Zhuang Zi really doesn't like Confucius?

In the book "Zhuangzi", it is generally believed that seven articles in it were written by Zhuangzi himself, and the miscellaneous articles outside were supplemented by later generations.

To say whether you like it or not is really against the realm of Zhuangzi.

Reading the article "On the Homology of Things", we can see that Zhuangzi holds a homogeneous view on the right and wrong of Confucianism, Mohism, Confucius' thoughts or other people's thoughts-individuals cling to the view of the party they agree with (like) (everyone has his own ideas), and can't reach the realm of "forgetting me" (that is, he can't let me go), so he wastes his life entangled in the right and wrong in the world (lifelong slavery is not seen) Therefore, in the realm of Zhuangzi, there will be no prejudice against Confucius. Zhuangzi's view of everything is a state of unity (the world is not greater than the end of Qiu Hao, and the mountain is too small; Moshou died, but Peng Zu died. Heaven and earth are born with me, and everything is one with me.

Confucianism, represented by Confucius, with an active attitude of joining the WTO, wants to re-establish a stable order through active participation in politics in the troubled times of pre-Qin, which is undoubtedly a noble ideal. But this ideal is contrary to the thoughts of Taoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi clearly realized that the pre-Qin troubled times were not only caused by the lack of political system, but also were everywhere if one did not have a peaceful mind, so Zhuangzi put more emphasis on people's mind. It can be said that Confucian philosophy emphasizes how people "settle down" in society, while Taoist philosophy emphasizes how people put our uneasy hearts in a chaotic world.

During the pre-Qin period, the society changed greatly, and many problems appeared one after another, and the core problem was nothing more than the outlook on life. That is, in the face of this unpredictable world, how should I arrange my life? What kind of life is meaningful? Many people try to answer this question. Both Zhuangzi and Confucius have their own answers.

In the era when Zhuangzi lived, after the revival of Mencius, the answer of Confucianism (Confucius) was accepted by many people, which was a popular theory. As a descendant (relative to Confucius), Zhuangzi wanted to put forward a different answer when trying to answer these important questions, so he had to respond to the previous answers. It is in this response that Zhuangzi gradually perfected his theory.

Looking at the development of various ideas and academic schools, we can see that great ideas are always developed by questioning predecessors and opposing authority. New ideas put forward new answers, which the old answers can't have. But at the same time, new ideas must be based on old ideas. It can't be said that the old answer is worthless (with motorcycles, bicycles are still important). Zhuangzi's thought broke the shackles of Confucius' Confucianism and interpreted life from a new angle. We can say that many of Zhuangzi's thoughts are anti-Confucian, but we can't conclude that Zhuangzi doesn't like Confucius.

It is precisely because of the in-depth study of predecessors' thoughts that we can find the omissions or mistakes in predecessors' thoughts. If Zhuangzi really doesn't value Confucius, why should he oppose Confucius? It makes sense that the people who know you best are your enemies.

Generally speaking, Confucius and Zhuangzi represented two basic attitudes towards life in ancient China, namely "being born" and "entering the WTO". The two have their own opposites and similarities. The literati in ancient China were basically both Confucianism and Taoism. These two spirits, together with the Buddhist thought introduced later, finally laid the foundation of China's traditional cultural thought.

Accidentally, I typed so much nonsense ... In fact, no matter what books we read and what ideas we understand, we always have to keep our own independent thinking. So does Zhuang Zi like Confucius? Even if Zhuangzi doesn't like it, I can like it; And I don't have to like what he likes. To read Zhuangzi, you must at least read your own opinions before you can be included in the "carefree" door, which is a far cry from Zhuangzi's original intention.

Nowadays, fewer people read the original works attentively. I hope that I can read Zhuangzi carefully, not superficially, and get some insights. The world is very different.