Wang Bi, born in Gaoyang, Weiyang (now northwest of Jinxiang County, Shandong Province) during the Three Kingdoms period. Born in the seventh year (AD 226), he died in the tenth year of Qiwangfang (AD 249) at the age of 24.
Wang Kai, Wang Bi's grandfather, is Wang Bi's younger brother. Grandfather Liu Biao, a master of Jingzhou Confucian classics, is good at learning. Cai Yong, a famous bibliophile in the Eastern Han Dynasty, appreciated RoyceWong's talent very much, and later presented his lifelong book collection to RoyceWong. Wang Kai's son Wang Ye was adopted to Wang Canjia, and these books were later inherited by Wang Ye; He is Wang Bi's father. Wang Bi's family not only inherited these rich classics, but also inherited the tradition of Yi-ology. Wang Chang, Wang Shen's grandfather, is a master of Yi studies and a teacher of Liu Biao, so he thinks: "Bi Zhixue originated from Liu Biao, but it is actually based on it."
Wang Bi was a genius with early wisdom. He was only twenty-four years old when he annotated Zhouyi and Laozi, which later became metaphysical classics in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Such an important thinker, there is no biography of Chen Shou in the History of the Three Kingdoms. He only said in Zhong Hui Biography: "I am good at Confucianism and Taoism, and I can avoid arguments. I am concerned about Laozi. I am Shang Shulang and I am in my twenties. " Just 20 words. It's rough. He Shao's Biography of Wang Bi recorded in detail Wang Bi's life, temperament, friends and heart-to-heart talks with celebrities at that time, and recorded fragments of heart-to-heart talks between Wang Bi and celebrities such as Pei Hui, Liu Tao, Zhong Hui and Xun Rong.
Second, genre.
Wang Bi was one of the founders and main representatives of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties.
At the beginning of Cao Wei, Yan He and Wang Bi expounded the thoughts of Laozi, Zhuangzi and Zhouyi respectively, and formed a new school. Because Laozi and other three books were later called "San Xuan", this school was called metaphysics. He and Wang focused on exploring the origin of the universe. Starting from Laozi's "Everything in heaven and earth is born in existence, and everything is born in nothingness", they think that "Everything in heaven and earth is based on inaction" and "Nothing makes things work everywhere, Yin and Yang depend on metaplasia, everything depends on shaping, and sages rely on virtue, not shame to avoid their bodies." (Biography of Wang Rong in the Book of Jin) It means that "nothingness" is the source of the world beyond materiality. It not only creates everything, but also is the foundation of life. Sages can achieve noble morality because of it, and unscrupulous people can protect themselves because of it. At the same time, they embarked on the road of integrating Confucianism and Taoism, claiming that the famous religion originated from nature ("nature" means "nothing"), and the respect for birthright is the inevitable result of nature. On the one hand, they write books; on the other hand, they hold debates to explain Hyunri. The latter way is called "making it clear". Conversation is generally divided into two aspects: subject and object. The subject explained his own point of view and the guests asked questions. After several arguments. This is a special way of metaphysical development. Because he and Wang came from famous families, held important positions, had far-reaching influence and were personable, they won the praise of bureaucrats and gentry and followed suit. The prosperity of metaphysics also lies in the growing dispute between Cao Shi and Sima's family in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, when there were many reasons in the world and few celebrities. In order to avoid disaster, celebrities talk about metaphysics to escape from reality. Ruan Ji "talks about metaphysics, does not comment on current affairs, and does not hide people" (Biography of Ruan Ji in the Book of Jin); Although Ji Kang refused to be an official in the Jin Dynasty, he was also cautious when he "disliked" (The Book of Jin Ji Kang Biography). They live a bohemian life, decadent and decadent, and eat, drink and be merry. Metaphysics played a certain role in breaking the imprisonment of Confucianism, and the speculative form of metaphysics also stimulated the development of China's philosophy, but metaphysics also strongly reflected the decadence of aristocratic families.
Three. Introduction of main ideas
The core of Wang Bi's philosophical thought is "governing by doing nothing", which is different from Laozi's cosmology of "Tao gives birth to one, two, three and everything" and has the color of speculative metaphysics. He developed Laozi's cosmogenic theory into ontological metaphysics based on right and wrong. He believes that "everything is different and belongs to one." What is the reason? Because there is nothing. "This is its" expensive ".
Anyway.
Wang Bi's philosophical thought boils down to one point, that is, behind tangible things, there is something invisible but more important that dominates them. Wang Bi called this invisible thing "nothing", which is the essence; What you can see, touch and like is called "you", and this is the end. Compared with the two, this is more important than the end. In the history of China's philosophy, this thought is called "governing by doing nothing". The etiquette systems used to govern the country and embody the norms of benevolence and righteousness are tangible and famous, so they are "existence" and "end"; What produces the system of benevolence, righteousness and ceremony is intangible and nameless, so it is "nothing", the foundation and something more important than the purpose. This book, this nothingness, is the Tao. Only by mastering this nothingness can we do that well. In order to do this well, we must master this point. If you don't master this nothingness, you just work hard on it, and you can't do it right. That is to say, to carry forward Confucian benevolence and etiquette, we should not only devote ourselves to the external forms of etiquette and pay attention to people's external performance, but also devote ourselves to those things that produce etiquette and pay attention to people's hearts, so that people can truly understand the functions and significance of benevolence and etiquette from the heart and consciously abide by them. Only in this way can the principle of benevolence and righteousness be truly implemented and the Confucian etiquette system be truly observed. If we only pay attention to external forms, it will only lead to hypocrisy.
Wang Bi believes that the most fundamental truth and people's visible behavior are often opposite. For example, some people seem to abide by the etiquette system, but in fact it is they who destroy the etiquette system; Some people seem to disobey the etiquette system and even criticize it. In fact, they are the real defenders of the etiquette system. Confucianism often attacks Laozi and is indignant at Laozi's remarks of denying benevolence, righteousness and propriety. However, in Wang Bi's view, Laozi is just the root of forcing people to master benevolence, righteousness and propriety, and mastering the way without image is the source of benevolence and propriety. In Wang Bi's works, Lao Zi is the true defender of the Confucian principle of benevolence and righteousness. In view of "governing by doing nothing", Wang Bi emphasized that etiquette norms should conform to people-oriented and be based on natural principles. Such as what is filial piety? In Wang Bi's view, the main reason is that parents are not required to be warm and cold on time, and they cry and bow down according to etiquette when their parents die. , but a natural dear.
In addition, in the aspect of sage theory, Wang Bi put forward the propositions of "sage has no body" and "sage is affectionate and tireless"; In the aspect of thinking theory, he put forward the understanding and explanation method of "forgetting words and images to get images"; In the aspect of ontology, he put forward the practical view of "respecting the essence and stopping at the end"; In terms of political ethics, he advocated that "Ming Jiao comes from nature". Wang Bi absorbed the idea of "nothing is born out of nothing" in Laozi, expressed the patriarch and noumenon of all things with "nothing", advocated "inaction" and "nature", and affirmed Confucius as a saint and never abandoned "Zoroastrianism". He believes that saints can experience the spiritual realm of Tao and have the same feelings as ordinary people. But because of "no body", it can be protected from foreign objects. The sage refers to Confucius, "no body", to have; Laozi has not reached the realm of a saint, but he is good at "speaking without substance"-explaining the essence of Tao. Therefore, Wang Bi believes that reading comprehension should be "forgotten"-that is, beyond specific forms such as language or images? . Forgetting is not ignoring, but directly grasping the root and noumenon of things, rather than being persistent and rigid. In other words, Wang Bi transformed the relationship between "nothing" and "being" into a "body-use relationship" between essence and purpose, metaphysics and metaphysics. Following this line of thought, he reinterpreted Zhouyi, Laozi and other books, and the dispute between "nature" and "Ming Jiao" provided the basis for reconciliation. Therefore, Wang Bi is a model that formally laid the ideological foundation of "Wei-Jin Metaphysics" and one of the epoch-making figures in China's ideological history.
Fourth, the main works
Wang Bi's works mainly include Notes on Laozi's Tao Te Ching, Notes on Zhouyi 1 volume, Notes on Analects of Confucius, Collected Works of Wang Bi, Changes of Zhouyi 1 volume and Notes on Laozi's Fingers. I lost it now.
Notes to Zhouyi
There are two main contributions to metaphysics in Zhouyi Annotation: First, it closely links human emotions, nature and other issues with ontological thoughts based on nothingness, so that the empty and abstract metaphysical principle of "respecting the end of the book" and then "quoting the end of the book" becomes more practical and practical because it finds a fulcrum in human emotions and nature. The second is to reveal the potential vivid charm of the principle of "focusing on the end of the book" and then "mentioning the end of the book", so that the vigorous and promising side of metaphysics theory based on "nothing" has also been fully demonstrated. It is based on the special emphasis on "nature and emotion", combining rigidity with softness, and "adapting to change" that we can see the essence of metaphysics more clearly.
The basic characteristics of Zhouyi Annotation can be summarized as two points: first, whether the complex form of Han Yi's school of mathematics and physics has been defined, which subverts Han Yi's material mind based on cosmology and reveals a metaphysical ontological world; Second, the theory of "being busy with Laozi and Zhuangzi, but specializing in personnel" (see Book of Changes in Han Dynasty, Volume 35 of Yuhai) takes the "personnel" that Confucianism values as its purpose and the "nothingness" that Taoism values as its foundation, thus organically unifying nature and Taoism and completing the theoretical task of integrating Confucianism and Taoism. In this regard, the author has another special comment. What we want to emphasize is that Wang Bi's Notes on Zhouyi is a kind of creation. This kind of creation is the unity of inheritance and innovation, as well as the unity of theory and method. This is a revolution in the history of Yi-ology, and it is a challenge for Hyunri to change things and numbers.
Lao Tzu's strategy
Written by Wang Bi of Ren Wei during the Three Kingdoms Period. One volume of this book was recorded by Lu Deming in the Tang Dynasty. "Collect Taoist scriptures. "Cloud Method Seven" also excerpted this book, entitled "A Brief Introduction to Lao Jun". This book is a masterpiece of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and it expounds the essence of Laozi with ontological philosophy. It said: "The book Laozi can be summarized in almost one sentence. Hey! To the principal and interest! The so-called "Ben" refers to the noumenon of all things in the world, that is, "Tao" or "nothing". The so-called "end" refers to everything in the world. Everything depends on ontology, which is the representation of ontology. Only by understanding the ontology can we not be confused by the phenomenon. Those who govern the country and cultivate themselves will respect the bottom and benefit the bottom, and hold more than one royal; If you "attack the end at this cost", you will be biased against it. The publication of this book set off the wind of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, which led to a major turning point in Taoist philosophy, from Huang Lao's cosmogenesis theory in Han Dynasty to metaphysics ontology in Wei and Jin Dynasties.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) famous words and sentences
The reason for the husband's birth and the reason for his work achievement will be invisible and nameless. Invisible and nameless, the Sect of all things is also.
There is no shape, no image, no sound, so it can go anywhere.
Sixth, the influence of Wang Bi's metaphysics on China culture.
The influence of Wang Bi's philosophy on philosophy is mainly reflected in the influence on the theory of speech and meaning.
The debate between words and meanings is an important theoretical category of China's literary theory, and it is fundamentally a philosophical proposition. Before the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were Theory of Three Represents's views on the theory of words and meanings: the "words" theory of Confucian Classics Centralism, the "wordless theory" of Taoist Naturalism, and the compromise between the Confucian and Taoist views on words and meanings in Yi Zhuan. We didn't talk about the "view of words and meaning" in Yi Zhuan, which is the basis for Wang Bi, one of the founders of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, to put forward his own view of words and meaning when discussing the relationship between words, images and meaning in Yi Zhuan.
As far as metaphysics is concerned, "the distinction between words and meanings" is a way for metaphysics to rationally think about the origin of the universe. As the methodology of metaphysics, it represents the change of China's academic thought and the improvement of his ideological level since Qin and Han Dynasties. There are contradictory views on the "distinction between words and meanings" in metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, which we sorted out in the previous stage of the development and evolution of metaphysics. Among them, Wang Bi inherited the theory of Zhouyi, advocated "words don't convey the full meaning", and inherited the aesthetic propositions of "forgetting fish" and "being proud of images" in Zhuangzi, and put forward the theory of "forgetting images to be proud" in Zhouyi. Wang Bi analyzed the relationship of "speech-image-meaning" from two angles. First of all, from the perspective of "divination", that is, creation, image is born of meaning, and meaning is exhausted by image, meaning is the connotation of image, and image is the form or representation of meaning; Words are born of images, which speak, and images are the objects of words, and words appear in the form of images. Secondly, from the perspective of "interpretation of hexagrams" that is, acceptance, we should find words to observe the image and forget the words; Looking for image, observing meaning, but getting carried away. In other words, to be proud, we need to borrow words and images, but we must give up words and images and not stick to them.
This is a new way to interpret the essence of classics and metaphysics. In literary theory, it is Lu Ji's "Wen Fu" in the Western Jin Dynasty that is influenced by the distinction between words and meanings. Lu Ji put forward that "the meaning of constant suffering is not equal to things, and the meaning of words is insufficient". Tao Yuanming is a poet influenced by the distinction between words and meanings. He claimed: "He likes reading, but he doesn't want to know too much. Whenever he knows something, he forgets to eat happily. " He also wrote in the poem "Drinking": "A day on the mountain is good, and the bird returns in one day. There is a real meaning in this, and I have forgotten what I want to say. " This is also related to metaphysics.
Seven. Social shock
Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties is a special period in the history of China's thoughts. The collapse of the Han Dynasty, the rise of peasant uprising, the separatist regime of powerful landlords, the division of the country and the contradictions between ethnic groups have plunged the whole society into turmoil. Absolute centralized rule was broken, so the Confucian classics serving it were gradually replaced by metaphysics. Ideologically, the situation of Confucianism dominating the whole country is over. Taoism's Huang Lao thought, primitive Taoism thought, Buddhism thought from Tianzhu and the western regions all came to compete with Confucianism, and Confucianism serving absolutism was in crisis. Therefore, this period became a period of ideological emancipation, and various factions debated with each other, and the wind of discussion was very strong, which became the second prosperous period in China's ideological history after the Warring States Period.
The rise of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties replaced the position of Confucian classics. Metaphysics is the product of the combination of Huang Lao's thought and Confucianism. It got rid of the vulgar influence of "the theory of the interaction between man and nature", paid attention to abstract speculation, and rose from natural ontology to cognitive ontology. Wang Bi's philosophical theory of "inaction" marks the beginning of metaphysics and reflects the transition from natural ontology to cognitive ontology.
Before Wang Bi, the discussion about nature and social ethics dominated. Taoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi all pay special attention to the understanding of nature, and Laozi pays special attention to the exploration of the origin and essence of the universe. He believes that "all things in the world are born, but not born", and that the universe is chaotic and invisible at the beginning, and the intangible things gradually develop into tangible things, becoming all things in the world, and all things return to the Tao. Zhuangzi developed Laozi's thought from relativism, further expounded the relationship between man and nature, mind and Tao, and emphasized the unity of man and nature, things and me. At the same time, he advocates "the heart does not donate Tao" and emphasizes the absolute freedom of spirit, but this freedom is obtained through the unity of heart and Tao.
Whether it is traditional Taoism, Confucianism or Dong Zhongshu who is integrated with Confucianism, they are all discussing the existence of reality. Taoism is the existence of nature, Confucianism is the existence of society, and Dong Zhongshu is the corresponding existence of natural society. They are all experiences and descriptions of real problems, and they have not got rid of the fetters of nature, and have not really studied problems from the perspective of epistemology.
Wang Bi, on the other hand, began to study the problem from the perspective of epistemology, and raised the natural ontology to cognitive ontology. His "rootless" nothingness is different from Laozi's "nothingness". Laozi's "nothingness" represents an objective existence, a concrete concept and a "self-phase". Wang Bi's "nothingness" is an abstract concept and a "* * * phase", which represents the nature of all things, not the original entity of the universe.
Wang Bi's philosophy of "valuing nothing" swept away the bondage of nature, society and Confucian orthodoxy to human spirit, improved people's abstract thinking ability and spiritual value, and was a great ideological liberation. It made China's philosophy enter the stage of epistemology. The struggle between materialism and idealism promoted the development of philosophy, made philosophy transition from a practical political tool to an independent ideological system, made the truth of China's philosophy gradually break the dominant position of value, and opened up a broad road for the development of cognition. Wang Bi's "noble" is not a simple ontology, but a philosophy and methodology of life, which will inevitably have an impact on the Confucian ideology of famous religion. At that time, the wind of "not yet" was very strong and became a powerful social trend of thought.