If we interpret Guan Yu objectively, Guan Yu has many personality defects.
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Chen Shou's evaluation of Guan Yu in The Three Kingdoms is rigid and conceited, which only refers to his strong and conceited personality. It doesn't matter if Guan Yu's character is placed on an ordinary person, but as a general of the upper class, such a character can easily lead to defeat in the war. "Guan Yu's carelessness in Jingzhou" is the evil result of his character.
Besides, he is at odds with his colleagues. When Liu Bei conferred the title of general, Guan Yu and Huang Zhong had the same title. Guan Yu immediately angered: "A strong man does not associate with veterans."
Guan Yu smashed one enemy after another with the dragon crescent moon blade, but the dragon crescent moon blade was a weapon that only appeared in the Song Dynasty, and it was not used in the battlefield, but as the equipment of the honor guard.
? Figure 1 Guan Yu (160-220), the word fairy, later changed to cloud length.
It is also false that Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong with warm wine. Sun Jian, the commander of Jiangdong, defeated Hua Xiong. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms records that Guan Yu surrendered to Cao Cao, but he was not moved by the golden beauty sent by Cao Cao. But since ancient times, heroes have been sad about Beauty Pass, and Guan Yu in the official history is no exception. Lu Bu's Ministry, Qin Lu Yi, has a beautiful wife. When Guan Yu and Cao Cao attacked Lu Bu together, Guan Yu specifically asked Cao Cao to give Qin's wife to him after breaking the city. Of course Cao Cao agreed.
But after the city was broken, Cao Cao was also attracted by the beauty of Qin's wife, and finally Cao Cao took it for himself. Guan Yu hated Cao Cao for this, which was one of the reasons why Guan Yu left Cao Cao later.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in order to show Guan Yu's loyalty to the Han Dynasty, a story like this was described:
Guan Yu was forced to surrender to Cao Cao for his two sisters-in-law. In order to win over Guan Yu, Cao Cao invited Guan Yu to be named Shou Tinghou. Guan Yu said that a Chinese character must be added in front of the shout. This can show that I accept the knighthood of the Han Dynasty, not that of Cao Cao. In the Han Dynasty, Marquis was named after a place name, and Hanshou was actually Ting County in Wuling County, Jingzhou. Guan Yu's title was originally the pavilion of Han Shou, but it was taken out of context by Luo Guanzhong.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, which means that the former image of Guan Yu and the United States has been deeply rooted in people's hearts since the Ming Dynasty. So before the Ming Dynasty, how could Guan Yu, who had so many personality defects, be enshrined in a temple?
? Fig. 2 History of Buddhism, 54 volumes (the current version lacks 19 volumes and 22 volumes), Song.
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The greatest contributor to the popularity of Buddhism in China is Guan Yu. According to the Biography of the Buddha * Wise Man, in the twelfth year of Emperor Yangdi, in 592 AD, the founder of Tiantai Sect traveled to Jingzhou, where he saw the aura of Yuquan Mountain, so he built a temple to promote Buddhism.
However, foreign monks are not good at chanting scriptures, and the people have never been exposed to Buddhism, let alone listen to it. So Coriolus versicolor made up such a story: one day, the wind was strong and the sky was dark, and Coriolus versicolor was surrounded by a group of monsters. Zhiyi purified these monsters with his own Buddhism, and then Guan Yu appeared in front of Zhiyi from mid-air. It turned out that Guan Gong was unwilling after losing Maicheng, and after his death, Yuquan Mountain was king.
Guan Yu knew the purpose of Yunzhi's visit and helped him build the temple in seven days. At the end of the story, Guan Yu sincerely converted to Buddhism, and Zhiyi played Yang Guang, the king of Jin Dynasty, and named Guan Yu as the "THE TEMPLE OF JIALAN Bodhisattva" who guarded Buddhism.
After hearing this story, the people joined Buddhism in order to seek the protection of Buddhism and stay away from monsters. The rise of Buddhism makes Taoism in China unable to sit still. Taoism decided to imitate Buddhism and write a story about Guan Gong and Taoism.
? Figure 3 Zhiyi (AD 538-597), the fourth ancestor and actual founder of Tiantai Sect of Buddhism in China.
In the Song Dynasty, Taoism gradually rose, and Song Huizong believed in Taoism very much, so he entrusted Guan Yu with the title of "Zunning Zhenjun". However, this pursuit did not have a good public opinion effect, so Taoism made their prepared stories public.
It is recorded in the Legacy of Xuanhe in the Great Song Dynasty that Guan Yu was invited by Zhang Tianshi to destroy Chiyou for five years, and Chiyou was in Xiezhou, so the drama of Guan Yu's battle against Chiyou became popular all over the country. Guan Yu and war stories in Qin Qiong are already absurd, and the war between Guan Yu and Chiyou is even more absurd. As one of the three great ancestors of China, Chiyou exists as a god. It seems that Guan Gong must have been practicing Taoism since his death.
In the forty-second year of Wanli, Zhang Tongyuan, a Taoist priest of Chongning Palace, requested Guan Gong to become emperor. Emperor Wanli canonized Guan Gong as "Great Demon Conquered Three Realms, Great Emperor Megatronus Guan Sheng" and held a three-day grand ceremony at the Guandi Temple in Zhengyangmen. Guan Gong has now become the highest-ranking deity in Taoism, much higher than the THE TEMPLE OF JIALAN Bodhisattva in Buddhism.
? Figure 4 Guan Yu reads Spring and Autumn at night.
With the influence of Guan Gong, Taoism instantly surpassed Buddhism and became the largest religion in China. At this time, Confucianism was the most frustrated, and the emperor followed religion. Isn't the future of Confucianism in jeopardy? Confucianism also wants to find its own connection with Guan Gong, but Guan Gong only went to a private school when he was a child, not even a scholar, so Confucianism had to deliberately exaggerate Guan Gong's reading spirit of reading Chunqiu at night and take him as an example for scholars.
Confucianism has been a sharp weapon for emperors to govern the country since ancient times, and the strength of Confucianism is one of the manifestations of the strength of imperial power. Since the Sui Dynasty, there have been many followers of Buddhism and Taoism, and Confucianism has weakened, which the rulers do not want to see. So the Qing emperor took turns to take action to enhance the influence of Confucianism.
? Figure 5 Guandi Temple is also called Guandi Temple.
Since the emperor shunzhi entered Shanhaiguan, successive emperors have worshipped Guan Gong. In the thirty-third year of Qianlong, Guan Gong was named as "Loyalty and Righteousness, SHEN WOO Blessed Emperor Guan Sheng", and was later sealed by emperors of all dynasties. By the time of the last seal in the fifth year of Guangxu, the title of Guan Yu had reached 26 words, all of which were called "loyalty, SHEN WOO's spiritual protection, Ren Yong, showing great prestige, protecting the country and the people, sincerely comforting and praising Emperor Xuande Guan Sheng"
The couplets of Guandi Temple in Qing Dynasty summarized the great influence in China feudal society.
The first part says, "Confucianism is sacred, Buddhism is Buddha, Taoism is Buddha, and all three religions are converted." Shizhan Temple has taken on a new look, and no one can help but respect it. "The bottom line is," Han sealed Hou, Song sealed Wang, Ming sealed Emperor, and you were knighted in all dynasties. Qing is a great feat, and it's really hard to name it. "Through the full publicity and portrayal of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, Guan Gong has now become a recognized god of the three religions, and has gained a large number of believers. Guan Gong's hometown people have also turned him into a god of wealth.
? Figure 6 Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Guan Gong was a native of Shanxi, and Shanxi merchants were rich in Ming and Qing Dynasties. When Shanxi merchants travel from south to north, they always regard Guan Gong, the hero of their hometown, as the patron saint. Doing business requires contacts, which emphasize loyalty and honesty. This is the image of Guan Gong in The Romance of Three Kingdoms. The power of example is enormous. Businessmen from all over the world followed the example of Shanxi merchants and regarded Guan Gong as a protector, and Guan Gong gradually became the god of wealth in people's eyes.
Guan Gong can become the originator of many industries because of heaven and earth. Heaven and Earth Society chose Guan Gong as the object of worship in order to fight against the Qing Dynasty and regain sight. The members of the Heaven and Earth Society are composed of ordinary people from all walks of life. Everyone usually worships Guan Gong, and Guan Gong naturally became the originator of many industries. For example, pawnbrokers, porters, fortune tellers, silk weavers and bean curd workers all regard Guan Gong as their grandfathers, but it is a bit funny for a barber to regard Guan Gong as his grandfathers. When did the dragon crescent moon blade shave its head?
? Figure 7 Guan Yu Stone Carvings in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province
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Although Guan Gong recorded in Historical Records is a man full of personality defects, this is only Guan Gong's image as a human being, and it does not affect Guan Gong's deified image. Because behind the deified image is the purest belief in people's hearts, which maintains people's yearning for a better life. The narrow interpretation is to pay tribute to the loyalty and honesty of America in the past. In fact, all this is for a better life.
Farmers, pray for good weather; Businessmen, pray for prosperity; Work hard and pray for prosperity; Officials, pray for peace and prosperity; Soldiers, always pray for peace. Every ordinary person has the best expectation in his heart Guan Yu, on the other hand, is pinning the expectations of every China person and flying the sky of every dream. When you think your dream is impossible, don't worry, because Guan Yu will release your dream sooner or later.
There are more than 60,000 Guandi temples in more than 30 countries and regions around the world. Whether Chinese or overseas Chinese, whether South or North. Guan Gong embodies the dreams of Chinese people all over the world, from individuals to countries. May all the best hopes have the best ending. Guan Gong can pick up the Dragon Crescent Moon Knife in the Song Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms and fight against Gu Chiyou. What is impossible in this world?
Text: Zhong Yi
References: History of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou, Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, and Guan Yu Worship by Wen Tinghai.