Yang Xiong wrote Taixuan after imitating Zhouyi. He also wrote a book imitating the Analects of Confucius, called Fa Yan. In this book, he also embodies the spirit of China's classic.
Yang Xiong thinks that Kong Qiu is the greatest saint; Kong Qiu's classics are the most important. He said, "It's no use giving up a ship to help a blasphemer. Those who give up the five classics and help the Tao will eventually die. " He also said: "The way of the mountain cannot be defeated; Go to the house of the wall, you can't win. Say: evil enters? Yue: Kong. The people of Confucius are also households. " But Yang Xiong didn't talk about Kong Qiu's "destiny" as king, let alone Kong Qiu's "son of the emperor". According to Yang Xiong's description, there was only one person in Kong Qiu. Kong Qiu's knowledge also comes from learning. Yang Xiong said: "Confucius is also a scholar of the Duke of Zhou." (ditto) and said: "Zhong Ni dedicated himself to King Wen and achieved it." Yang Xiong believed that Confucius inherited the traditions of Zhou Wenwang and Duke Zhou in culture. This is exactly what the classical scholars in ancient China said. This is contrary to the statement that Kong Qiu, a Confucian scholar, is the "king of destiny" and Kong Qiu, a Shu Wei scholar, is the "son of Hei Di".
As for Lao Dan, Yang Xiong said, "I regard what I say as morality. I have no choice but to show benevolence and never learn manners. " (Fa) As for other schools of thought in the pre-Qin period, he said: "It is illegal to swing, but Mo Yan is frugal and abandons the ceremony. He applied for Han Wuwei, and Zou Yan was pedantic and didn't believe it. " (Fa Yan Wu Bai) Yang Xiong critically inherited various thoughts in the pre-Qin period from his perspective. On the view of nature, he advocated that heaven should do nothing but be natural, and to some extent he inherited Lao Dan from Taoism. But in social thought, he abandoned the passive inaction of Taoism and basically inherited Kong Qiu of Confucianism.
Yang Xiong opposed the religious superstition at that time. He said: "The gods and demons are boundless, and if they exist, they will die." (Chong Li) He also said: "Or, it is very unsuccessful to pass on books. Said: No, no, (original author, according to Wang Rongbao's modification) use a witchcraft drum. " The book is not successful, that is, the book is untrue, not only untrue, but also witchcraft. This is Yang Xiong's clear criticism of mysticism and religious superstition at that time.
Regarding the mandate of heaven, Yang Xiong said: "The enemy who defeats others will be defeated." . Why the sky? "This means that the success or failure of the ruling class for political power has nothing to do with fate. He said, "Or ask the Yellow Emperor to start, and say, Tuoye. ..... my husband wants revenge (Sima Guangyun: selling words). (ditto) Sima Qian said: "I think the genealogy has been going on for years since the Yellow Emperor, and the genealogy began with the biography of the Five Virtues." (Historical Records of the Three Generations) The mysterious historical cycle theory "The end of the Yellow Emperor" means "the turn of five virtues". Yang Xiong pointed out that this was forged under the guise of deception. Regarding the superstition of the immortal magic, he criticized: "Where there is life, there must be death, where there is a beginning, there must be an end, and the way of nature is also." This means that living things must die, which is a natural law; This refutes the superstition of pursuing immortality.
Yang Xiong emphasized the importance of learning the day after tomorrow. He said: "Scholars, so cultivate sex." See, listen, say, see, think and have sex. Learning is right, otherwise it is evil. "("A trip to Xue Yan ") He also paid special attention to textual research. He said: "A gentleman's words must be verified by distance, distance, size and smallness. If there is no inspection, it is called falsehood. Is a gentleman arrogant? Not awkward. "These ideas are materialistic.
Based on the theory that "cause" and "revolution" are equally important, Yang Xiong also discussed the inheritance of ancient culture. He said, "Or, does the Tao have a cause and no cause? Said: "If possible, it is a career, otherwise it is a revolution." He also said, "Or ask Xin Wei and say that the new will attack, and we will gain and lose." (Fa Yan Wen) That is to say, for ancient things, there should be inheritance ("cause") and change ("change").
In the abstract, he still wants to inherit the so-called "ritual ceremony" of Confucianism. He said: "Or ask, it has successors, although it has been known for a hundred years." Ji Qin followed Zhouyi, but he didn't wait until Li Xia ruled, so he didn't test it. Yue: The words of a saint are heaven. What is the sky? People who follow Zhou have no desire for peace. If you want peace, there is no reason to use other ways instead. "(Five Hundred Eyes) These words seem simple and common, but they are of great significance to the struggle at that time. Here, we talk about the causes of history, from history itself, from inheritance, and also in the social scope. Yang Xiong does not associate the development of history with the so-called "three unifications" and "five virtues", nor does he associate the "peace" of society with the so-called "providence" and "ambition". He also believes that the demise of Qin is due to the lack of Confucianism, but he does not admit that Zhou's successor is not Qin but. This is the viewpoint of China's classical masterpieces, which is contrary to that of China's modern masterpieces.