Reading history books: Yao's story

Yao Dian is the first of 28 articles in the history of modern literature handed down by Fu Sheng. Annotators in Han and Tang dynasties usually think that this was recorded by the historians of Yao at that time; Scholars after the Song Dynasty believed that it was written by later generations. At first, "Moon is like Ji Gu" means "investigating ancient things". Just like today, when we say "How was it before", we are telling history and stories.

So when was this article written? Who is the author? Opinions vary.

Mr. Fan Wenlan said in "A Brief History of China" that this "is probably a systematic record of rumors collected by historians in the Zhou Dynasty";

Taiwan Province scholar Qu Wanli textual research, said that this article was written after Confucius, before Mencius' middle and old age, between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period;

In his Ten Books of Criticism, Mr. Guo Moruo thinks that this is something from the Warring States Period and was written by Zisi's disciples.

Mr. Gu Jiegang thinks Yao Dian is a work in Qin and Han Dynasties.

Mr. Liu's view is the most interesting. He thinks that the author of this article is Confucius himself, and it is the work compiled and edited by Confucius himself.

Confucius worships Yao the most. According to the Analects of Confucius, "Yao is the great king! Only the sky is big, only Yao is big. Wandering around, people are in trouble. Great, it worked. Hu Hu, there is an article. " So Confucius personally sorted out some information about Yao and made this to teach. It was impossible for others to have this kung fu at that time. Of course, in the process of inheritance, it has also been continuously processed and sorted out by Confucius disciples.

However, this is also a guess, a bold guess.

Yaodian mainly records the deeds of Yao and Shun. It used to be divided into two parts, Yaodian and Heshun. Now the popular version has been merged, but the difference between the two parts is still obvious.

The first part introduces Yao's life story. Yao is one of the ancestors of the Chinese nation and a famous saint in ancient times. Yao Dian mainly recorded several things about him:

First, a calendar was drafted.

According to Yao Dian, Yao ordered Xihe and Hehe to be responsible for observing the sky, measuring the time of vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice, formulating four seasons, and giving farming time to the people.

What is it? It's a lifetime. Calendars are like the sun, the moon and the stars, when you teach people.

Yao ordered Xihe and Harmony to follow God's will, and made calendars according to the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars, so as to teach people to engage in production activities according to the solar terms on time.

Xi Zhong's life, the family broke down, the valley broke down, the guest went out of the sky, and the rank was flat; Japan and China, Star Bird, and Yin Zhongchun. Analysis of fainting people; Birds and beasts have tails.

He also ordered to live in a place called Yanggu on the east coast, respectfully wait for the sunrise, and determine the characteristics of sunrise in different periods through observation. The vernal equinox is a day divided equally between day and night, and the time of seeing birds and stars in the south is the basis for determining mid-spring. At this time, people are scattered in the fields to work, and birds and animals are breeding in time.

Xi Shu, Shen Ming, the house is in the south, and the rank is in the south; Sincerely. Midsummer, eternal sun, sparks. The cause of the people; Bird and beast seger.

He also ordered Uncle Xi to live where the sun moves from north to south. This place is called Du Ming. Observe the time when the sun moves south here, so as to make clear the work that should be done in summer and respectfully wait for the arrival of the sun. Take the longest day as the summer solstice, and the day when Mars is in the middle of the south as the basis for determining the summer. At this time, people live in high places, and birds and animals are thin.

Life is divided into two, and the house is in the west, which is called the valley of ignorance. Yin Yan that day, cheng; In the dark night, the stars are dotted, empty and cloudy. Juemin Yi; Birds and beasts have hair.

He also ordered He Zhong to live in a place called Mises in the west, measure the sunset, respectfully bid farewell to the sun, observe the time when the sun entered the mountain, and stipulate the work of harvesting crops in autumn. Based on the alternation of day and night of the autumnal equinox and the time when the imaginary star is in the middle of the south, people leave the highlands, live in the plains and engage in the labor of harvesting crops. At this time, there are plenty of birds and animals to choose from.

Life and uncle, the house is in the north, called Youdu. Plain; The days are short and the stars are long, so it is mid-winter. Juemin; Birds and beasts have feathers.

He also ordered Uncle He to live in a place called Youdu in the north and observe the movement of the sun from south to north. The shortest day of the day is the winter solstice, and the time when the Pleiades appeared in the central south is used as the basis for determining the mid-winter. At this time, people live indoors to keep warm, and birds and animals grow very thick and rich hair to keep out the cold.

The emperor said: Consultation! Harmony between Confucianism and Xi. There are six days in 360 years, and the age is set at four o'clock in leap month. Allow Li to do whatever he wants and make achievements in Xi 'an.

Yao said, "Alas! Xihe River and Harmony! You take 366 days as a cycle, and set a leap month every three years for the rest of the days, so you will be old at four o'clock in spring, summer, autumn and winter. This defines the responsibilities of officials and enables many things to proceed smoothly. "

Understanding astronomical calendar is the most important thing in agricultural society. In the past, calendars were issued by the court and were a symbol of power. Therefore, Yao's achievements here are also his authority. The first thing to say is that he appoints officials and makes calendars.

The second is to select and employ people.

To govern the world, of course, we must appoint officials. Yao appoints officials and attaches great importance to personal qualities. Yao Dian is recorded as follows:

The emperor said: domain name consultation! If it's time to be brave? Fang Qi said, Yinzi Zhu Qiming. The emperor said: hey! What lawsuit!

Yao said, "Alas! Who can adapt to the changes of the four seasons and gain merit? " Fang Qi said: "Your son Dani is smart and capable, and he can be appointed to this position." Yao said, "Alas! Can a stupid and treacherous man like him hold such a position? "

How bad is Zhu Dan? In the next article "Hao Tao Hume", he was mentioned again:

There is nothing to be proud of in Dani, but just swim slowly. Abuse is a work, and staying up late is useless; A boat can't bind a chicken, but a friend is a prostitute at home and drowns in the world.

Lu Lu badminton said that Dani was arrogant, and his only hobby was idleness and day and night. As for rowing when there is no water, he enjoys it. Therefore, Yao regards the world as the public, and his son is immoral and will not be considered.

The emperor said: domain name consultation! What if it is adopted? Doudou said: all! * * * Workers have made great contributions. The emperor said: hey! Quiet words do not violate, as if courtesy were strange.

Yao said, "Alas! Who can act according to my opinion? " Xiang Dou said, "Oh! Or * * * works! He has already achieved certain results in gathering people now. " Yao said, "Alas! This man is good at saying beautiful and clever words, but he is obedient and seemingly respectful. In fact, he looks down on the monarch. "

Then find someone to control the water:

The emperor said: Consultation! Four mountains. The soup was cut by the flood, and it swung around in Xiangling, Hu Aishan, with great momentum. Ask the people for advice. Can you give it to me? Hey: Yu! Damn it! The emperor said: hey! Ah! Fang Ming's family. Yue said: not the same. Try it, it is already. The emperor said: Go ahead, admire! Nine years, the performance was successful.

Yao said, "Alas! The length of four governors! The roaring flood is endangering the world. The flood engulfing everything surrounded the mountains and washed up in Gorkon. The water potential is so great that it almost covers the sky. All the subjects in the sky are sad and sigh. Who can control floods and let people live and work in peace and contentment? " Everyone said, "Oh! Let me take this responsibility! " Yao said, "Alas! This person often violates the law and discipline, disobeys orders, and harms people in the same family. " The leaders of the four governors said, "What we heard is different from what you said. Let him try. If it really doesn't work, he will be dismissed. " Yao said, "Go! Gun, please respect your position! " Guns have been used to control water for nine years without merit.

Although there is no detailed list of his selected officials here, it expresses his ideological orientation of selecting and employing people.

The third is to implement the abdication system.

Yao Zui was praised for passing on the sage rather than the son. Zen is located in Shun, and the position of the son of heaven is not private. Yao Dian records that Yao wanted to find someone to replace him after 70 years in office.

The emperor said: Consultation! Four mountains. I have been in office for seventy years, and you can serve me. Say: Do you care about the throne? Say: bright, bright and ugly. Shi Xidi said, "I have a gun. My name is Yu Shun." . The emperor said: Yu,; How's it going? Yue said: the son is stubborn, the father is stubborn, and the mother is arrogant; Peace is filial piety, not rape. The emperor said: I'll try. When a woman is around, she will be punished by two women. Let these two women live in fear. The emperor said: Qin zai!

Yao said, "Alas! The length of four governors! I have been in power for seventy years. Which one of you can obey God's command and take my place on the throne of the son of heaven? " The leaders of the four princes replied, "We are humble and unworthy of the position of emperor." Yao said: "We should look at the sages of the people, or those who are hidden below. Although their status is low, they are actually virtuous. Let a man of virtue ascend to the throne. " Everyone told Yao, "There is a bachelor among the people named Yu Shun." Yao said, "I have heard of this man. I wonder what his virtue is?"

The four governors headed by him replied, "He is the son of Gu Sou, a music official. His father is evil, his mother is good at telling lies, and his brother is very arrogant and unfriendly to Shun. However, Shun can live in harmony with them, influence them with filial piety, handle the housework well, and the family members also repent, so that their behavior will not be evil. " Yao said, "I'll test him!" " So he decided to marry his two daughters to Shun and test his virtue through them. Yao ordered a wedding in Guihewan and betrothed his two daughters to Yu Shun as his wife. Yao said: "Be respectful in handling government affairs!"

Confucian scholars have always been obsessed with this resignation, thinking that it is the highest quality as an emperor. Unfortunately, it became a masterpiece after that. On the contrary, several usurpations were made under the banner of giving way at a discount.

The fourth is to preside over water control.

When people talk about water control, the first impression is often Dayu's water control. But in fact, the matter of water control began in the Yao era. Yao's era is already the legendary flood period: "The soup is cut by the flood, and the Xiangling is swaying, mighty and monstrous."

As the supreme leader, Yao was naturally worried about this, so he asked someone to manage it. After everyone's recommendation, Yao appointed Gun to control the flood. Gun water conservancy for nine years, no meritorious service, then gun son yu took over the governance, can be successful.

Yao Dian recorded these four things of Yao, which may be the appearance of Yao legend at first. "Shangshu" did not explain Yao's birth experience, but said at the beginning how wise he was:

It is said that if you look back, Emperor Yao said that Qin thought about peace and allowed you to be respectful, just four tables, ranking up and down; Ke Ming jun de, to pro-nine families; Jiuzu is both harmonious and peaceful; People are bright and harmonious; CoCo Lee is flexible in changing times.

This passage is about investigating ancient legends. Emperor Yao's name is Fang Xun (some people interpret the word "Fang Xun" as a great achievement). He respectfully handles government affairs, pays attention to economy, distinguishes between right and wrong, has a gentle attitude, is honest and clean, and can push the virtuous and let the able, so he shines everywhere, so that he goes to heaven and earth. He can unite them closely with people who have both ability and political integrity among themselves; When people unite in harmony, they check those who have performed well among officials and praise them as encouragement. Officials handle their affairs properly and strive to unite all ethnic groups as one family. Under Yao's education, all the philosophers in the world live in harmony.

In other classics, we can see Yao's related deeds. The story about Yao in the first chapter of Historical Records, The Chronicle of Five Emperors, is basically copied from this paragraph in Shangshu. But in historical records, Yao has been ranked among the five emperors, with a gorgeous family background:

Di Ku Gao Xin is also the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor.

Di Ku married Chen Feng's daughter and gave birth to Fang Xun. Marry your daughter and live a good life. Although it collapsed, wisdom represented it. The emperor is not a good minister, but my brother Li is for Emperor Yao.

Yao's father is and his mother is Chen's daughter. Di Ku is the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor. After Di Ku's death, Yao's half-brother succeeded him to the throne. After nine years in power, Zhi gave way to Yao because of his bad politics.

In some other ancient books, Yao's deeds are recorded more.

"Lv Chunqiu No.4" records:

Yao has a drum admonition, Shun has a tree slander, Tang has a scholar, and he has a precept.

Legend has it that Yao set up a big drum at the palace gate, so that the whole world could come here to speak freely and set up a tree. It is said that this is the origin of huabiao. Just like the current inspection team, each unit has a report box, and the general functions are the same.

Lu Chunqiu Zhao Zhanglei said:

Yao fought in the Dan pool and served the barbarian.

Said that he had crusaded against the barbarians in the south and joined the war himself.

"Huainanzi Ben Jing Xun" records:

Yao, a total of 10 days, burning crops, killing vegetation, people have no food. Yeah, tooth cutting, nine babies, strong winds, meditation and snake repair are all harmful.

Yao then sent Hou Yi (not Hou Yi) to kill those wild animals and shot them for nine days.

There is also folklore that Dani, the son of Emperor Yao, idles and fights. In order to educate his son, Emperor Yao invented Weiqi and taught Dani the tactics of fighting, but after all, it failed to turn the prodigal son back, and Weiqi was handed down.

The more we know about the ancient history of China, the more we know about Yao's deeds. For example, at the age of thirteen, he was sealed in Tao (Shitao Village, Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province), and at the age of fifteen, he assisted his younger brother Di Zhi, who was renamed Shi in the Tang Dynasty (now Taiyuan, Shanxi Province). At the age of twenty, Yao became the son of heaven and made Pingyang his capital. 70 years later, Yao discovered that Shun was the son of heaven. Twenty years later, Yao Lao and Shun replaced Yao in power.

Yao abdicated for 28 years and died, and was buried in Gulin (Juancheng County, Heze City, Shandong Province). Yao inherited the throne from his father and abdicated to Shun, with a total life of 1 18 years old.