The theme of "Tao Te Ching": Tao follows nature.
“Tao follows nature” is the essence of Laozi’s thought in the Tao Te Ching. "Tao", as the most abstract conceptual category in the Tao Te Ching, is the driving force behind the creation of all things in the world. "De" is the development and expression of "Tao" in the field of ethics. "Tao" and "law" have similarities at the level of rules and common sense, but they are different from Western natural law. "Dharma" should imitate the way of nature and play its role in the reverse transformation of dialectics.
Philosophically, "Tao" is the mother of the beginning of all things in the world. The opposition and unity of yin and yang are the essence of all things, and the inevitable opposite of the extremes of things is the law of the evolution of all things. Ethically, the Tao of Laozi advocates the virtues of following nature such as simplicity, selflessness, tranquility, humility, gentleness, weakness, and indifference. Politically, Laozi advocates governing by doing nothing internally, not causing trouble and disturbing the people, living peacefully externally, and opposing war and violence. These three levels constitute the theme of the "Tao De Jing", and also make the book "Tao De Jing" structurally progress through the logical layers of "physics to philosophy to ethics to politics", from the way of nature to the way of ethics. Morality ultimately lies in the conception of ideal politics and the way to govern. That is to find the bright and right path to the ideal social order from the natural order.
The ideological connotation of legal philosophy of "Tao follows nature"
1. Definition of the connotation of "Tao" and "Virtue"
1. "Tao": Laozi In the opening chapter of "Tao Te Ching" it is clarified: "Tao can be said, but it is not Tao. Name, it can be named, but it is not named. Wu is named the beginning of heaven and earth; existence is named the mother of all things. Therefore, there is always nothing, and I want to see its wonder; there is always , I want to observe its meaning. The two have the same origin and different names, and they are both mysterious and mysterious. They are the door of all mysteries. "This is Laozi's general description of the concept of "Tao": Tao was not common in society at that time. The Tao, that is, the Tao of human relations and common sense, was not a Tao that people at that time could name. "Tao" in Laozi has transcended secular social life and is closer to the Tao of natural laws, because the foundation and mother source of all things in the world lies in "Tao", starting from Tao, "Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, Three things give rise to all things.” Therefore, Laozi uses "mysterious and mysterious" to describe the particularity and profundity of Tao. In fact, although this "Tao" "cannot be seen by looking at it", "cannot be heard by listening", and "cannot be grasped by grunting", it is The Tao taught by Laozi is not far away from others. Here, Laozi uses "Xuan" to emphasize the difference between the Tao he spoke and the Tao taught by the society at that time, and to elaborate on the transcendence and foundation of the Tao he spoke.
So Laozi said frankly in the later discussion, "My words are easy to know and easy to do, but few people can know them, and few people can do them." Laozi sighed: " If you know me, then I will be noble."
The "Tao" mentioned by Lao Tzu means "things are mixed together, born in the heaven and earth." Independent and not weak, it can be the mother of heaven and earth. I don’t know its name, but it is called Tao. The strong one is called Da. This sentence means that before the creation of heaven and earth, there were chaotic objects in the universe, and it was quiet. Silent, vast, helpless and everlasting, it is the loving mother who nurtures all things. "I" - Lao Tzu didn't know its name, so he reluctantly called it "Tao" and named it "Da".
It can be seen from this that the Tao mentioned by Laozi is first of all material and is the original power source for the creation of all things in the world, and its existence is independent, immeasurable, and infinite. Regarding the power of "Tao", Lao Tzu himself was unable to give an exact description of it, so he believed that Tao was only an expedient term.
Characteristics of Tao: Laozi said, "Tao rushes, and when used, it is full." The body of Tao seems to be empty but real, so the body contains inexhaustible matter and energy, but it will not Overflowing from complacency. Laozi believes that Tao is soft but not rigid, simple on the inside, unpretentious on the outside, clear and transparent, and exists forever between heaven and earth. Therefore, Tao is everywhere. Whether it is an individual or human society, including all things in the world, all things should follow Tao and operate, and Tao follows nature and returns to nature. The literal interpretation of "natural" here is that it is like this, but Tao and the laws of nature are the same, that is, the "four major things in the country" should all imitate the nature of doing nothing and doing everything, so as to maintain their own "eternal".
In the Western Zhou Dynasty society where Laozi lived, the princes and countries were engaged in militarism and wars were frequent. The etiquette and ethics of the society could no longer be restored. Therefore, Laozi saw that the reason why human society was full of disputes was because of saints, etiquette, laws, and desires. It is caused by promising measures such as , wisdom, etc. It is precisely because society values ??honors such as fame, wealth, strength, and desire for victory that there will be competition for the possession of limited resources in the world. Therefore, Laozi proposed to return to nature and comply with the laws of the natural world that is ruled by inaction, pure and wise, so that the weak can defeat the strong and achieve a peaceful life in a small country with few people. "People will not interact with each other until they grow old and die."
< p>2. "De": "De" is the development and expression of "Tao" in the field of ethics. Therefore, entering from Tao to morality is a barrier from natural order to social order, that is, it turns to discussing human behavioral norms. Morality and law are both binding forces that regulate society and human behavior, but they have different statuses in Laozi. Laozi believes that the essence of superior virtue is the same as the essence of Tao virtue, so superior virtue originates from "Tao". The virtue that Laozi talks about is also different from the virtue that ordinary people talk about. Chapter 38 contains: "The superior virtue is not virtuous, because it is virtuous; the inferior virtue is not virtuous, so it is not virtuous. The superior virtue does nothing but does everything; the inferior virtue does it but has a thought; the superior benevolence does it but does not do it. I think; if the superior righteousness does it, I have thought; if the superior rite does it, but fails to respond, then throw it away.Therefore, if you lose morality, you will lose virtue; if you lose virtue, you will lose benevolence; if you lose benevolence, you will lose justice; if you lose justice, you will lose etiquette. ”
Laozi believes that superior virtue advocates doing nothing and obeying nature. It has obvious characteristics of “inaction” and can be understood as the behavioral norms of following nature. This kind of virtue of following nature values ??life and despises fame and fortune. Maintain tranquility, abstain from greed, stop the mind and practice, understand the four directions of Tao, and do nothing naturally. At the same time, take the heart of the people as the heart, integrate yourself with nature, and finally return to the Tao. The composition of etiquette requires people to actually implement and promote it. It has obvious "doing" characteristics and focuses on man-made behavioral norms. It can be seen from this that in Laozi's eyes, the benevolence, justice, rationality and faith promoted by Confucius are only the result of man-made education. It has not reached the realm of true inaction and detachment, so it is dismissed as inferior virtue. The inaction realm of superior virtue is contrary to the characteristics of law itself that requires state formulation, state intervention and public disclosure to the world, so law is just a category of inferior virtue. That’s it. But in Xia De, law is different from benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette. Laozi did not include law in the discussion of Xia De. It seems that Laozi believes that benevolence, justice, and etiquette are higher than law. , and law is just an instrument for governing the country.
Laozi's virtue is different from Confucius's virtue, and it is also different from "ritual", but secular law and etiquette are inextricably linked. To a certain extent, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Confucius' virtues were integrated into one body. In Laozi's view, Confucius' virtues fell into the category of "lower virtues" and belonged to the realm of man-made norms. Laozi believed that superior virtues were manifested in the following categories: Inaction, that is, not considering the issue of virtue and immorality, is the greatest virtue.
2. The ontological significance of "Tao follows nature"
1. People follow the earth. The earth follows the heaven, the heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature
Heshang Gongzhi: "People should follow the quiet and gentle nature of the earth, sow grains, dig for sweet springs, work without complaint, and achieve merit without complaint. System. Heaven is immobile, giving without expecting anything in return, growing all things without receiving anything. The Tao is quiet and silent, Yin moves the essence, and all things come into being by themselves. The nature of Tao is natural and there is no way to do it. Wang Bi's note: "Dharma, law." If people do not violate the earth, they will be safe; it is also the law of the earth. If the earth does not disobey the sky, it will be fully contained; it will follow the heaven. Heaven does not violate the Tao, but it is completely covered; it is the Tao of the Dharma. The Tao does not violate nature, but obtains its nature; if it follows nature, it follows the square when it is square, and it follows the round when it is round, so there is nothing against nature. Natural words are words without praise and words that are extremely poor. Wisdom is not as good as ignorance, the form is not as good as the spirit image, the spirit image is not as good as the intangible, and the ritual is not as good as the non-ceremony, so it is the method of turning one's appearance. The Tao follows nature and has no reason; the earth follows the law of heaven, and humans follow the same pattern, so it is the master. The one who is one of them is the master. "It can be seen that "dharma" here is not a legal system, but the verb "to imitate". In the 25th section of "Tao Te Ching", Laozi mentioned the word "dharma" for the first time. According to the silk book, it means "the law of man and the land" , the earth follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows nature. "The popular understanding is that Tao is the original mother who created the heaven, earth, and all things. Therefore, humans must imitate the earth, the earth imitates the sky, the sky imitates the Tao, and the Tao imitates nature. "Tao follows nature" does not mean that Tao follows nature. Tao is the ultimate It is absolute and has no "outside", so "Tao" is "nature". The concept of "nature" generally consists of three aspects in Laozi's teachings, namely, one is non-interference and free development, the other is not forcing, and the third is "nature". It comes from nature and is not artificial.
From this, we can see that the Tao of Laozi is to follow the laws of nature to achieve the state of "doing nothing and doing nothing". Here, "Dharma". The word "Tao" is used as a verb in the sentence, which means to follow, follow, and abide by, but not to follow the law or the law.
Of course, the "Tao" of law also means the natural law that transcends secular laws. , that is, following social common sense, common sense, and common sense, which are the extended meaning of "Tao" and can also be used as the foundation and rationality of secular laws.
Laozi believes that "there are four major principles in the country." "That is, "Tao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and the king is great." Heaven, earth, and kings must all be achieved according to Tao. The relationship between them is that Tao is the foundation and mother body. And the king is the foundation of the country. Rulers who want to govern the country should also follow the Tao taught by Laozi, and this Tao is applied to political governance, that is, laws, ethics, policies, rules, etc. should all comply with the development laws of the Tao.
2. The king follows the earth and the earth, the law is heaven, the law is the way, and the law is natural
Since ancient books generally do not have punctuation and paragraphing, later generations are limited by different knowledge when adding annotations, so they have different opinions on this sentence. The words have different meanings. This division was made by Li Yue in the Tang Dynasty in the "New Commentary on the Tao De Zhen Jing". He changed "人" to "王" and connected the previous sentence with "the four great kings in the country".
Li Yue's note: "The Dao is great, the sky is great, the earth is great, and the king is also great", which is the third of the "four majors in the domain": "Dharma and Earth", "Dharma of Heaven" and "Dharma and Dao". It is natural to regulate the world. When the world is peaceful, it is called "virtue". When it comes to people, it means that "the law of the earth" is like the selflessness of the earth. "The way of law" is just like the selfless creation of the way. Such as the example of king, minister, father, son, etc. It is said that "man is the law of the earth, the earth is the law of the sky, and the heaven is the law." "Tao, Tao follows nature." Then there are five major elements in the realm, not just four. How can it be that the king can only "Dharma Earth", but not "Dharma Heaven" and "Dharma Dao"? Heaven and earth have no mind, but they can also turn to the Dharma? What's more? Moreover, the Tao of "the earth follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows nature" is the father of heaven and earth and the son of nature. It is fragmented and alienated from principles.
Gao Ming also believes in "Commentary Notes on Silk Books by Laozi" that although Li's theory is different, scholars of all ages have mostly discarded it or said that it is "just a child's babbling" with overlapping words and is not Laozi's. Although there are no words to say it, it is indeed an ancient saying, and there are still people who believe in it today. According to the saying "Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, and heaven follows the Tao", non-kings can only "dharma the earth" but not "the heaven" or "the Tao". It is said that people, earth and heaven are all dharma to the Tao. If this syntax is like Chapter 42, "Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things." Although it is self-evident that "three gives rise to all things", the thing that gives rise to all things should be regarded as "Tao" and will never be understood as The "three" ears give birth to all things.
Gu Di explained these four sentences in "Laozi's Exegesis": "Dharma, Earth, Earth", which means that the reason why Earth is Earth is Dharma, and the reason why Earth is Earth is that Earth is selfless. Zai; "Fa Tian Tian" means that the reason why Heaven is Heaven is Dharma, and the reason why Heaven is Heaven is that Heaven is selfless; "Dharma Dao Dao" means that the reason why Dao is Dao is Dharma.
The reason why Tao is the characteristic of Taoists is that "Tao follows nature." "Natural" means what it is, that is, self-caused, self-formed, self-original, and self-rooted. "Tao follows nature." That is, Tao is what it is, self-formed, and self-caused, without any interference, that is, "inaction." . The word "Dharma" here means law. The king must regard the selflessness, humility and non-controversy of the earth as the law, the selfless possession of the sky as the law, and the nature of the Tao as the law, so that the Tao and nature can be unified.
The law here is the law of Tao. Following Tao can make the three worlds of heaven, earth and man orderly and manageable. Gao Dingyi believes that this sentence expresses the ancient people's system theory point of view. All things in the universe are a whole, and humans, heaven, earth, nature, etc. constitute a hierarchical, structured, and holistic system that is interconnected and restricts each other.
Of course, from the king to the earth, heaven, and finally to Tao and nature, Mr. Ye Haiyan believes that there is also a meaning of transcendence in this progression, that is, "Dharma" can be expanded to The connotations of "returning to" and "transcendence" are not limited to "following" and "imitating".
3. The legal philosophical significance of "Tao follows nature"
1. The relationship between "Tao" and "Dharma"
First, Laozi's Tao is one It is a special thing that cannot be seen, heard or touched. People cannot determine its name, so it is called "Tao". This special thing can be divided into concrete and abstract. Tao not only refers to "road", "distance", "passage", etc., but also refers to "method", "skill", "reason", "rule" and "common sense". , "ideological system", etc. The special things are mainly from the level of specific Tao. For example, in section 25, "I don't know its name, but it is called Tao. The name of the strong one is Da."
The second is Tao in the spiritual category, which mainly refers to Lao Tzu's role in the natural world. Abstraction evolved into the way of governing the country by "governing by doing nothing".
The third is the rule or common sense level. For example, in the ninth verse, "When one's merit is achieved, one's body retreats, which is the way of heaven."
The fourth is the method level. For example, in section 59, "It is the Tao that is deeply rooted and has long-lasting vision."
Among the above four levels of elaboration on the meaning of "Tao", the third level is the level of rules or common sense. Tao and law are intertwined. Law is a standardization of common sense and common sense, and the enforcement of such rigid rules is ensured through state coercion. As a rule or common sense, Tao is more of a natural law level, or the rules of Tao are natural laws and are not subject to human subjective will, otherwise they will be punished by natural laws. The way of common sense is the way of social life, which is mainly reflected in the relationship between people and between people and society. It is a universally recognized social law or custom and is restricted by ethical relationships.
From these two levels, the rules and common sense of Tao are the environment and foundation for the formation of law. Law is just the natural laws and common sense standardized in a formal form. Therefore, law and Tao are two For issues at different levels, the law comes from Tao, and in turn must comply with the movement of Tao.
2. The idea of ??"Tao follows nature" is different from Western natural law
What is reflected in "Laozi" is the Chinese natural law thought, which can be regarded as the beginning of Chinese Taoist legal theory. In ancient China, Laozi was the first to put forward the idea of ??natural law that "Tao follows nature". Laozi's "Tao follows nature" is essentially different from Western natural law thought. Western natural law thought originated from the liberal and rationalist traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. The concepts of justice, goodness, and democracy are its foundation and serve as the basis for evaluating the oughtness of positive law or man-made law. Laozi's idea of ??"Tao follows nature" is based on the origin of all things, which is "Tao". He tries to achieve the ultimate grasp of the natural world and human society by recognizing "Tao", and thus lives according to "Tao". This "Tao" is not concepts and evaluation standards such as freedom, rationality, democracy or justice, but an "unnameable" special thing, an "eternal" regular thing, which has both material and spiritual levels and exists in There is a self-circulation between heaven and earth.
In short, Laozi believes that the most important thing for rulers to govern the country is the rule of sages such as "inaction" and "nothing", and the means of sage governance is not to regulate the people through the formulation of national systems such as criminal laws. The sage implements his rule in accordance with nature and without force.
The legal system is a tool for rulers to rule the people. It is a state machine constructed by rulers to protect their own interests and maintain social order. Laozi believes that the existence of these legal systems and state machines are effective measures by rulers, and these are effective measures. Because the measures also reflect the ruler's ambition, selfish desires, wisdom and other factors that cause wars, wealth and poverty, bandits and other disasters, they often interfere with the people's living according to the natural way, so Laozi strongly opposes these measures and legal systems. Therefore, it can be concluded from Laozi's thought of "Tao follows nature" that law needs to conform to the movement of "Tao" and "morality", imitate the laws of nature, and play its governance role in dialectical reverse transformation. The beauty of phonology
The Tao Te Ching has neat sentence patterns and roughly rhymes, and is a poetic verse. It is catchy to read, easy to recite and remember. It reflects the phonological beauty of Chinese characters. For example, "Existence and non-existence are interdependent, difficulty and ease are complementary to each other, long and short are in contrast to each other, and high and low are incompatible with each other" (Chapter 2), "Empty one's heart, strengthen one's belly, weaken one's will, and strengthen one's bones" (Chapter 3), "Frustrate one's sharpness" (Chapter 3) , resolve its conflicts, harmonize its light, and share its dust” (Chapter 4), “its government is boring, but its people are honest” (Chapter 58). These words and phrases not only rhyme, but also interlock with each other. They have beautiful sounds and melodies. Reciting scriptures is a kind of beautiful enjoyment, and you can appreciate the profound philosophy in the beauty of phonology.
Pay attention to rhetoric
The language of "Tao Te Ching" is very artistic and uses a variety of rhetorical methods to make the words and sentences accurate, clear, vivid, rational and contagious.
1. Duality
For example: "Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao; name can be named, but it is not named", "Nothing is the beginning of heaven and earth, existence is the name of all things." "Mother" (Chapter 1), "Nobleness is based on lowliness, and high and low are the foundation" (Chapter 39), "Misfortune is where blessings depend; blessings are where misfortune lies" (Chapter 58), "The difficult things in the world must be done with ease; the great things in the world must be done with details" (Chapter 63). The dual sentences look neat and eye-catching, sound sonorous and pleasant to the ear, and are easy to remember and recite.
2. Parallelism
Parallelism can enhance the momentum and motivation of language. There are many parallel sentences in the Tao Te Ching. For example: "The five colors make people blind; the five tones make people deaf; the five tastes make people feel refreshed; galloping and hunting make people feel crazy; rare goods make people feel frustrated" (Chapter 12), "The music is perfect, but it is all in vain." If it is straight, it will be full; if it is hollow, it will be new; if it is small, it will be gained; if it is too much, it will be confused.” Chapter 24), "A generous person has no corners, a great talent comes late, a great sound is loud, and an elephant is invisible" (Forty-one Chapter).
3. Metaphors
There are many metaphors in the Tao Te Ching. For example: "The immortality of the Grain God is called the mysterious female. The gate of the mysterious female is the root of heaven and earth. If it persists, it is not used diligently" (Chapter 6). The mysterious female is used as a metaphor for "Tao", which gives birth to and nourishes all things. Another example is: "The best is like water, which benefits all things without fighting" (Chapter 8). Throughout the article, water is used as a metaphor for people, personifying water, and praising the noble qualities of those who have attained the Tao. Another example: "With dedicated Qi and softness, I can even give birth to a baby" (Chapter 10), "I am alone and there is no sign of it, just like a baby before it is born" (Chapter 20), "Return to the baby" (Chapter 28) , all use babies as metaphors for the purity, innocence, and simplicity of Taoists. Another example is, "A tree that hugs each other is born from the smallest grain; a nine-story tower is born from tired soil; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Chapter 64). Three metaphors are used to illustrate the principle of starting from a young age. These metaphors enhance the image of the language and deepen the reader's impression.
4. Questions and rhetorical questions
For example: "What does it mean to be favoured, humiliated and frightened? To be favored is to be humble, to be favoured, to be frightened when you get it, and to be frightened when you lose it, is to be favoured, humiliated and frightened." , "What does it mean to have a serious illness like the body? The reason why I have a great illness is that I have a body, and I have no body, so what trouble do I have" (Chapter 13), "What is the difference between good and evil? What is the difference between good and evil?" " (Chapter 20), "If the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death?" (Chapter 74). These questions and rhetorical questions add excitement to the language, are exciting, and have the effect of attracting attention and thinking.
5. Lianzhu
Lianzhu, also called Dingzhen, is a rhetorical technique that uses the words after the previous sentence as the words at the beginning of the next sentence to continue the language. For example: "Human follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature" (Chapter 25), and another example: "Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things" (Chapter 42), Lianzhu makes the tone coherent and the structure tight, which better reflects the organic connection of things.
The language is penetrating
Some of the language in the "Tao Te Ching" is extremely penetrating and is a wise saying that has become an idiom, aphorism, and motto to this day. For example: "Heaven and Earth last forever" (Chapter 7), "The best good is like water" (Chapter 8), "Have few selfish desires and few desires" (Chapter 19), "The weak overcomes the strong, the soft overcomes the strong" (Chapter 78), "Misfortune" Nothing is greater than dissatisfaction, and nothing is more to blame than desire” (Chapter 46). Some of the original sentences have evolved into aphorisms and are widely circulated. For example: "After success, fame, and retirement" (Chapter 9), it is now "Retire after success"; "Know what is white, keep what is black" (Chapter 28), now is "Know what is white and keep what is black" ; "Great skill is like clumsiness, great argument is like ignorance" (Chapter 45), now evolved into "Great wisdom is like foolishness"; "The sky net is huge, sparse but not missing" (Chapter 73), now evolved into "The sky net is huge, sparse but not missing" (Chapter 73) "; "Being contented is always enough" (Chapter 46), which is now "being content and always happy"; "being favored and disgraced is like being surprised" (Chapter 13), now being "not surprised by being favored or disgraced".
A small country with few people
Idealism and romantic feelings: taking "a small country with few people" as an example
1. Literary fantasy and literariness
"Tao Te Ching" Chapter 1 Chapter 80: "A small country with few people. It has a few weapons but does not use them; it makes the people die again but does not move far away; although there are boats and carriages, there is nothing to take them; although there are armor and soldiers, there is nothing to show them. Let the people reunite Use the rope. Enjoy your food, enjoy your clothes, live in peace, and enjoy your customs. Neighbors look at each other, hear the sounds of chickens and dogs, and the people do not interact with each other until they grow old and die."
This. This passage shows an ideal world: the country is small, the population is small, but it is peaceful and happy. From a material point of view, "Shi" means "many" and "miscellaneous", and "Shi Bo Zhi Qi" means that living materials or material means of life are very abundant. "Although there are boats" means that the transportation and means of transportation here are relatively developed. Food, clothing, shelter, etc. are all available. In terms of the quality of the people, the people here are not greedy for life and death but are full of respect for death. They have an indifferent and peaceful mind. Although they are rich in "shibo's utensils", they are not greedy. "Being happy with their customs" shows that they have a fulfilling spiritual life. This It shows that the quality of the population is very high. In terms of the international situation, it is very peaceful here. Although they all have weapons and resources, they have "nothing to show for it." This is not something that can be decided by one country. It must be unanimously recognized by all countries. From the perspective of international interactions, people here communicate very simply. Because they live a contented life, communication seems unnecessary. The reduction of communication brings about the reduction of worldly affairs, which liberates the human soul from the mundane and truly reaches the level of living for the soul. "The so-called 'poetic' means people's 'creative imagination' or 'creating by imagination.'" It can be seen that the world built by Laozi is full of poetic charm.
The ideal of "a small country with few people" cannot be realized in real life. This "utopian feeling" is a simple and naive dream, full of idealism and romantic feelings like a poet. The world created by Laozi is very characteristic of literary fantasy. This fantasy starts from the basic demands of human beings and is the common desire of mankind for a peaceful and better life. The important value of "Tao Te Ching" as a literary text is reflected in its genuine humanistic care, and this is also the embodiment of "literary nature" in Laozi's "Tao Te Ching".
2. The complex message conveyed by "a small country with few people"
Romantic feelings
In the "Tao Te Ching", it is said that Lao Tzu has "romantic feelings", which refers to a kind of romantic feelings. The warm feelings that are constantly revealed and extended are related to all the realities that the writer cares about and care about. It also covers the world created by the writer. It can reflect or represent the writer's ideals, wishes, life attitude, etc. For example, "The greatest good is like water. Water is good for all things and does not compete with it. It is what everyone hates, so it is close to the Tao" (Chapter 8). Laozi explains noble feelings from a perceptual perspective, using the physical properties of water as an entry point, personifying water and giving it life and emotional consciousness. Even if it is for the purpose of education, it also makes people feel a kind of pulse. of tenderness. Romanticism has profound humanistic concerns, "truly expresses people's yearning to return to their natural state, and reflects the true meaning of people's pursuit of the ultimate concern of the ontology." The intervention of formal means will expand the atmosphere of this emotional attitude and be more conducive to aesthetic acceptance. Therefore, the expression of romantic feelings is generally supplemented by corresponding more sophisticated forms of expression.
"Small country with few people" and Laozi's philosophy
Literary fantasies in literary works are usually created by writers because they cannot realize them in real life or are too far away from their ideals. The act of making fiction in one's own work. Literary fantasy can be positive or negative. But no matter how the writer expresses it, it will reveal the writer's ideas and thoughts.
"A small country with few people" conveys Lao Tzu's understanding of the concept of "country" and embodies the concept of an "ideal country". The people do not value their bodies too much, are not greedy for life or money, live in peace and contentment, and will not stray far from their homeland. Although there are weapons here, there is no war. There are very few worldly affairs, and knotting knots to record things can satisfy people's needs. The people are very satisfied with their food, clothing, housing and transportation, and sincerely love their customs and life. The neighboring countries are very peaceful. They can hear the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs from each other, and are full of the happiness of peaceful life. This kind of beautiful and prosperous life and people's indifferent desires enable people to find comfort and satisfaction without the need for transactions.
Looking at it simply, the concept of "country" conveyed by "a small country with few people" is that without material and spiritual pressure, everyone can be happy.
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were an era of frequent wars. No country could achieve the goal of "having armored soldiers but nothing to show for them." Without a stable life, the normal operation of agriculture cannot be guaranteed, which in turn leads to a lack of living materials. In an era when food and clothing cannot be guaranteed, the meaning of "human" cannot be treated and respected in a basic and reasonable manner. "A small country with few people" is exactly the opposite of this reality, and is a reflection of a writer's humanistic care.
"Small Country with Few People": Romantic Feelings and Calm Reason
As a literary fantasy, "Small Country with Few People" has poetic and romantic feelings.
The essence of Chinese culture is poetry, and its spiritual method is poetics. In a word, Chinese culture is a poetic culture. Laozi is an important part of Chinese poetic culture. From the "Tao Te Ching", we can also feel Laozi's poetic romance and poetic rationality.
Looking at the text itself, first of all, the lyrical expression.
Lao Tzu describes the country from the basic perceptual aspects of "food, clothing, housing and transportation". This way of thinking has a primitive beauty. The pursuit of returning to nature is a manifestation of Taoism's pursuit of the unity of nature and man. However, Laozi formally uses "make...make...", "Although there is...nothing...although there is...nothing..." The repeated techniques are in neat sentences; The parallelism of "living in the country and enjoying the customs" makes the sentence full of tension; in addition, short sentences of three or four characters alternate with long sentences of seven or eight characters, "neighboring countries look at each other, hear the sound of chickens and dogs, and the people will not interact with each other until they grow old and die. ", full of singing ability. Secondly, imagination and creation themselves are a kind of poetic wisdom, and they have a romantic mood and temperament. "Small country with few people" itself is a kind of poetic creation and imagination, and Laozi's creation of its artistic atmosphere is also very good, making this lifestyle full of soft and tough appeal.
I am not a word player, so readers have to jump out of the text and look at its literary nature from behind the text. It is said that Lao Tzu's calmness and rationality are not that of a politician, but that of a poet: he pursues freedom and advocates keeping his pure spiritual land. He believes that "the saint comes first after others, and exists outside the body. Isn't it because of his selflessness? So he can achieve his selfishness" (Chapter 7); when doing things, you must guard your heart and don't be too persistent. "The saint does nothing, so There is no defeat; there is no persistence, so there is no loss." "If you don't desire, don't value hard-to-find goods. If you don't learn, you will repeat the mistakes of others." (Chapter 64) "Retreat after success, this is the way of heaven." Chapter 9), only when you guard your heart can you move forward and retreat freely.
Lao Tzu stated in the Tao Te Ching that one's heart must be in one's own hands, "Restlessness overcomes cold, tranquility overcomes heat, and purity is the right of the world" (Chapter 45). Only by maintaining Only by being sober can we "overcome the cold" and "overcome the heat", advance or retreat as we please, and let our own heart determine our own path. This is true freedom.
It emphasizes guarding one's own heart and freedom. From Laozi's point of view, only in this way can we see the beauty and ugliness of the world and maintain pure yearning without losing the ability to judge ourselves. This is the prerequisite for romance. I originally worked in the National Library and Archives, and it was easy to lose myself when exposed to politics at close range. However, his identity made him powerless to deal with current affairs and politics. If you go too deep, you will be hurt. If you go with the flow, you will lose your sense of right and wrong. "Why do I always have tears in my eyes? Because I love this land deeply" just describes his mood: Laozi advocates "loving the people and governing the country" (Chapter 10). He saw that "the heaven and the earth are unkind. All things are like rudderless dogs; the sage is unkind and treats the people as rudderless dogs" (Chapter 5), advocating "a hundredfold benefit for the people" (Chapter 19). However, the ruler is "stealing boasts" (Chapter 53) and is beyond his capabilities. In this world, "the people are hungry because of the high food taxes on them; the people are difficult to manage because of the efforts of the people above them; the people despise death because of the wealth of people who seek to survive. He saw it and felt compassion, so he created an ideal world of "a small country with few people", left the Tao Te Ching and left, never to see him again.
The message conveyed by Laozi is complex, covering the writer's personal values, historical situation, emotional concepts, etc. Real literature is to reflect the rich world of information and the rich information of the world in a literary way in a small work. This is also an important feature of the literariness of the Tao Te Ching.