mouth to mouth. Therefore, Zuo Zhuan was not studied by scholars in the pre-Qin period. Even in the Han Dynasty, even if it was circulated among the people, it was often only because of its historical events and literary preferences. This situation continued until the Han Dynasty proclaimed itself emperor and mourned for the emperor. At this time, it is at least 150 years since scholars founded Ram. Liu Xin imitated the research methods of Ram scholars, and also interpreted the classics with composition. At this point, Zuo Shi was truly established as a science. Therefore, if we only read Zuozhuan as a history book, we can of course read Zuozhuan first. But if, like the ancients, we want to read Zuozhuan as a classic, especially to understand the research methods and achievements of Zuozhuan scholars in previous dynasties, we can only start with Ram. Because the research method of Zuo Zhuan comes from the ram, there are many targeted criticisms of the ram. Without knowing the ram first, you can't understand the set of principles and regulations of Zuo Zhuan.
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First, gather a group of people who are interested in reading Ram, at least three people, and choose Peking University version or ancient version of Ram bamboo books as the reading base. As for other reference books, it is unnecessary. The goal is to understand the subtlety of Ram's examples. Because as a beginner, the requirements are too high and laborious, which leads to slow progress and it is not easy to realize the fun of reading Ram. If you really want to recommend it, you can choose The Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram translated by Huang Ming and me as assistants. Secondly, there were few works of rams before the Qing Dynasty. On the basis of intensive reading, you can read Chunqiu and Baihutong, which are related to the research results of Qing Dynasty, such as Gong Guangsen's Chunqiu Gongyang Xue and Liu's Chunqiu Gongyang Jing He Shi, which can be the first choice. Thirdly, if you are a researcher, you can further engage in the comparative reading of Gu Liang and Zuo Shi, and extend it to the academic achievements of Spring and Autumn Annals in Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, as well as the works of Qing people. This is not only an overview of the academic history of the whole ram, but also a comparison of the three biographies of Spring and Autumn Annals. I will soon publish a history of ram research in the Spring and Autumn Period with more than one million words, which can help ram lovers and researchers understand the whole development of ram research.