100 must-read books for college students

Chapter 15 Classics of Libertarian Thought

Chapter 14 The classic work of the thought of freedom supremacy: "Zhuangzi"

During the Warring States Period, my country's philosophical thought and literary language had developed to a very profound and profound level, and its obvious and prominent
The symbol is the emergence of the classical document "Zhuangzi".

Opening the book "Zhuangzi", we are easily infected by the rich content and profound thoughts.It involves ethics,

Philosophy, life, politics, science, art and many other aspects, and these aspects are organically combined into a system structure
From Zhuangzi's point of view, everything belongs to "Tao".In other words, a "Zhuangzi" is nothing more than to explain a "Tao"

word.

Zhuangzi written by a hermit philosopher

Zhuangzi (approximately 369-286 BC), named Zhou, styled Zixiu, was born in Song Guomeng (now northeast of Shangqiu, Henan) during the Warring States Period.He with

King Hui of Liang and King Xuan of Qi were contemporaries, but later than Mencius.All his life, he regarded official career as worthless,

He did not pursue official salary, so he was impoverished all his life. In addition to lecturing and writing, it is said that he sometimes relied on fishing and weeding.

Shoes sustain life.Living in "poor alleys and alleys", people are so thin that they are "gaunt and yellow".

Zhuangzi is a thinker who despises the rich and rich, but pursues personal freedom.He sharply and violently criticized the evil of the time
society.All saints, princes and lords, the law of saint kings, benevolence, righteousness, rituals and music were all scolded by him heartily.he is in the article

He shouted loudly: "A sage was born a thieves." He believed that "the sage never dies, but the thieves will not stop" ("Long Sui"), and directly pointed the finger at

to the tyrant.The country of Song he lived in, at that time King Yan of the Song "shooting the sky and whipping the earth", was licentious and immoral, unpopular, Zhuangzi had a deep understanding

Yes, so he wrote vigorously, expressing his heart.Sima Qian also said that Zhuang Zhou "wrote "The Fisherman", "The Robber Zhi", and "The Pillow Box" to slander Confucius' disciples and Ming Lao

The art of children. "("Historical Records Biography of Lao Tzu and Han Fei")

The book "Zhuangzi", an ancient version handed down in the Han Dynasty, has more than 10 words, 52 chapters, 7 inner chapters, 28 outer chapters, 14 miscellaneous chapters, and 3 commentary chapters.

In the Jin Dynasty, 33 articles were deleted and annotated by Guo Xiang, including 7 inner articles, 15 outer articles and 11 miscellaneous articles.Are these
It is Zhuangzi's work, which has always been controversial.Most scholars believe that the book "Zhuangzi" is a compilation of thesis of Zhuangzi and his schools.

There are many commentaries on "Zhuangzi" by later generations. The popular editions include Jin Guoxiang's annotation, Wang Xianqian's "Zhuangzi Collection Explanation" in the late Qing Dynasty, Guo Qingfan's "Zhuangzi Collection Explanation"

"Wait.

Language Treasure House of Books of Taoism

Since "Zhuangzi" is a collection of works of a school of thought, its ideological content will not be pure. "Zhuangzi", since ancient times

It is a book of interest to literati. It not only involves philosophy, human relations, and politics, but also discusses aesthetics, art, language,

Biology, health care, etc.But its main idea is, after all, Zhuang Zhou's thought, and its theory is mainly Zhuang Zhou's theory.Chuang Tzu's
Philosophy, the core of Zhuangzi's thoughts, all lie in the word "Tao".Zhuangzi inherits and develops Laozi's viewpoint of "Tao follows nature",

It emphasizes the self-generation and self-transformation of things, and denies the sovereignty of God.The so-called "Tao" is the common thing between Yin and Yang in heaven and earth. "road"

The word appears 362 times in "Zhuangzi". What does it mean in "Zhuangzi" as the way of Taoism? Description of "The Great Master"
Said: "The husband and the way have affection and faith, nothing is invisible; it can be passed on but not received;
The ancients exist forever; the gods, ghosts and gods are born in nature..." In Zhuangzi's view, Tao exists objectively, but its essence is nothingness

.He admitted that matter changes in motion, such as spring, summer, autumn and winter in a year, "spring and summer come first, autumn and winter follow, and the sequence of the four seasons." ("

"Heavenly Way") He also believes that things can be transformed in the opposite direction. He said: "Safety and danger are exchanged, and misfortunes and blessings are born together."
"("Zeyang"). It can be seen that Zhuangzi has simple dialectics. He also recognizes the particularity of contradictions in things.

In this article, I told a story about raising birds in the way of treating people: the king of the state of Lu liked to raise birds very much. Once, he got a bird

A bird with very beautiful feathers does not dare to put the bird in the open-air garden, but welcomes it into the temple, sends people to offer wine and meat, and orders

The musicians were asked to play the music, which made the bird dizzy, unable to eat or drink, and died in the cage on the third day.

Zhuangzi advocated "government by doing nothing" in politics. He pointed out in the article "Tian Dao" that emperors should "take inaction as permanence" and "emperors

Doing nothing makes the world merit.” In Zhuangzi’s view, one should be impartial in dealing with others, not hurting others, not giving alms, not being with others.

People fight for property and earn their own living.Therefore, he advocated following the "middle way", so that he could protect himself, give up his life, support relatives, and
to all year round.He advised people to "let nature take its course", not to damage nature with likes and dislikes, but to let nature change. "Go with the flow" against
It reflects Zhuangzi's inner world of self-liberation.He started from the world-weary thought and developed to "death is the ultimate joy". In Zhuangzi's view,
The birth of human beings is the materialization of Tao, and the birth, old age, sickness and death of each person is also the materialization of Tao.Therefore, when his wife died, he believed
The death of his wife is because he slept peacefully in the big house of heaven and earth, and got peace. Instead of crying bitterly, he actually "drummed and sang"
"("Best Joy"). Even before his death, he also opposed the generous burial of his disciples. He said that the heaven and the earth should be the coffin, the sun and the moon should be connected, and the stars should be the pearls.

Tao is the way of nature, human nature is the natural nature of human beings, governing by doing nothing is governing by the people's nature, and art is the combination of subjective nature and objective nature.
product of combination.It can be said that a "Zhuangzi" can basically be summed up by the word "natural". The book "Zhuangzi"
Most of the authors use the word "heaven" or "the way of heaven and earth" to express the concept of "nature".

In the chapter "Autumn Water", it is recorded that Zhuangzi refused to go to Chu to be an official.Zhuangzi used the long-dead tortoise to be enshrined as a metaphor for an official title
To be praised, in his opinion, this is nothing more than a false name. He would rather crawl in the mud like a living turtle dragging his tail than enter the officialdom.
Showing prominence, he would rather live in poverty and fish for a living than pursue official salary. This is his detached attitude of dissatisfaction with reality.so he
Cynical, "I will not be an official for life." Zhuangzi flogged the reality while sympathizing with the hard-working people.In the "Dasheng" chapter, he also

It describes the story that Duke Zhuang asked Dong Yeji to perform his driving skills desperately to satisfy his selfish desires, and the good horse was exhausted, expressing his love for Dong Yeji.

Ye Ji's sympathy.Zhuangzi also praised Pao Ding, who was skilled at slaughtering cattle, a craftsman who chopped wheels, a stonemason who was accustomed to transporting catties, and Ziqing who made saws.
, These show that Zhuangzi is close to the thoughts and feelings of the lower working people.

"Zhuangzi" has been a book of interest to literati since ancient times. It has rich and colorful vocabulary, sonorous tones, and vigorous momentum.

Unrestrained and unrestrained, the structure is undulating, the color of emotion is rich, vertical and horizontal, natural and unrestrained, boundless and unrestrained, graceful, its writing
Academic attainments can rival Qu Yuan's "Sao Fu".In the eyes of aestheticians, most people think that Zhuangzi has opened up a new world that is different from Confucianism.

The aesthetic series has a profound influence on Chinese art.From the point of view of linguists, Zhuangzi is a master of language, and the language of "Zhuangzi"
The rich and vivid words are unparalleled among the works of pre-Qin philosophers. For the first time, he put forward the concept of fables and novels, creating

He wrote nearly 200 fables and pioneered the use of fictional techniques to reflect reality and express ideals. He is known as "the ancestor of humorous theory".

.

The book "Zhuangzi" had a great influence on the literature of later generations.Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, suave and uninhibited authors such as Ruan Ji and Ji Kang have become
For writing, most of them are old and Zhuang.For the text, it is more based on "Zhuangzi".

Lu Xun commented on such a brilliant artistic achievement in the prose of "Zhuangzi", saying: "The works of the philosophers in the late Zhou Dynasty cannot be the first." In fact,

Even in the entire history of Chinese literature, it can be said to be rare.

In order to express the idea of ​​pursuing absolute spiritual freedom and completely detaching from reality, the conception of the prose in "Zhuangzi" is "out of the ordinary".exist
From Zhuangzi's point of view, the world is dark and filthy, and it is impossible to talk to the world with real and grandiose words, and to use strange
It is a common art form, expressing the thoughts of the world.Therefore, in the choice of subject matter, "Zhuangzi" pays more attention to fables and

myth.Among them are the processing and transformation of historical stories, myths and legends, as well as spontaneous improvisation. "Zhuangzi"

The author is particularly good at thinking in images, and his writings are seldom empty and blunt.He vividly embodies the profound philosophy in the complicated and confusing
In a illusory plot that is indistinguishable from the true to the false, he subtly expresses his true thoughts in a surreal artistic atmosphere. "village
The hundreds of fables in "The Son" are relatively independent and interconnected.As far as an article is concerned, it is often a story

Things are linked together to form a whole, expressing a center together.This creates a unique chain of

Structure.According to statistics, there are nearly 7 fables in the seven chapters of Zhuangzi alone.

The immortal artistic charm of the prose of "Zhuangzi" comes from the artistic image in it to a large extent.These artistic images in "Zhuangzi

", appearing one after another, making people obtain extraordinary aesthetic enjoyment in the surprise.Its true thoughts often reside in the
Among all kinds of strange images.

Through such image description, readers are introduced into an artistic realm that transcends time and space, and does not distinguish between the past and the present.
It is the unique charm of "Zhuangzi", and it is also a great artistic achievement that is higher than that of the late Zhou philosophers.

The deep source of thought and inexhaustible source of beauty contained in "Zhuangzi" has always strongly attracted people of later generations.That
Ideas and language are still growing vigorously in our lives and thoughts.

Today, "Zhuangzi" has attracted widespread attention not only at home, but also in the international cultural circles.
National pride!Of course, when we read and study "Zhuangzi", we must see that there are two aspects in his thinking, positive and negative.
.For example, it destroys idols and requires the liberation of individuality, which is a requirement of progress and a positive side.for his nihilistic stuff

West is the negative side.

Excessively exalting the invisible Tao and belittling the real perceptual world. He believes that life is only a temporary existence and is insignificant.

of.He believes that Tao is "congenitally born" and has no boundaries and differences. Later, he developed to advocate equalization of things, right and wrong, and equality.
Big and small, life and death, high and low, imagining a subjective spiritual realm of "the world and I live together, and all things are one with me".

Chushun, happy and contented.This makes Zhuangzi's thought, which originally contained elements of simple dialectics, move towards relativism and fatalism.

But in any case, it is undeniable that the book "Zhuangzi" written by Zhuangzi had a profound influence on the philosophy and literature of later generations.Because of

There are similarities with Lao Dan's political and philosophical thoughts. People regard him and Lao Tzu as "Lao Zhuang" because of his unique prose.
Later generations called him "Zhuang Sao" together with Qu Yuan.

(End of this chapter)