Yes, Taoism is an inherent religion in China. However, I am afraid that many people have misunderstood what Mr. Lu Xun said. In fact, this sentence should be related to the background and context, but I have forgotten what it means. Anyway, now There is controversy over this sentence
"The foundation of China lies in Taoism" is a "famous saying" by Mr. Lu Xun. In recent years, it has been often cited by Taoist scholars and widely publicized in society to prove that Taoism has a profound influence on China. important position and great role in culture. However, in academic circles, there is a completely opposite understanding of Lu Xun's famous saying.
1. Lu Xun’s original meaning
A: Mr. Lu Xun’s wise saying “China is all rooted in Taoism” affirms the role of Taoism in traditional Chinese culture in extremely concise language. status and role. This is a scientific conclusion, which corrects an academic prejudice that has long been popular at home and abroad, that is, Confucian culture can represent the entire traditional Chinese culture, and Taoist culture is dispensable and worthless, and it even advocates its complete elimination.
Since Mr. Lu Xun’s so-called “cannibal nation” was “enlightened” from “an occasional reading of Tongjian”, therefore, in order to understand what the “cannibal nation” refers to, we should Find out what kind of person the author of "Tongjian" is and what purpose he promotes. First of all, "Tongjian" should refer to "Zi Zhi Tongjian", whose author is not a Taoist but the famous Confucian Sima Guang. Secondly, the purpose of Sima Guang compiling "Zizhi Tongjian" was to serve as a reference for feudal rulers, so what he promoted was Confucian feudal ethics, not Taoist morality. In addition, judging from the content of "Diary of a Madman" and Lu Xun's later statement that "Diary of a Madman is intended to expose the evils of the family system and ethics", as well as the fact that he did not mention that it was intended to expose Taoism, Mr. Lu Xun's "cannibalism" What is revealed by the assertion "nation" should mainly refer to the essence of feudal ethics promoted by Confucianism, not the essence of Taoism.
B: We must start from the specific context to understand Lu Xun’s original meaning. On May 15, 1918, Lu Xun published the short story "Diary of a Madman" under the pseudonym "Lu Xun" for the first time. Lu Xun's friend Xu Shouchang felt that it "looked very much like Zhou Yucai's handwriting" after reading it, so he wrote to ask. Lu Xun wrote back on August 20 of the same year, saying: "The Diary of a Madman is actually a humble work, and there are also vernacular poems written by 'Tang Qi', which are also the work of a servant. I have said before that the foundation of China lies in Taoism, and this statement has become quite popular recently. . By reading history in this way, many problems can be easily solved. Later, I occasionally read "Tongjian" and realized that the Chinese are still a cannibal nation. This discovery is also very relevant, but few people know it. Also." This passage not only answers the question of signature, but more importantly, introduces the creative ideas of "Diary of a Madman". "Diary of a Madman" is a declaration of war against the old culture of "cannibalism" by the May Fourth New Culture Movement. Although Lu Xun did not directly preach about "cannibalism" in his reply and "Diary of a Madman", the internal logic of his text Look, the meaning is very clear - "read history in this way", that is, read history (including "Tongjian") from the perspective of "China is entirely rooted in Taoism", "and realize that the Chinese are still cannibals." How can we say that what Lu Xun’s assertion of “cannibalistic nation” reveals “mainly refers to Confucianism… rather than the essence of Taoism”?
2. Lu Xun’s consistent attitude towards Taoism
A: Since Mr. Lu Xun was the standard-bearer of the New Culture Movement, he was critical of traditional old culture, including Taoism. manner. But if we conclude based on these that Mr. Lu Xun completely negated Taoism without even a single word of affirmation, it would not be true. For example, he said in "Xiao Zagan": "People often hate monks, nuns, Muslims, and Christians, but not Taoists. Those who understand this principle understand most of China." Here he believes that only if people understand Only by explaining why we often hate believers of the world's three major religions but not Taoist priests can we truly understand China and show that Taoism has a deep foundation in the hearts of the people. This can also be used as a side note to his scientific conclusion that "China is entirely rooted in Taoism."
B: In fact, Lu Xun’s criticism of Taoism was no less critical than his criticism of Confucianism. Looking at Lu Xun's words about Taoism from 1918 to 1927, there is not a single sentence that affirms Taoism, but there are quite a few words of criticism and rebuke. It can be said that Lu Xun had no good impression of Taoism. For example: “In China, listening to Taoist sermons from Taoist priests and listening to essays from critics can make one’s pores spasm and make one dare not sweat.
However, this may be China’s ‘eternal human nature’. "This "makes people's pores spasm, and they dare not sweat" and "eternal human nature", aren't they the most vivid annotation of "China's roots are all in Taoism"? What's more, the Taoist priests written by Lu Xun actually They are a group of people with no ethics: "When Buddhism came from the East, a few Buddhists translated and preached the scriptures. The Taoist priests stole the Buddhist scriptures and made Taoist scriptures, and the Taoist scriptures used them to curse the Buddhist scriptures, and at the same time they used obscene words. The method harmed the monks and caused chaos and chaos. "Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China, all the literati, Taoist priests and monks have been characterized by "no special exercises". Needless to say, in Lu Xun's mind, not only Confucianism but also Taoism was negative - "Chinese people are still cannibals." What is the nature of Taoism as the "foundation of China"? It has a "bad character" for the people. "What role did it play in the formation of "? What kind of responsibility should we bear? The conclusion can be imagined!
3. Is Lu Xun's conclusion "no accidental"
A: The reason why Mr. Lu Xun was able to make the wise conclusion that "China is entirely rooted in Taoism" was no accident. Among the Chinese at that time, no one else had the knowledge to make this scientific conclusion. Therefore, Lu Xun cannot be relied upon. He is not a world-famous historian of Taoism, so he does not belittle its significance.
B: This statement is inconsistent with the actual situation. In fact, "among the Chinese at that time", most people held this "scientific conclusion." There are people out there, and it is "definitely not" Mr. Lu Xun alone. To use Lu Xun's original words, "this theory is quite popular." There is evidence that seeing Taoism as the source of China's ignorance and backwardness was the culprit of many advanced intellectuals at that time. *Knowledge. For example, Qian Xuantong called Taoism "the most barbaric Taoism" and Chen Duxiu said that Taoism was "the most harmful thing to China in ancient times". Alchemy, luck-seeking, praying for luck, praying for rain, praying for sunshine, welcoming gods, talking about ghosts, and all kinds of evil and eccentric things are rampant in the country, practical learning is not popular, and the people's wisdom is declining, all of which are harmed by this line of theory. Getting rid of evil ideas and rectifying people's hearts must start from this point. Zhou Zuoren also believed: "The biggest resistance to improving the countryside lies in the old ideas of the rural people themselves, and the main force of this old ideas is Taoist thought. "Based on the close relationship between Qian, Chen, and Zhou Zhou and Lu Xun at that time, and the fact that all four of them were the main figures of the New Culture Movement, Qian, Chen, and Zhou's views can be seen as a reflection on "the foundation of China lies in Taoism." Standard interpretation; in other words, "China is all rooted in Taoism" is a high-level summary of Qian, Chen, and Zhou's discussion.
4. Why Lu Xun's famous sayings are widely quoted
A: Because Mr. Lu Xun had an extremely thorough understanding of traditional Chinese culture, he was able to challenge this traditional academic prejudice and put forward the scientific conclusion that "China is entirely rooted in Taoism", which was refreshing. After the reform and opening up, it was very refreshing. As our research on Taoist culture gradually deepens, the status and role of Taoist culture in traditional Chinese culture is recognized by more and more people. Therefore, Mr. Lu Xun’s wise saying more than 80 years ago has become more and more popular. It is accepted by more and more people. More and more people realize its scientific and profound nature and believe that it is completely consistent with the historical facts of Chinese academic culture. This is why this wise saying is accepted more and more nowadays. The real reason why it is widely cited by people.
B: Taoist culture, as one of the important pillars of Chinese traditional culture, has great historical and practical significance. However, Lu Xun said that "China is entirely rooted in Taoism." " is intended to be a criticism. Although literally, this is a positive judgment, however, he completely negates the "foundation" of China, which expresses a complete negation of Taoism. When we affirm with enthusiasm It is unreasonable to cite the negative evaluation of Taoism by this great figure as an authoritative argument about the historical role of Taoism. This is by no means a serious academic attitude. The reason why such a strange thing happens is that we have to quote the text. , there is less effort in careful reading and screening; secondly, it is too eager to rely on celebrities, and the result is a misunderstanding of Lu Xun, which is not helpful for a correct evaluation of Taoism. Mr. Lu Xun's "patent" is well known; therefore, if the main tone of the treatise is to praise Taoism, even from the perspective of importance, it should not be quoted; otherwise, it will easily cause misunderstandings and will not correct the "prejudice" and promote traditional culture. , on the contrary, it can only have a negative effect on both academic research and Taoism itself.