Wang Chong
Wang Chong - an erudite scholar Wang Chong was an outstanding thinker in the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the entire two hundred years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were only three thinkers: Wang Chong, Wang Fu, and Zhong Changtong. Wang Fu (AD 85-AD), Bye Xin, author of "Qianfu Lun", which criticized various social ills in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. His discussions were clear and reasonable, gentle and honest; Zhong Changtong (AD-AD) ), also known as Zhengyi, author of "Chang Yan", analyzed various social ills in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and his insights were both dangerous and enlightening. Wang Chong wrote the book "Lunheng", which criticized many academic issues in society at that time, especially the decadent social customs. Many of his views were groundbreaking and groundbreaking. Fan Ye's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" established the three as a joint biography, and later scholars even praised them as the Three Heroes of the Han Dynasty. Among the three, Wang Chong is the oldest and has the earliest writings. In many viewpoints, Wang Chong's influence on the latter two is very obvious. Wang Chong is the most outstanding and most influential thinker among the three. However, because Wang Chong made difficult discussions on traditional Confucianism, especially the Classics of the Han Dynasty, in his books, he sometimes even doubted the ancient scriptures and asked about Confucius and Mencius. Such special articles openly challenge the sacred classics and attack the sages of Confucius and Mencius. This is a great injustice to the world, and is therefore regarded as a sinner of famous religions. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty issued an imperial review: Wang Chong "instigated Mencius and questioned Confucius", and "has already punished him for crimes that are not holy and lawless!" Although other scholars could not punish him for the crime of "non-sage and lawless", they also used their words and words to punish him. Liu Zhiji, a scholar known for his dangerous words and deeds, said that Wang Chong was "actually one of the three thousand sinners" because the book "Lunheng" recorded the disgraceful behavior of Wang Chong's father and ancestors in the countryside. "! Zhang Xuecheng also questioned Wang Chong's approach of criticizing Confucianism and questioned his Confucian identity. From Sui Shu Jing Ji Zhi onwards, Wang Chong's "Lun Heng" has been included in the catalog of all dynasties as a "miscellaneous family" without a master. Liu Shipei, a modern Confucian scholar, also said that Wang Chong was "a branch of Southern Mohists". After entering the 1970s, some people in Chinese academic circles once said that Wang Chong was an opponent of Confucianism and a vanguard of anti-Confucius... and so on. Naturally, we do not need to dwell on these highly biased praises and criticisms or the grudges of the ancients today. However, from an academic point of view, we believe that we cannot rely solely on superficial phenomena such as "questioning Confucius, criticizing Mencius, and non-Confucianism." To determine his academic affiliation, we should look at the specific content of what he asked, criticized, and criticized. Based on Wang Chong's overall thoughts, the author believes that: looking at Wang Chong's words and deeds throughout his life, he is not only a Confucian, but also a learned and extraordinary Confucian. 1. The Gumen Xi clan Wang Chong, courtesy name Zhongren, was born in Shangyu County, Kuaiji County, Eastern Han Dynasty (now Shangyu County, Zhejiang Province). He was born in the third year of Guangwu of the Han Dynasty (AD 27) and died in Yongyuanzhong, Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty (scholars propose that it was in the ninth year of Yongyuan, that is, AD 97). Wang Chong was a Confucian throughout his life, but his official career was not prosperous. He only served as a county official for a few terms, and there were many ups and downs. Judging from his deeds, he neither acted compassionately nor generously, nor did he have any earth-shattering achievements. Therefore, whether it is a long autobiography written by himself or an official biography written by Fan Ye, his deeds are very few and really unattractive. Wang Chong claimed to be from an "isolated and small tribe", but various signs indicate that the Wang family's ancestors were relatively prosperous. "Lunheng·Zi Ji Pian" (quoted from this book below, only note the title of the chapter) says: Wang Chong was a native of Shangyu in Kuaiji, with the courtesy name Zhongren. He was originally from Yuancheng, Wei County. His surname was Sun Yi. He had served in the army for several generations and was granted the title of Yangting in Kuaiji. At the age of one, the country was wiped out in a hurry, because of the loss of the family. Taking farming as a profession. The ancestors of the emperor were brave and capable, but their deaths were not forgiving (forgiving) to others. The year is unlucky, there are injuries and deaths along the way, and there are many grievances. If there was a disturbance in the society, he might be captured by his enemies. My grandfather brought the whole family to bear during the flood season, so he settled in Kuaiji and left money in Tang County to work with merchants. Yuancheng, an old county, is located in the northeast of Daming County, Hebei Province. Chong said that his first surname was "Sun Yi", which is quite difficult to understand. The commentator suspects that there is a mistake, it is very serious. According to the context, the last word "一" should be removed from the word "surname Wang". The Wang family means that their ancestors had "one surname Sun and one surname Wang". Two surnames from the same ancestor must be the differentiation of one surname. It is quite suspected that Wang Chong's ancestors were from the Wangsun clan, a certain Gong clan in the pre-Qin Dynasty, and were later divided into two surnames: one surnamed Wang and the other surnamed Sun. From this point of view, Wang Chong's bloodline was once very noble. In the Han Dynasty, Wang Chong's ancestor was awarded the title of Yangting in Kuaiji for his merits. Tinghou was one of the military meritorious officials of the Han Dynasty. Under the Han system, those who served in the army and made meritorious deeds could live in counties, townships, and pavilions according to the size of their military achievements. There is one pavilion in ten li, one township in ten pavilions, and counties above the township. The size of the pavilion is approximately equivalent to a fort or village in later generations. His rank is not high, but he can enjoy his taxes. He is a small and medium-sized landowner. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. One year, Wang Chong's family lost their title and status in an unexpected incident.
With no title to carry on and a family to return to, Wang Chong's ancestors had no choice but to settle down nearby. The men farmed and the women weaved, taking up mulberry farming as their occupation, and became the surnames of Kuaiji County. The ancestors of Wang Chong, who lost his title, were all brave and courageous. As a result, they had many grudges and everyone was resentful. In the event of a natural disaster, Wang Chong's ancestors would engage in road robbery, killing and stealing goods, which attracted widespread criticism. In the hands of Wang Chong's grandfather Wang Xun, the world was in turmoil and chaos in the late Western Han Dynasty. Wang Xun was worried about being kidnapped by his enemies during the chaos, so he packed up his belongings and "carried them with the whole family", either on his shoulders or in a car, and left Yangting. He moved to Kuaiji (today's Shaoxing, Zhejiang), and finally stayed in Qiantang County, where he changed hands and became a merchant. It can be seen from this that Wang Chong's family background started from the grandson of a king in the pre-Qin Dynasty, to a prince in the Western Han Dynasty, and then to a farmer, sangha, and merchant. There were two of Wang Chong's fathers: Wang Meng and Wang Song. Wang Song is Wang Chong's father. Wang Chong's ancestors had a habit of being brave and self-willed, and Wang Meng and Wang Song were even more so. Finally, he forged a deep hatred with the local powerful Ding Bo family, and could no longer stay in Qiantang, so he moved his family to Shangyu. . This was really a run-down family. By the time Wang Chong was born, he was already "poor and without an acre of shelter", "low-ranking and without the rank of fighting stone", and "the ancestors had no virtue of Shuyi". It is indeed a home of "an isolated family" ("Zi Ji"). In this family, when Wang Chong came, he not only had no property, reputation or status, but he was also burdened with the heavy burden of an ancestor who had no virtue and an ancestor who had no deeds. As a result, after Wang Chong became famous, some people used this to ridicule him. Wang Chong recorded these family conditions in detail in "Lunheng·Ziji", which is relatively true. Liu Zhiji disagreed with this, thinking: "Wang Chongzhi's "Zi Ji" states that his father and ancestors were unworthy and despised by the state." He must be punished for teaching in name, and he is actually a sinner of three thousand people!" ("Ziji") "Shi Tong·Preface") is really not a comprehensive theory. 2. Reading Classics for Young Children Although the Wang family is not a big family in the local area, it has not reached the point where the blame cannot be revealed. Tian Changwu's "Wang Chong's Biography" says, "His family is a family that has been repeatedly excluded and is about to fall into the ranks of the poor working people." (Volume 2 of "Critical Biography of Famous Ancient Chinese Philosophers") This estimate is realistic. Although the ancestors of the Wang family acted rogue and aggressive in society, they still loved Wang Chong very much and paid great attention to his training. The legend in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" reads: "As a young orphan, he is called filial piety in the countryside." It seems that he either lost his father's love or lacked maternal kindness since he was a child. This is not realistic. Wang Chong's "Autobiography" said: Young Master Chong "has the ambition of a giant (a man), but his father has never answered him, his mother has never wronged him, and the world has never given in (condemn him)." It can be seen that both parents are present, and they are very loving, and they have never betrayed him. When Wang Chong was young, he didn't like boring games such as betting and teasing. Other children like to play with birds and cicadas, and climb trees with money, but Wang Chong never participates, showing a withdrawn and dignified temperament. This attracted Wang Song's attention. He taught him to read and write when he was six years old, and sent him to primary school at the age of eight. There were more than a hundred children in the library middle school who were corporally punished by their teachers for their mistakes and poor calligraphy skills. Only Wang Chong, whose calligraphy was improving day by day and who made no mistakes, was not punished. After learning to write, Wang Chong said goodbye to the library and began to study Confucian classics and practice Confucian ethics. "Zi Ji" says: After the handwriting was completed, he resigned from his master's position, studied the Analects of Confucius and Shangshu, and satirized a thousand words a day. After the Ming Dynasty, he thanked his teacher for his speciality, and his writing skills were amazing. It can be seen that the formal education Wang Chong received was still Confucian ethics, and the systematic teaching materials he used were still the Confucian classics "The Analects" and "Shangshu", which were no different from ordinary people. After rural studies were completed, Wang Chong traveled thousands of miles to study in Luoyang, the capital. In Luoyang, Wang Chong entered Imperial College, visited famous Confucian scholars, read hundreds of schools of thought, and observed great rituals. This greatly opened his horizons, greatly increased his knowledge, and initially formed his broad and realistic academic style. 3. Responsible for the Capital The capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty was Luoyang, which was the national, economic and cultural center at that time. The founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu (i.e. Emperor Guangwu), was originally a scholar from Nanyang. After he conquered the world, he paid special attention to elegance, especially Confucianism. History says that he "visited the scholars before getting off the bus", collected classics, and recruited hermits. "Therefore, scholars from all over the world, all of whom wanted tomb books, gathered in the capital." In order to appease this group of well-educated people, Emperor Guangwu specially Establish the Imperial Academy, set up Ph.D.s, and use them to teach students and cultivate talents. Taixue was not only the highest academic institution in the country at that time, but also had a rich collection of classics and celebrities. It was also the most authoritative center for academic activities in the country. Therefore, counties and counties all over the world selected outstanding young people to study in Taixue. Wang Chong was also recommended to study in Taixue because of his excellent performance. The time when Wang Chong came to Taixue was about the 20th year of Jianwu (AD 44). Xie Cheng's "Book of the Later Han" records: "In the 13th year of Ban Gu's reign, Wang Chong saw him, stroked his back and said to Ban Biao: 'This son must remember this. Han affairs.
'" Xie Chengshu has been lost. This article can be found in Fan Ye's "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Ban Yin" annotated by Li Xian. Ban Yin was born in the eighth year of Jianwu, 5 years younger than Wang Chong, and Ban Gu was 13 years old. Wang Chong was already 13 years old when he arrived in the capital. 18. It was the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty. It was a good time to learn knowledge and gain insights. However, at that time, Taixue was influenced by Jinwen Confucianism, and the study of chapters and sentences was popular. Gentlemen will The teachings left by our ancestors were recorded in chapters and sentences, which were called "Zhang Ju". They recited them over and over again, which was like chewing rice. They abided by the teacher's teachings and did not dare to take a step beyond the Lei Chi. In addition, Emperor Guangwu was obsessed with Wei Shu's prophecies. Everything was determined by prophecies, and theological superstition was prevalent in the academic world. Fortunately, Wang Chong’s predecessors, She Lin, Zheng Zhong, Huan Tan, and Ban Biao, were not only rigid in their methods, but also fictitious in their content. They were all in the capital. They were all scholars of ancient Chinese classics and were known as great Confucians. Among several scholars, Wang Chong admired Huan Tan and Ban Biao the most and was most influenced by them. Years), courtesy name Shupi, was born in Anling, Fufeng (now east of Xianyang, Shaanxi Province). He was a famous classical scholar and historian in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was known as "Tongru Shangcai" in history. He once continued Sima Qian's "Historical Records" and wrote "Historical Records". ". The characteristics of his life are: "If you are not an official, you will not be the same as before." Instead of doing it. "("Book of Han·Zi Ji") His son Ban Yin, Yu Mengjian, the author of "Book of Han", was also erudite. History books say that he "has written extensively and has countless words from nine schools of thought. Research. What I learned from the teacher of impermanence is not to write chapters and sentences, but to express great righteousness. "("Book of the Later Han Dynasty·Ban Biao Biography") At that time, he was also studying in Taixue. Wang Chong admired Ban and his son very much and said: "Ban Shupi continued more than 100 Taishi books, with detailed records and well-prepared theories. The person thinks that A is the official, but the Grand Historian is the second. Meng Jian was appointed as a minister, and his writing was comparable to that of his uncle Pi. He was not a disciple of Five Hundred Miles (a small country), but was called Lu Wei (a big country) by his husband Zhou Zhao. "Wang Chong regarded Ban Biao as his teacher and Ban Biao as his friend. He recited poems and books every day to hone his virtues and cultivated his virtues. It is said that Wang Chong "later came to the capital and studied under Fufeng Banbiao. He was fond of reading and did not abide by rules and regulations. " Ban Biao did not serve as an imperial scholar, and Wang Chong studied under him. Wang Chong "loved to read extensively but did not abide by rules and regulations", which was exactly what he inherited from Ban Biao's family tradition of "being knowledgeable but not vulgar" and "doing not follow rules and regulations, but only upholding righteousness" Style. Later, Wang Yun "served as a meritorious official in the county, and dismissed it with numerous remonstrances and criticisms"; he wrote a book "The shape is revealed and easy to view", "The text is exposed directly, and the common sayings are collected." ” These are very similar to Ban Biao’s way of dealing with people and his writing style of “doing things if you don’t get a salary if you are an official, what you do is not appropriate” and “doing things without being eloquent”. In terms of thinking and methods, Wang Chong also benefited from Huan Tan. Huan Tan ( From 23 BC to 50 AD), he was born in Peiguoxiang (now Suixi County, Anhui). He was a well-known scholar in the Han Dynasty and the author of "New Treatise". The characteristic of his scholarship is also that he "expounds the great meanings and does not focus on chapters and sentences". He has the same style of thinking as Ban's father and son. He is quite realistic in his thinking methods and likes ancient classics. He often "analyzes doubts" with Liu Xin and Yang Xiong, and is especially opposed to them. He once risked beheading to criticize the theology of Zhewei in front of Emperor Guangwu. He deeply hated the vulgar views of vulgar Confucianism and often ridiculed it, "because he often rejected Huan Tan's pursuit of truth." Wang Chong especially admired the scholarly spirit. He praised it many times in "Lunheng" and said: "(Huan Tan) also wrote "New Theory", discussing worldly affairs, distinguishing whether it is true or not, false words, pretentious words, Never fail to prove it. "("Chaoqi") "There are many writers in the world who cannot distinguish between right and wrong, but they are not sure about wrong. Huan Junshan's theory can be said to be true. Thesis is based on the investigation of facts, and the wise men of the country and the country are the wise men. "("Dingxian") Wang Chong originally admired Dong Zhongshu, Sima Qian, Yang Xiong and others in the Han Dynasty, but among several scholars, Wang Chong admired Huan Tan the most, saying, "Zhongshu's writings are accessible, but Junshan's theory is difficult. "Chasing" ("The Book of Cases") "Zi Chang (Sima Qian) and Zi Yun (Yang Xiong) are the disciples of commentators, Junshan is the best." ("Zhao Qi") believes that although Shu Zhong's writings are strange, they can still be learned and mastered. Even compared with Tai Shigong and Yang Xiong, who are good at argumentation, Huan Tan is second to none. He said that Huan Tan was a judge of right and wrong in the Han academic circles, just like a fair law enforcer. Same thing. Before Chen Ping, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, was "divided equally as one" in Yanli, this was a symbol of his ability to be prime minister. If you don't destroy the prophecy, you will be demoted to death.
Wang Chong called this unfashionable man who had never been a prime minister "Prime Minister Su" to match Confucius' "King Su"; he compared Huan Tan's "New Lun" with Confucius's "Spring and Autumn Annals": "Confucius does not Wang, Su Wang's career lies in "Spring and Autumn"; however, Huanjun Mountain is not related, and Prime Minister Su's traces are in "Xin Lun"." ("Dingxian") also said, "To determine the world's affairs and to discuss difficult and doubtful things, there is no way to go to Huanjun Mountain. Ye." ("Book of Cases") No one can compare with him when it comes to evaluating worldly affairs and discussing worldly problems. Influenced by Huan Tan, Wang Chong also deeply disagreed with theological superstition and the falsehood of popular theories. He later wrote the book "Lunheng", whose main purpose was also to "explain secular doubts and distinguish right from wrong" ("Duo Zuo"), It is very similar to the theme of Huan Tan's "New Theory". In addition to Ban Yin, the young scholars in the capital at that time also included Jia Kui, Fu Yi, Yang Zhong, etc., all of whom had served as Guan Lantai, and Wang Chong also had contacts with them. Lantai was the Royal Library and National History Museum of the Eastern Han Dynasty. All reading and writing here were provided with paper and ink by the public. The conditions were superior and the treatment was generous. It was a noble and affordable academic institution. Therefore, people at that time called Lantai a visit to Penglai. Be proud of it. Jia Kui, courtesy name Jingbo, was born in Pingling, Fufeng, and was a scholar of classical classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His father, Jia Hui, studied "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals" from Liu Xin. Kui Shao inherited the training of the court; he was familiar with "Zuo Zhuan" and the text of the Five Classics. "Later Han Dynasty" The biography of "Book" also says that he "was a child, always in college, and had no knowledge of human affairs." He was a lucky man who had both family education and imperial education. , "Guoyu" and "Zhouli" are particularly specialized, especially for the prosperity of "Zuo Zhuan", and he is also very proficient in "Da Xia Hou Shangshu" and "Gu Liang Zhuan" of Jinwen. The first great Confucian in the Han Dynasty who commented extensively on the classics, history books say, "Kui wrote more than a million words of exegesis, exegesis, and discussion of classics. Scholars followed him and later generations called him Tongru." During the Ming Dynasty, he became a Langguan and studied at the Lantai School with Ban Gu. Book. Fu Yi, courtesy name Wuzhong, was born in Maoling, Fufeng. He was less erudite and studied chapters and sentences in Pingling. He was deeply troubled by the fragmentation of the study of chapters and sentences. Because he wrote "Di Zhi Shi", he was the descendant of Emperor Gaozong of the Yin Dynasty. He said to himself: "My ancestors have taught me, and I have received my edict. I have been taught good things, and I have learned erudition." Then he took his literary talents as his duty, and became a master of modern history. Zhong, named Zishan, was born in Chengdu, Shu County. In the 13th year of his life, he was a county official. The prefect sent him to the capital to study "Spring and Autumn Annals". Later, he went to the capital with the county's chief planner. When he saw that the three prefectures were unable to complete the "Ailao Biography", Yang Zhong came from there. Sichuan was familiar with the situation of the ethnic groups in the southwest and wrote a biography on it. The "Ailao Biography" in today's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of the Southern Barbarians and Southwest Yi" is an adaptation of Yang Zhuan. Emperor Ming was so talented that he conquered Lantai and paid homage to the school scholar. . The classmate Fu Yang was a young boy who was in his prime, enjoying poetry and prose in Lantai. It was so glorious! In the 17th year of Emperor Ming's reign, the Five Colored Birds gathered together. Emperor Ming ordered each Confucian scholar to present "The Divine Bird" "Fu". Hundreds of officials responded one after another, but only the four of them and Hou Xi's poem were appreciated by Emperor Ming. Wang Chong recorded the incident and said: "In Yongpingzhong, Shenque gathered, and Xiaoming issued the "Ode to Shenque". The official odes are all inferior to those of tiles and stones, but Ban Gu, Jia Kui, Fu Yi, Yang Zhong, and Hou Xi have five odes to gold and jade, and the Emperor Ming has seen them." ("Xia Wen") Wang Chong saw their glory in person and was so envious! He praised them again and again. Said: "In the history of Lantai, Ban Gu, Jia Kui, Fu Yi, and Yang Zhong were all well-known and well-known." ("Bie Tong") In his later years, he lived in poverty in a shabby alley, and he hoped that the court would one day also confine him to Lantai. , "Walking in the footsteps of Ban and Jia", one is to repay the unfulfilled wish in his life, and the other is to "discuss the reality of merits and virtues" ("Song of Xu") to report to the Lord his thoughts. In addition to making great friends, he also visited Guangsha and studied hard. "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty" says that Wang Chong lived in Luoyang. "He was poor and had no books. He often traveled around Luoyang and read all the books. He could easily recite them when he saw them. He traveled a lot. In addition to being familiar with the classics and history, Wang Chong also studied hundreds of schools of thought and understood the studies of various schools of thought. Confucian scholars who were superficial in their studies often adhered to the scriptures, believing that the scriptures were created by saints and contained the truth. Among them, they only adhere to the theory of one master, hold on to the weak, and reject dissidents. Therefore, they are short-sighted and have vulgar opinions. He believes that the Confucian classics are as important as the Confucian classics, and sometimes the Confucian classics are even more reliable than the classics. He said: The Five Classics were "burned and banned by the Qin Dynasty, and the followers of Fusheng took the scriptures and hid them deep." When the Han Dynasty came, "the scriptures were missing and destroyed." But it is not clear, the chapters are scattered and not possessed." Chao Cuo's disciples learned the scriptures in Fu Sheng. From the later Confucian scholars, "each has his own private thoughts and writings", and master and disciple passed it on to each other, forming the so-called family method and teacher's method. It is difficult to distinguish the right from wrong in the scripture itself, let alone the right and wrong in what the scripture master explains. On the contrary, "Although Qin has no way, it does not spread the disciples."
From this, it can be seen that there are posthumous chapters in the scriptures, but all the scholars have no missing texts. It is self-evident which one is worse and which one is better. Wang Chong believes that: "The texts of various scholars' rulers are all there, and can be read to correct the explanation." Wang Chong said: The writings of the sages also have documentary evidence, and "the six classics all have evidence." From this point of view, "Books (in history) are also the foundation, and scriptures are also the end. The foundation loses the facts, and the foundation is the essence." It can be seen that the books of various scholars are still the basis for the creation of the classics, so how can they be used to determine the canonical classics. Therefore, he said: "The person who knows the leakage of the house is in the word, the person who knows the failure of government is in the grass field, and the person who knows the mistakes of the scriptures is in the disciples." Just like knowing the leakage of the house when standing under the eaves, and seeing the gains and losses clearly in the grass, reading these words If you read the books of Zibaijia, it will be easy to see the errors in the scriptures. However, the Confucian scholars of Zhangju only know how to abide by the teacher's teachings, and parrot "teacher-teacher's teachings", which are passed down from generation to generation. However, they do not know that "those who are new to Zhangju are not people who have a thorough understanding of the book" ("Shu Jie"). This is in terms of the relationship between Jing and Zi. From a person who hopes to become a broad-minded and knowledgeable person, it is even more necessary to be knowledgeable in many schools of thought besides the classics. He vividly said: "Those who wade in shallow water will see shrimps, those who wade in deep water will see fish and turtles, and those who wade in particularly deep water will see dragons." The degree and depth of the experience are different, and what they see, hear, and gain are naturally different. He said that the same is true for learning: "The more you approach the Tao, the more shallow it is, the more profound it is. If you are shallow, you will see biographies and humorous writings; if you are deep, you will see the secretaries in the holy room. Therefore, the deeper the Tao is, the greater the vision will be." He also said metaphorically: People I always want to visit Dadu when traveling, just because there are “many wonders”. And "the words of hundreds of schools of thought, ancient and modern, are strange, not just because the city is big." He also said: "The big rivers are interspersed (both), and the small rivers belong to each other (belong), and flow eastward back to the sea, so the sea is big." "The sea is blocked by hundreds of rivers, so it is known as huge"? The same is true for people's learning. "A person contains the words of hundreds of schools of thought, just like the sea contains the flows of hundreds of rivers." ("Bie Tongpian") His profound knowledge will naturally form. Wang Chong's characteristic of paying equal attention to the classics and being knowledgeable about many schools of thought is one of the reasons why he has become so erudite and versatile. Wang Chong also paid attention to training his ability to apply knowledge and write books. He divided the Confucian scholars at that time into four categories, namely: Confucian scholars, Tongru, literati, and Hongru. He said: "Those who can speak one classic are Confucian scholars. Those who know a lot about the past and present are called literati, those who pick up the biographies and report them to reporters are called literati, and those who can think carefully and connect chapters are called great Confucians." He also believes: "Confucian scholars are better than ordinary people, and knowledgeable people are better than Confucian scholars. Literary people are better than ordinary people, and great Confucian scholars are superior. "Literati." ("Chaoqi") Confucian scholars, who rely on Confucianism to study the scriptures of saints and learn the ways of saints, are far better than ordinary people who have no knowledge and skills; but Confucian scholars can only stick to one scripture and have no knowledge of world affairs and no knowledge of ancient and modern times." "A person who is faithful to his teachings, even if he talks a lot, will not be knowledgeable" ("Effectiveness"), so he is not as good as a knowledgeable person who knows the past and the present. It is indeed valuable to know the past and the present. Wang Chong once said: "Knowing the past and not knowing the present means that Knowing the present but not knowing the past is called blindness." ("Xie Duan") However, knowing the past and understanding the present is just a symbol of knowledge. It can be achieved by being "studious, diligent, knowledgeable and knowledgeable". How is unknown. If "a well-versed person has a broad view and cannot take pictures to discuss, this is the owner of the hidden book", just like the book collector who has books but cannot read them. He believes: "Anyone who values ??knowledge is valued for his ability to use it." If he learns But it cannot be used, "Although there are more than a thousand pieces, it is like a parrot can talk." A literati who can write cursive chapters is a person who is "broad and versatile", so he is more valuable than a knowledgeable person. However, literati can only write a single article and cannot "connect chapters" to write a special book. Therefore, they are not as good as the Confucian scholars who can write long articles and major works and have their own style of writing. He believed that the Confucian scholars were the most precious. If the literati were extraordinary people among intellectuals, then the Confucian scholars were "super and extraordinary" and "strange and strange" special figures. Compared with the Confucian scholars, they were like ornately decorated A car is the same as a broken one, and brocade is the same as an old robe; if compared with ordinary people, it is like the top of Mount Tai and the foot of the mountain, the neck of Chang Di and the soles of his feet, there is a world of difference! They are extraordinary among people, "the most precious people in the world". ("Chaoqi") Gu Yong and Tang Lin in the Han Dynasty were able to write poems and commentaries and discuss matters according to the classics, and were considered "literati"; while Dong Zhongshu, Sima Qian, Yang Xiong, Liu Xiang, Liu Xin, Huan Tan and others were able to write Hongpian Writing great treatises, writing books and establishing theories is a "great Confucianism". Wang Chong regarded them as being of the same family as saints and regarded them as rare treasures: "In modern times, Liu Zizheng and his son, Yang Ziyun, and Huan Junshan were as civilized and military as the Duke of Zhou. For example, pearls and jade are rare, so they are rare." ("Chaoqi") ) Wang Chong values ????Hongru so much, so naturally his efforts are to become a Hongru who is valued in the world. He studied under Ban Biao, did not abide by rules and regulations, and read hundreds of schools of thought... These were all effective measures on the road to becoming a great Confucian scholar. There is no clear record of how long Wang Chong spent studying in the capital. Yuan Shansong's "Book of the Later Han" states that Wang Chong caught up with the grand ceremony of Emperor Ming's visit to Piyong: Chong was young and bright. He studied at Taixue, watched the Emperor come to Piyong, and wrote "On Great Confucianism".
Yuan Shansong's book has been lost, but this material can be found in Li Xian's "Notes on the Book of the Later Han Dynasty". The annotation is "Six Confucianisms". According to Wang Chong's thought of admiring Hong Confucianism, the "Six Confucianisms" should be the mistake of the great Confucians. Piyong was one of the Taixue in the Zhou Dynasty, and it was used as a place to respect Confucianism and perform ceremonies in the Han Dynasty. According to the "Book of the Later Han: Biographies of Scholars", Piyong of the Eastern Han Dynasty was built in the first year of the Zhongyuan Dynasty (56 years) of Emperor Guangwu. Emperor Guangwu passed away before he could visit it in person. "It was not until Emperor Ming came to the throne that he performed the ceremony in person." "Records of Emperor Ming" says that in October of the first year of the Shui Dynasty (58 years), he was "fortunately appointed to Yong". Then, at least in the first year of Yongping, Wang Chong was still in the capital, and at that time he He is 32 years old and has been studying in Luoyang for 14 years. When Emperor Ming came to the throne, he restored many long-abandoned Confucian etiquette to express his advocacy of etiquette. In the first month of this year, the emperor put on a nine-inch-high heaven-reaching crown and a dress embroidered with the sun, moon and stars. He first offered sacrifices to Emperor Guangwu in the Mingtang, and then climbed to the mourning platform, looked at the clouds and things, played the music to welcome the spring, and observed the changes in things. The "Shi Ling" book was formulated and awarded to the princes and kings, reenacting the "ritual of announcing the new moon" in time management that Confucius had long lamented. In the winter of this year, Emperor Ming came to Biyong in person to show respect to the elderly and support the virtuous. It was presumed in advance that the old and learned Li Gong was the "Three Elders", and Huan Rong, who had awarded Emperor Ming's "Shangshu", the "Fifth Geng". On this day, the emperor arrived at Piyong first, held a ceremony, and then sent someone to install the chariot and the Pulun (with the Wrapping the wheel with cattails to avoid bumping) brought the three, five, and five men, and the emperor personally went to the door screen to greet him. Welcome to the tower with the courtesy of guest and host (not king and minister). The emperor issued an edict to "respect the three elders and serve the five brothers." The three nobles and nine ministers were in their respective places. The emperor rolled up his dragon robe, cut himself with a knife, offered the meat to the three elders (not gave it to him), and personally drank wine for him. At the fifth watch, the three elders waited on him in this way. Then the shooting ceremony was completed. After the shooting ceremony, Emperor Ming returned to the lecture hall and sat upright, holding the sutra and speaking to himself. The Confucians held the sutra and asked questions in front of them. Those who are not high enough can only surround Piyongbi River and watch from the other side. On this day, the Confucian scholar who was usually scolded as a poor and rotten scholar felt proud and proud. Wang Chong was undoubtedly very excited when he saw this grand ceremony of respecting the elderly and respecting Confucianism, which was only recorded in ritual books and recited orally by Confucian scholars in the past, so he happily wrote "The Great Confucianism" to praise it. Even hundreds of years later, Fan Ye wrote the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" when writing about this grand occasion: "(Emperor Ming) sat in the Ming Hall to look at the queen, climbed to the spiritual platform to look at the clouds, and cut off the Above Piyong, he respected the three elders and the five more... Jiji! He prospered in Yongping." 5. His official career was like that of all scholars. After completing his studies, Wang Chong also had the dream of serving the emperors Yao and Shun. , take the path of "learning well and becoming an official". However, Wang Chong's situation in the officialdom was not much better than that of his teachers. "Zi Ji Pian" recounts his official career as follows: In the county, he was ranked as a Gongcao; in the Duwei Mansion, he was also a Gongcao; as a prefect, he was To act for the meritorious officials of the five senses; to work in the state. Wang Chong had only served as a local official. Local institutions in the Eastern Han Dynasty implemented a three-level system of prefecture, prefecture, and county. Wang Chong served as an official at three levels, but he was still in the position of "掾". Peng was a subordinate official in various political institutions in the Han Dynasty. In the county, he served as an official and was in charge of personnel affairs and merit examination in the county. In the county, he served successively as a meritorious service officer in the Duwei Mansion, the military governor, and as a five-guan officer and meritorious service officer in the Taishou Mansion, the chief executive. In the state, he was also appointed as a subordinate official by the state governor. He has never escaped the fate of being a subordinate in his life. The places where Wang Chong served as an official can be found in Yangzhou, Danyang, Jiujiang, Lujiang and other places. "Zi Ji Pian" says: "In the third year of Yuanhe (86 years), Chong moved to Danyang, Jiujiang and Lujiang in the Yangzhou region. Later, he was appointed as Zhizhong. His post was in the second year of Zhanghe (88 years). This is recorded in Volume 73 of "Beitang Shuchao" and "Taiping Yulan". The volume is quoted as "In the second year of Zhanghe, he moved home and took refuge in Danyang, Yangzhou." There is an error. "The second year of Zhanghe" should be the second year of Yuanhe. The second year of Zhanghe is the year of the home of the emperor, not the year of the past. Pi refers to conquest, being conscripted into an official position, not taking refuge. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" also contains: "The governor Dong Qin was appointed as the governor, and he was transferred to the government, so he was exempted from returning home." Yangzhou is one of the thirteen ministries (states) established by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was an administrative agency above the county level. Danyang, Jiujiang, and Lujiang were all county names, and they were under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou Department at that time. Three years before Yuanhe, it was not clear what Wang Chong was doing. Liu Rulin's "Han and Jin Academic Chronicle" records the first year of the founding. According to Wang Chong's "Duozuo Chapter", "In the early Meng year of the founding, Zhongzhou was poor, Yingchuan and Runan, the refugees were scattered, the Holy Lord was worried, and the edicts were counted, "On Heng, a person who wrote a memorial to the county governor, should ban luxury in order to prepare for poverty. He said that he could not use it, so he withdrew the inscription and wrote it in his own account, which was called "Bei Lung". He then suspected that "the person who filled the official position was not in Kuaiji but in Zhongzhou." "The county is evil?" But without any circumstantial evidence, it is difficult to reach a conclusion.
There are many reasons why Wang Chong wandered around prefectures and counties and was stagnant. Later, Wang Chong made a comprehensive discussion on the official career path based on his own personal experience. "Fengyu Pian" summarizes the pros and cons of becoming an official as encounters and misfortunes: There are always virtuous people in conduct, but there are no permanent encounters in officialdom. Whether a person is worthy or not is a matter of talent; whether he meets someone or not is a matter of time. Being highly talented and pure in conduct does not guarantee that one will be noble; being capable of being impotent and acting impurely does not guarantee that one will be humble. Perhaps someone with high talent and pure conduct will fall into the lower reaches if they are not met. Or someone with poor abilities and dirty skills will advance above others if they are met. Everyone in the world has his own way of acquiring scholars, and scholars have their own ways to advance. Advance by meeting, retreat by not encountering. Being respected and prominent does not necessarily mean he is a virtuous person, so he will be met; being humble and humble, he may not be stupid, so he will not be met. The ancients often said, "Thousand-mile horses often exist, but bole does not always exist." Talents often exist, but opportunities for officialdom do not often occur. If you are born at the right time and meet someone who is an official, you will be able to advance even if you have little talent and poor virtue. On the contrary, if you are born at the wrong time and meet someone who is not a human being, even if you are talented and have better virtue than the barbarians, you will remain in the wilderness and sink to the bottom. Liao. This is especially true when there is a lack of a sound competition mechanism. However, when Wang Chong was born as Emperor Guangwu, Emperor Ming, Emperor Zhang, and Emperor He, it was during the rise of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The system of conquest and promotion was relatively normal. It seems that there is no problem of being born at the wrong time, but it does not rule out the problem. What he encounters is inhuman. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" said that he "served as a meritorious official in the county, and he went away after several suggestions and arguments." Wang Chong also wrote a letter to the county governor in the early years of the Ji Jian Dynasty when the harvest in Zhongzhou was poor, advocating strict frugality to prepare for poverty, but "the words were not put into practice"; the people were addicted to alcohol, and he thought that alcohol consumed the grain, and drunkenness caused trouble. To express his worries, he wrote to the county governor: He advocated "forbidding alcohol", but it was not taken seriously. The scholar's special skill is to give advice and suggestions. Since his words are not effective, it can be seen that what he met is indeed not a close friend. Wang Chong also put forward the theory of "resultant harm" in "Resultant Harm": Anyone who enters an official position has failed to make progress, his conduct has been damaged and incomplete, his sins have been accumulated and not eliminated, and his reputation has been unclear. His talents are not inferior, and his actions are not inconsistent. Knowledge (wisdom) is not faint, and policy is not tasteful. It is also a case of continuous external disasters and repeated harm. His official career was stagnant, his actions were falsely accused, his guilt was not exonerated, and his reputation was in disgrace... all of this was not necessarily his own fault, but could have been caused by external factors. Wang Chong summarized these damages from external objects as "three tiredness and three harms". What are the three fatigues and three harms? Chong said: There are three troubles in the countryside and three harms in the court. The three tirednesses of the countryside refer to the troubles that officials encountered before: friends, hurt each other, which is one tiredness; mediocre people are jealous, and they hurt talented people, two votes; The three evils of the dynasty point out the frame-ups suffered after the best: the entrants denigrate each other for the limited position, fabricate and exaggerate the facts in front of the superiors, and the superiors are not aware and believe what they say, which is the first harm; colleagues have different hobbies, and they have different tastes. Cao, "The clean officials become whiter and gloomier, and they make trickling remarks." Their reputations become whiter and whiter, and their opinions become more and more brilliant. The dirty officials gradually become filthy and hold grudges in their hearts. They secretly collect the faults of the clean officials and frame them and punish them heavily. Two It is also harmful. The chief is lucky to have assistants, but the character of the assistants is not high. If someone promotes evil people, he will be dissatisfied with the "upright people" who are unwilling to follow him, and he will belittle him in front of the chief. This is the third harm. The three burdens and three harms mentioned by Wang Chong are vivid and specific, just like his own personal experience.