Source: Journal of China Academy of Social Sciences 24/6/1 Author: Tian Yuan Published: 6-11, 24
"China's roots are all in Taoism" is a famous saying of Mr. Lu Xun, which has been frequently used in recent years. However, in academic circles, there is a completely opposite understanding of this famous saying of Lu Xun.
First, Lu Xun's original intention
A: Mr. Lu Xun's wise saying "China's roots are all in Taoism" affirmed the position and role of Taoism in China's traditional culture in extremely concise language. This is a scientific conclusion, which corrects an academic prejudice that has been popular at home and abroad for a long time, that is, Confucian culture can represent the whole traditional culture of China, while Taoist culture is dispensable and worthless, and even advocates its complete elimination.
since Mr. Lu Xun's so-called "cannibal nation" came from "reading Tong Jian" occasionally, to understand what "cannibal nation" means, we should know who the author of Tong Jian is and what its purpose is. First of all, Tong Jian should refer to Zi Zhi Tong Jian, whose author is not a Taoist but a famous Confucian Sima Guang. Secondly, Sima Guang compiled Zi Zhi Tong Jian for reference by feudal rulers, so what he preached was the feudal ethics of Confucianism, not the morality of Taoism. In addition, judging from the contents of A Madman's Diary and Lu Xun's later statement that "A Madman's Diary is intended to expose the evils of the family system and ethics", and he didn't mention that it was intended to expose Taoism at all, what Lu Xun's assertion of "cannibalism" revealed should mainly refer to the essence of feudal ethics advocated by Confucianism, not the essence of Taoism.
b: we must understand Lu Xun's original intention from the specific context. On May 15th, 1918, Lu Xun first published the short story Diary of a Madman under the pseudonym of Lu Xun. Xu Shoushang, a good friend of Lu Xun, thought it was "very similar to Zhou Yucai's handwriting" after reading it, so he wrote to ask. Lu Xun wrote back on August 2 of the same year, saying, "Diary of a Madman is really a poor work, and it was written by a poet in the vernacular and a servant. It was once said that China's roots are all in Taoism, which is quite popular recently. There are many problems that can be solved by reading history. Later, when I read The Mirror occasionally, I realized that China people are still cannibals, so I wrote this article. This kind of discovery has a great relationship, but few people know it. " This passage not only answers the question of signature, but more importantly introduces the creative thinking of Diary of a Madman. Diary of a Madman is a campaign for the May 4th New Culture Movement to declare war on the "cannibalism" of the old culture. Although Lu Xun did not directly say that Taoism "cannibalism" in his reply and Diary of a Madman, the meaning is very clear in terms of the internal logic of his words-"reading history with this", that is, reading history with the view that "China's roots are all in Taoism" (including "The Madman's Diary" How can it be said that Lu Xun's assertion of "cannibalism" reveals that "it should mainly refer to Confucianism ... rather than the essence of Taoism"?
Second, Lu Xun's consistent attitude towards Taoism
A: As Mr. Lu Xun is the standard-bearer of the New Culture Movement, he is critical of the traditional old culture including Taoism. However, it is not true if it is concluded from these that Mr. Lu Xun completely denied Taoism without a word of affirmation. For example, he said in "Little Miscellaneous Feelings": "People often hate monks, nuns, Muslims and Christians, but not Taoists. Those who know this understand most of China. " Here, he thinks that only by understanding why people often hate the followers of the three major religions in the world but not the Taoists can they truly understand China, which shows that Taoism has a deep root in the eyes of ordinary people. This can also be used as a side note of his scientific assertion that "China's roots are all in Taoism".
b: actually, Lu Xun's criticism of Taoism is no less than that of Confucianism. Looking up Lu Xun's words about Taoism from 1918 to 1927, not a single word affirmed Taoism, but many words criticized and reprimanded it. It can be said that Lu Xun has no affection for Taoism. For example, "In China, listening to the sermons from Taoist priests and the essays from critics makes people feel cramped, and they dare not sweat. However, this may be China's' eternal humanity'. " Isn't this "pore spasm, sweat dare not come out" and "eternal humanity" the most vivid annotation to the saying that "China's roots are all in Taoism"? What's more, the Taoist priests in Lu Xun's works are actually a group of unscrupulous people: "When Buddhism came to the East, several Buddhists translated the scriptures, but the Taoist priests stole the Buddhist scriptures and made them, and the scriptures came to scold the Buddhist scriptures, while at the same time they used obscene methods to harm the monks, causing a lot of trouble." "Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, all the scholars, Taoist priests and monks in China have been characterized by' no special exercises'." Needless to say, in Lu Xun's mind, not only Confucianism, but also Taoism is negative-"China people are still cannibals". What is the nature of Taoism as the "root of China"? What role has it played in the formation of the "bad roots" of the people? What kind of responsibility should I take? The conclusion can be imagined!
third, is Lu Xun's assertion "no accident"
A: It is no accident that Mr. Lu Xun was able to make the wise assertion that "China's roots are all in Taoism". Among China people at that time, except Mr. Lu Xun, others did not have the knowledge to make this scientific conclusion. Therefore, we should not belittle the significance of Mr. Lu Xun because he is not famous as a Taoist historian.
b: this statement is not in line with the actual situation. In fact, "among China people at that time", there were many people who held this "scientific conclusion", and "by no means" Mr. Lu Xun was alone. In Lu Xun's original words, it is "this saying is quite wide." Evidence shows that it was the knowledge of many advanced intellectuals at that time to regard Taoism as the root of ignorance and backwardness in China. For example, Qian Xuantong called Taoism "the most barbaric Taoism". Chen Duxiu said that Taoism is "the most harmful to China in ancient times". "Today's geomantic omen, fortune telling, divination, scribbling, chanting, training, alchemy, luck, looking at the air, praying for rain, praying for sunshine, welcoming God, talking about ghosts, and all kinds of strange things are rampant in the country, and the practical learning is not prosperous, and the people's wisdom is declining day by day. Going to evil and saying that people are right will start from now on. " Zhou Zuoren also thinks: "The biggest resistance to improving the countryside lies in the old ideas of rural people themselves, and the main force of this old idea is Taoism." From the intimate relationship between Qian, Chen and Zhou and Lu Xun at that time, and the fact that all four were the main figures in the New Culture Movement, Qian, Chen and Zhou's views can be regarded as the standard interpretation of "China's roots are all in Taoism"; In other words, "China's roots are all in Taoism" is a high-level summary of Qian, Chen and Zhou.
Fourth, why are Lu Xun's famous sayings widely cited
A: Because Mr. Lu Xun has a thorough understanding of China's traditional culture, he can challenge this traditional academic prejudice and put forward a scientific conclusion that "China's roots are all in Taoism", which is refreshing. After the reform and opening up, with the gradual deepening of our research in the field of Taoist culture, the position and role of Taoist culture in China's traditional culture has been recognized by more and more people. As a result, this wise saying of Mr. Lu Xun more than 8 years ago has been accepted by more and more people. More and more people will realize its scientificity and profundity, and think that it completely conforms to the historical facts of China's academic culture. This is the real reason why this wise saying is widely quoted by more and more people nowadays.
b: Taoist culture, as one of the important pillars of China traditional culture, has great historical and practical significance. However, Lu Xun's so-called "Chinese roots are all in Taoism" is intended to criticize. Although literally, this is a positive judgment, however, he totally denied China's "root", which expressed a total denial of Taoism. When we enthusiastically affirm the historical role of Taoism, it is really unreasonable to cite the negative evaluation of Taoism by this great man as an authoritative argument. This is by no means a serious academic attitude. The reason why such strange things happen is that, first, we have less time to read and identify the words to be quoted; Second, I want to rely on celebrities too much. As a result, it not only misreads Lu Xun, but also does not help to correctly evaluate Taoism. Because this derogatory "famous saying" is Mr. Lu Xun's "patent" and is widely known; Therefore, if the main theme of the book is to praise Taoism, even from the perspective of importance, it is not appropriate to quote it; Otherwise, it is easy to cause misunderstanding. Instead of correcting "prejudice" and promoting traditional culture, it is counterproductive, which can only play a negative role in academic research and Taoism itself.