Qu Yuan's main thought?

Keywords: Qu Yuan's main ideological tendencies Chu national culture Chu national spirit Love for the Chu state Loyalty to the Chu ruler Martyrdom

Different views on Qu Yuan's main ideological tendencies?

On Qu Yuan's main ideological tendency, there is a view that seems to have become final from ancient to modern times.

Sima Qian, in his evaluation of Qu Yuan and his works in the Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng, said, "The national wind is colorful but not obscene, and the small elegant complaint and slander but not chaotic, if the Li Sao can be said to be both. The above is called Emperor ?a, the next road Qi Huan, in the description of Tang Wu, in order to stab the world affairs. The broad admiration of bright morality and the coherence of the world of governance and chaos are all visible." Here, Qu Yuan's work Li Sao is directly linked to the Confucian classic, the Book of Songs. And the reference to Yao and Shun, and the description of Tang and Wu, naturally reminds us of that old master Meng, who always referred to Yao and Shun in his words. From this point onwards, Qu Yuan was clothed in Confucianism. As for Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he said, "The text of Li Sao is based on the Five Classics to establish righteousness." In his "Discerning the Sao" (辨骚), Liu Feiqi (刘勰) of the Southern Dynasty, despite the fact that Qu Yuan's works were characterized by "strangeness," "treachery," "impetuosity," and "desolation," said that "the four elements of Qu Yuan's works were different from the classics. In Qu Yuan's works, although he suggested that the "weird", "treacherous", "impetuous" and "obscene" in Qu Yuan's works were different from the classics, he still emphasized that "the four are the same as those of elegance and style".

To the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi in his "Chu Rhetoric Annotated Li Sao preface" proposed: "Chu Rhetoric allegory of grass and trees, the idea of men and women, as well as touring and viewing of the appropriate person, the flow of the wind also. It is also the stream of changing winds. Its order of events and feelings, its feelings for the present and the past, in order not to forget the righteousness of the ruler and the ministers, is also the stream of changing elegance. As for the language of the party, it is a further change of style and elegance when the party is in a daze and transgresses the rules of etiquette, and sets forth its grievances without being in the middle of them. The festival of song and dance is almost an ode, and the change is also very great." Although Zhu Xi went one step further than Liu Fei, pointing out that it "refers to men and women", "feels for the present and remembers the past", "uses language that is vague and beyond the bounds of propriety", and "sets forth grievances and indignation that are out of place", all of these are different from Liu Fei's "The Song of Songs", which was written in a different style. "These are all different from the Poetry Classic, but they are still not separated from the "changing winds", "changing elegance", and "changing winds and elegance again", "the changes are even more extreme". In short, all the "changes" do not deviate from its origin, and finally returned to the Confucian classic - "Poetry".

Till modern times, although the study of Qu Yuan and Chu Rhetoric has greatly progressed, but Qu Yuan's main ideological tendency belongs to Confucianism, and Chu Rhetoric inherited the tradition of realism of the Poetry Classic is still dominant. Guo Moruo said in The Age of Qu Yuan, "Qu Yuan's ideology is that he was influenced by Confucianism, and he fully accepted the idea of Yao and Shun and a series of other fantasy figures as well as the philosophical and political ideas evolved from those fantasy figures." Tang? In his article "Qu Yuan, the People's Poet", he also said, "Qu Yuan's thought is closer to Confucianism. He Qifang, in his article "Qu Yuan and His Works," said more explicitly, "Qu Yuan clearly stated that his ideal politics was that of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu ." "He held a political ideal which was roughly similar to the Confucian doctrine represented by Confucius and Meng Ke." ?

In summary, it seems to be an ancient conclusion about Qu Yuan's main ideological tendency belonging to Confucianism.? However, in the author's opinion, if we can study Qu Yuan and his works from another angle, then we will find that Qu Yuan's main ideological tendency does not belong to Confucianism. With his works and personality, he presented a kind of thought character of independence, which is: love for the state of Chu, loyalty to the king of Chu, although nine deaths without regret. This spirit of martyrdom is very different from the Confucian tradition.

Unique culture and unique ideas

Qu Yuan (about 340 years ago -- about 278 years ago) lived in the Warring States period of social change, various schools of thought unprecedented prosperity of the hundred schools of thought. He was a "learned man with a strong will, a clear understanding of governance and chaos, and skillful in rhetoric"? ② He understood all schools of thought and was influenced by them to varying degrees, but was different from them. He actively used Confucianism, but Confucianism did not have the same kind of chaste and thorough patriotic spirit as he did, and Confucius once put forward: "If you use it, you will do it; if you give it up, you will hide it"? Confucius once said: "If you use it, you will do it; if you give it up, you will hide it"? ④, and Kong, Meng and the two finally are "give up the hide", "alone good body"; he advocated the cultivation of the law like the Legalist, but he did not have the kind of Legalist is not the first king, the law after the king of the distinctive attitude; he raised the virtuous to authorize the ability of the Mozi, but he did not advocate love and non-attack; he advocated the combination of columns and Qi to fight against the Qin, but he advocated He advocated combining the vertical and vertical, combining Qi and Qi to fight against Qin, but not like the vertical and horizontal as wagging lips and drumming tongue, towards Qin and Chu. He and the Taoists were born in the same state of Chu, and many of his works have the same origin and coincide with the Zhuangzi in their ideas of gods and monsters and romantic imaginings, but he did not have the passive thoughts of the Taoists who avoided the world. We can't be sure of Qu Yuan's ideological tendency based on one aspect, but we must also see that various schools of thought at that time gave Qu Yuan a certain influence, thus forming his own unique ideological tendency.

It should be noted that Qu Yuan appeared on the stage of history as a great poet, not as a statesman - although he had been a politician and had great political ambitions. So when we study his thought, we must base ourselves on his works. The love for his homeland, his people and his country, and the strong ideology of loyalty to the king, which Qu Yuan expressed in his great poems, were not found in any of the schools of thought at that time, and this was precisely the most characteristic feature of his thought. This ideological character is mainly from the unique tradition and culture of the Chu people.

The Ch'u state is located in a remote area, and its ethnic traditions and the northern central plains of the nation are very different. And consider themselves orthodox central plains of the nation of the Chu people called "southern barbarians blah blah blah blah people". A history of the Spring and Autumn Period, which is a history of the struggle between Qi and Jin, representing the Central Plains, and Chu, representing the South, is also a history of the struggle between Qi and Jin, representing the Central Plains, and Chu, representing the South. Qi Huan hegemony has "call Ling's alliance", Jin Wen hegemony has "Cheng Pu battle", who curbed the Chu power to the development of the Central Plains, and even defeated the Chu, who is the hegemon of the Central Plains. In the Spring and Autumn period, the hegemony of the central plains "honored the king and hustled the barbarians", the main head is aimed at the state of Chu, in fact, "honored the king and hustled the Chu". The Chu nation itself was a strong, autonomous and enterprising nation. It was not willing to be suppressed and insulted by the Central Plains, and insisted on fighting against them and striving for development. As we can see from the Shijing-Shang Song-Yinwu, as early as the Yin-Shang period, there is a record of "Tarting up Yinwu and fighting against Jingchu", which reflects the struggle between the Chu people and the Yin people. According to Zuo Zhuan, in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, there was an incident in which "King Zhaowang went on a southward expedition and did not return to his country" (⑤). ⑤ event. Under the leadership of the Mi royal family, the Chu nation developed and expanded rapidly, and in the Spring and Autumn period, Chu destroyed all the Han Yang Ji until it reached the Central Plains, where it claimed itself as "I am a barbarian" and openly confronted the King of the Zhou, the lord of the Central Plains, and even claimed itself to be the king. Continuing to the Warring States period, swallowed Wu and destroyed Yue, becoming the most extensive country among the seven males at that time. Because Chu was in a position of confrontation with the Central Plains, its political and military system, cultural traditions, customs and folklore, and national psychology were all obviously different from those of the Central Plains. For example, the official name of "Yin", "left"; military establishment of "wide", "bias", "two"; military establishment of "wide", "bias", "bias", "bias", "bias", "bias", "bias", "two"; clothing and costumes on the "South Crown", "Chu clothing"; music and dance on the "Nanyin", "Chu Song", "Chu Dance"; customs and beliefs of "witch wind", "obscene rituals"; cultural traditions of canonical books Three indignation", "five", "eight" and so on. It is because of the difference between the Chu nation and the Central Plains nation, with its relatively independent national psychology, ethnic characteristics and national traditions, so the Central Plains Confucianism, Mohist, and French schools of thought have a much smaller and slower impact on the Chu nation than the Central Plains countries, but relatively speaking, Taoism was born in the Chu nation, and Qu Yuan has the same origins. This is one of the most important reasons why Qu Yuan's works are so little in line with Confucianism, Legalism, and Mohism, but coincide with Zhuangzi in terms of myths, historical stories, characters, romanticism, and many phrases. Understanding this, we will understand why Qu Yuan's works have such deep feelings for the Chu nation and his hometown; why there are a large number of myths and legends, rich and bizarre imagery that are different from the realism of the Chinese culture, which has formed a strong romanticism that the Chinese culture does not have; and why he would be like that, "writing in Chu language, making the sound of Chu, and remembering the land of Chu, Why would it be so "book Chu language, make Chu sound, record Chu land, name Chu things", with distinctive characteristics of Chu land. The works of Qu Yuan as the representative of the "Chu Words" is the representative of the culture of the Chu nation in the south of China at that time, but not the representative of the whole Chinese culture at that time, because the foundation of it is the characteristic of the tradition of the Chu nation rather than the characteristic of the fusion of the north and south cultures. As the author of this work, Qu Yuan, his unique ideological character is also mainly the inheritance and development of the traditional culture of the Chu nation.

High and Splendid Character and Splendid Works

Qu Yuan's birth and position had an important influence on the formation of his ideological character. Qu, Zhao, Jing is the three major aristocratic family names in Chu, of which the Qu family has a long history, starting from King Wu of Chu's son Mo Ao Qu flaws, the Qu family according to the Chu system of the Secretary of the world is almost all the important positions, such as Qu Chong, Qu Wan, Qu Jian, Qu Xiong, etc., or generals, or Yin, have been seen in the history of the book. The fact that they shared the same surname with the king, and that they were the ministers of Chu, and that they shared the same fate with the country, played a direct role in the formation of Qu Yuan's idea of loyalty to the king and patriotism of the country. "Li Sao" said in the beginning: "Emperor Gao Yang's seedling Ruoxi, I Huangkao said Bo Yong", which is precisely to cherish their own aristocratic origin, status, and their own destiny with the king of Chu, the country is closely linked to the important performance.

Chu's Shiqing important ministers of the king of Chu, to the country, to the people have a high sense of responsibility and sense of mission, Qu Yuan's distant ancestor, Qu Xiaoxiao in the Va Luo defeat hanged himself in the valley; after the battle of the city of Pu, Yin Zi Yu self-censorship; the battle of the Yann Ling, after the Division of Zi anti-determination; the battle of the Wu Yue, the left Secretary of Department of Shen Yinxu's cut his throat, etc., the country, the nation's high sense of responsibility, for the same time period of the other countries are rare. Shen Baoxu's weeping at the Qin court and Zhong Yi's "Nan Guan" and "Nan Yin", who was only a music official for the rest of his life, all demonstrated the spirit of extreme loyalty to the king of Chu, the state and the Chu nation. Qu Yuan was once a governor of Sanlu, responsible for the education of the nobles, and he himself was a person who treasured his own status, so he directly inherited the spirit of loyalty to the King of Chu, to the country and to the nation. In the whole Chu nation, loyalty to the king of Chu, Chu and strong national feelings, has a long tradition and outstanding performance, which is not only reflected in the era before Qu Yuan, even after the demise of the state of Chu, there are still circulating the "Chu, although the three households, the death of the Qin will be Chu," the proverb, and the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Shui, Wu Guang, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and other peasants revolt, or the name "Zhang Chu", or the name of "Zhang Chu. In the late Qin Dynasty, Chen Shu, Wu Guang, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and other peasants' revolts, they were called "Zhang Chu", or "Sun Xin, King Huai of Chu" or "Xiang Yan, General of Chu", but in the end, it was the people of Chu who died in the Qin Dynasty. Until the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Chu songs, Chu dances, Chu words, and the Huanglao ideology originated in Chu still occupied a major position in the country. Chu national spirit can be said to have far-reaching influence. And Qu Yuan, the great poet, is the Chu culture and the spirit of the Chu people on behalf of the glory.

Qu Yuan lived in the Warring States period, the Chu state from prosperity to decline of the important turning period, he with the poet's unique sensitivity, felt the pulse of the times, foreseeing that the building will fall. Out of his concern for the fate of the country, out of his loyalty to the king of Chu, and out of his high sense of responsibility for the country and the nation, he began with a cry for political reform, followed by a sentimental lamentation, and finally sank himself into Miluo, martyring his own country and the nation with his life. The struggle against evil forces, the insistence on the ideal of progress, and the concern for the country and the nation in Qu Yuan's poems are the embodiment of the glorious traditions and spirit of the Ch'u national culture in Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan's personality and his ideological character, as he sang in the "Ode to the Tangerine" in the "Orange" as "Tangerine", was appointed by heaven and earth, growing in the south, y rooted in the soil of the cultural traditions of the Chu people, is so "not moving" and "difficult to migrate. It is difficult to migrate.

In summary, Qu Yuan's main ideological tendency is not Confucianism, but is rooted in the culture of the Chu people and the spirit of the Chu people to Chu, Chu king as the specific object of the idea of loyalty and patriotism, as well as for the strong sense of historical mission inspired by the spirit of martyrdom "although nine deaths, no regrets".