Han Fei and "Han Feizi"
Han Fei himself
Han Fei was born around 280 BC and died in 233 BC. At the end of the Warring States Period, he was a Korean (now Xinzheng, Henan Province), one of the princes of the Korean royal family, and the master of Legalist thought in the Warring States Period. According to "Historical Records", Han Fei was proficient in the "study of criminal names", and both he and Qin Prime Minister Li Si once worshiped the Confucian master Xunzi as their teacher. However, he did not inherit Xunzi's Confucian ideological tradition. Instead, he was influenced by Legalism, continued to study and absorbed the essence of Legalism, and became an outstanding representative of Legalism at the end of the Warring States Period.
Han Fei stuttered and was not good at speaking, but his writing was so outstanding that even Li Si felt inferior to him. In his youth, Han Fei witnessed the decline of Korea at the end of the Warring States Period. He proposed strategies to enrich the country and strengthen the army many times to the King of Han, but was never accepted. Han Fei believed that this was "Integrity will not tolerate evil and dishonest ministers." So he retired and wrote books, including "Gu Anger", "Five Worms", "Inner and Outer Storage", "Shuo Lin", "Shuo Nan", etc. These works were later collected into the book "Han Feizi".
In 234 BC, Han Fei's writings reached the Qin State. King Ying Zheng of Qin read it and praised him, saying: "Sorry, I will never hate seeing this person traveling with him!" Just right! Li Si was present and said: "This is Han Fei's work." King Qin immediately sent troops to attack Han. The only requirement for the war was to get Han Fei. When the Qin soldiers pressed the territory, he was sacrificed to the King of Qin. The King of Qin was delighted when he got Han Fei, but he did not trust or reuse him. After Han Fei arrived in Qin, he wrote to the King of Qin requesting that Korea be preserved. Li Si, Yao Jia and others took the opportunity to slander him, saying that he "will eventually serve Han, not Qin" and suggested that the King of Qin "punish him with the law", so Han Fei was thrown into prison. In 233 BC, Li Si sent people to send poison to make him commit suicide. Han Fei had no way to appeal and was forced to commit suicide in prison in Yunyang (now northwest of Chunhua County, Shaanxi Province).
"Han Feizi" and his books
"Han Feizi" was compiled by his descendants after Han Fei's death. "Historical Records·Biography of Han Changru" says: "I tasted "Han Zi Za Jia Shuo" in Zuotian." This "Han Zi Za Jia Shuo" may be the "Han Feizi" that is passed down today. It was originally called "Han Zi", but the engravings after the Song Dynasty began to use the title "Han Feizi". "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" records fifty-five chapters of "Hanzi", and "Suishu·Jingjizhi" records twenty volumes. The number of chapters and volumes are consistent with the current version, which shows that the current version is intact.
The fifty-five chapters of "Hanzi" recorded in "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" are based on the "Bielu" compiled by Liu Xiang according to Zhongmi Zhizang. Therefore, the fifty-five chapters today were immediately edited by Liu Xiang A certain number of articles. However, there is much controversy in academic circles as to whether all these fifty-five articles were written by Han Fei. Especially the two articles "First Meeting Qin" and "Cun Han" have been discussed intensively. Liu Rulin, Rong Zhaozu, Hu Shi, Liang Qixiong, etc. believe that it is not written by Han Fei, while Chen Qiyou, Zhang Xinzheng, Gao Heng, Deng Sishan, etc. believe that it is written by Han Fei. , there is no conclusion yet. Hu Shi and Rong Zhaozu believe that there are very few authentic works by Han Fei in "Han Feizi". Hu Shi believes that "only one or two out of ten of "Han Feizi" are reliable, and the rest are added. The reliable chapters are as follows: "Xianxue", "Five "Beetle", "Dingfa", "Difficult Situation", "Deceitful Envoy", "Six Antis", "Question and Debate" (see "Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy"). Rong Zhaozu believed: "It is indeed not the author of "Wu Zhu" and "Xianxue". His thoughts are consistent with Han Feizi's, and there is circumstantial evidence to prove that Han Feizi authored the four chapters of "Difficulty" and "Gu Ang". From the theory The inference is that the author is not the author, and it is the chapters of "Difficulty", "Questions and Debates", "The Envoy", "Six Antis", "Eight Comments", "Loyalty and Filial Piety", "Xindu", and "Dingfa" (see " Research on Han Feizi").
Liang Qixiong and Chen Qiyou believe that most of the chapters in "Han Feizi" are true. Liang Qixiong believes that the ten chapters found in "Historical Records" are undoubtedly the authentic works of Han Feizi. "Jie Lao" and "Wen Tian" may have been developed and added to other people's works. Nine chapters, including "Ten Faults", "Employment of Personnel", "Safety", "Fame", "Loyalty and Filial Piety", "General Structure", "Guardian of Dao", "Observation of Behavior" and "Zhifen", are related to other chapters in terms of thoughts and texts. The difference is that it is difficult to verify whether it is a forgery. The remaining thirty-four chapters are generally similar to Han Feizi's own works (see "A Brief Interpretation of Han Zi"). Chen Qiyou believes that except for the two chapters "Ren Zhu" and "Zhi Fen", which are not similar to the other chapters and cannot be written by Han Feizi because of their different style, the rest of them are consistent with Han Feizi's thoughts (see "Han Feizi's Collection").
The main content of "Han Feizi"
The main content of "Han Feizi" can be roughly divided into five parts.
The first part mainly embodies the "law-based" law, technique and potential theory. Han Fei's core idea is the rule of law. Han Fei absorbed the essence of Shang Yang's law, Shen Buhai's technique, and Shen Dao's momentum. He believed that the three are indispensable tools in the hands of the monarch, and they should be organically combined. It constitutes the legal ideological system of the monarchy and serves the unification.
Han Fei believes that the implementation of the rule of law must be "law-based" ("Acting Evil"). The law embodies the national interests. If the law is ignored, the national interests will be harmed. Therefore, he said: "The law is the reason for the country. If it is ignored, the merits will not be achieved and the reputation will not be achieved" ("An Wei"). If we pay attention to the Dharma, we can enrich the country and strengthen the army, and achieve the feat of "surpassing the five emperors and defeating the three kings" ("Five Worms"). Therefore, he came to the conclusion that "those who understand the Dharma are strong and those who are slow to the Dharma are weak" ("Acting Evil").
He also believed that in order to understand the law, it is necessary to establish the absolute authority of the law, because this is the only standard for judging the right and wrong of words and deeds and for rewarding and punishing. Therefore, he opposed the Confucian ideas of "benevolent government" and "virtual governance" and used it to "forbid adultery before it is mature" ("Xindu") to achieve the purpose of unifying thought.
Han Fei believes that to implement the rule of law, statutory laws must be promulgated. It has two advantages: first, it can make everyone follow it, and second, it can prevent officials from being arbitrary and favoritism. After the decree is promulgated, it can be implemented smoothly, and the use of rewards and punishments is the only effective method. Because human nature values ????profit, only by strictly implementing rewards and punishments can we "fear its power and return to its benefits." In order to carry out rewards and punishments, the names of punishments must be combined so that the rewards and punishments comply with the provisions of the law. He also pointed out that the law must be obeyed regardless of high or low. "The law is not noble, and the rope is not bent. When the law is imposed, the wise will not be able to refuse, and the brave will not dare to fight. The punishment will not be avoided by ministers, and the good will not be spared." ("Youdu") The idea of ??replacing "rule by etiquette" with "rule of law" has certain progressive significance.
Han Fei believes that "skill" is a means to achieve the rule of law. If a monarch wants to control the political power and make his subordinates implement the laws and implement the rule of law, he must have the "skill" to control his subordinates. "Law" and "skills" are "indispensable tools" for the monarch ("Dingfa"), and they must be combined to implement the rule of law. Because "only the law has no skills", the monarch has "no skills to know the traitors", and it is difficult to prevent his subordinates from usurping the throne and seizing power, harming the public and enriching themselves, and acting in secret. On the contrary, if it is "impossible to use only skills" ("Dingfa") and uses skills to interpret the law, the monarch will lose the standard for judging loyalty and traitors and the basis for rewards and punishments. Han Fei believes that "shu" has two functions: first, it is the method of appointing, removing and assessing subordinates, that is, using them according to their talents, and using the method of "according to names and responsibilities" to evaluate whether the subordinates are loyal to their duties and abide by the law. Reward those who are worthy of the name and punish those who are inconsistent with the name. He believes that this is a good way to "know adultery" and "forbid adultery". It can not only understand whether the subordinates have failed in their duties, but also whether the subordinates have exceeded their authority. The second is that "skills" are the means that the monarch hides in his heart but does not reveal. He controls various events and controls his subordinates. It is used to prevent his subordinates from usurping the throne and seizing power and harming the public and enriching themselves, so as to maintain the monarchy.
Han Fei believes that the prerequisite for a monarch to legislate and issue rewards and punishments is to have power. He said that power is the political capital that makes people obey. When the monarch loses his power, he and his ministers will change their positions and become ministers. "When the master loses power and his ministers gain the country, the master is called a duke minister." ("Gu Anger") Therefore, he particularly emphasized that the monarch must be "good at power", must be highly centralized, and must not "excess power" with his ministers ("Foreign Reserve") Say lower right》). Han Fei also emphasized that "law" and "power" are combined and cannot be separated, because if there is "power" but no "law", it is not rule of law but rule of man. If the rule of men is implemented, the king of others will not be able to govern the world. On the contrary, if the rule of law is implemented, the king of men can also rule the world as long as he "accordes to the law and handles the situation", thereby illustrating that the rule of law is superior to the rule of men.
The second part mainly embodies the idea of ??historical evolution.
Han Fei’s thoughts on historical evolution are derived from "Shang Jun Shu", which divides human history into four generations: "ancient times", "medieval times", "modern times" and "present day". The ancient world refers to the legendary era when the Chao family built wooden nests and the Suiren family drilled wood to make fire. The Middle Ages refers to the era when Gun and Yu controlled floods. The modern era refers to the era of Yin and Zhou during the conquests of Tang and Wu. The current world refers to the Warring States Period in which he lived. Han Fei believes that the development of human history is progressing, and it will be a joke to remain unchanged, follow the old ways, and retrogress. He believes that times have changed, and the methods of governing the country must also change accordingly to adapt to the requirements of the times. If in today's world you still "want to govern the people of this world with the government of the previous kings", then you are a fool who "waits and waits". Therefore, he concluded: "The sage does not seek to cultivate the past, but can always break the law. He discusses the affairs of the world and sticks to them.
Han Fei also explored the reasons for historical evolution. He started from material production Analyzing the reasons for historical evolution, he believed that the development of material production also promoted changes in the relationships and concepts between people. He said that competition in morality in ancient times was not because everyone was good, but because there were fewer people and more materials at that time; People are competing with each other today not because their minds have deteriorated, but because they have more people and less money.
Han Fei’s thoughts on historical evolution and his exploration of the reasons for historical development not only point out the inevitability of change. He also pointed out the necessity of implementing the rule of law, explaining that under the conditions of "today's struggle for power", only by using rewards and punishments to rule can social order be maintained, the country rich and the army strong, and great unification be achieved. Therefore, his idea of ??historical evolution is his. The theoretical basis of the rule of law.
The third part mainly reflects the idea of ??human nature being beneficial.
Han Fei’s theory of human nature does not inherit Xun Qing’s theory of human nature and evil, because Xun Qing believes that human nature is evil. Human nature is evil and needs to be changed into good. Han Fei believes that human nature does not need to be changed. The monarch can take advantage of it through rewards and punishments. Han Fei inherited the profit-loving thoughts of Shen Dao and "Shang Jun Shu". . He believed that people's profit-loving nature first stems from human instinctive needs, but he also pointed out that human nature changes with the development of history. Therefore, everyone in today's world is profit-loving, and all kinds of people have different preferences. There are various kinds of interests in the relationship. As for the relationship between monarch and minister, it is even more of a relationship of interest. In "Nan Yi", he regarded it more specifically as a business relationship, saying: "The minister will do his best to be with the king. In the city, the king gives his title and salary to his ministers. The relationship between the king and his ministers is not the relationship between father and son. It is a matter of counting. "This is the transaction between the emperor and his ministers between "death force" and "juelu".
Han Fei also pointed out the conflict of interests between the king and the people. He believed that ruling the people must rely on rewards and punishments, and cannot rely on voluntary obedience. The people must be coerced by force. He said: "The people are proud of love and listen to power" ("Five Worms"). "The Yan family has no ruthless prisoners but a loving mother has a prodigal son. From this I know that power can restrain violence, but virtue is not enough to stop chaos" ("Xianxue"). Therefore, Han Fei advocated using laws to suppress the people.
Han Fei believes that since human nature is profit-loving and the relationships between people are all interests, rulers can rely on the power in their hands to use rewards and punishments to rule. Therefore, the idea of ????human nature being beneficial is also the theoretical basis for the implementation of "rule of law".
The fourth part mainly reflects the epistemological thoughts.
Han Fei believes that the world can be understood. First, people have the ability to understand the world. He said that people rely on their natural sense organs and thinking organs such as eyes and ears to feel and think about the objective world. Second, everything in the world has its own way, principles, nature and shape of things, which can be felt and thought by these human organs. Han Fei believes that the truth of things is not easy to understand. It requires careful consideration and complete objectivity when thinking.
Han Fei also proposed the "experimental" method to test whether the understanding is consistent with reality. To test whether a statement is correct, we must line up things, make comparative studies, and pay attention to all aspects, including the natural world, earth, objects, and human factors in society. Only statements that comply with these aspects are correct. He also believes that whether speech is correct depends on whether it has any function. He said that all their words had no "functional content" and were therefore useless. It can be seen from this that epistemology is also related to his advocacy of the rule of law.
The fifth part mainly reflects the idea of ??natural view.
Han Fei discussed Tao, Li, and De themselves and their interrelationships. He said that Tao is the natural world and its general laws, while Li is the special law that distinguishes all things. He also said that various things have their own special laws, and the sum of the special laws of all things embodies the fundamental general laws of the world. Han Fei also believed that what all things in nature obtain from "Tao" and become their own intrinsic nature is "De". "De" comes from "Tao", so "De" is the embodiment of "Tao".
Han Fei believes that God has no will. He said: "If the sky is like the earth, which one is distant and which one is close?" ("Yang Quan") "If it is not the right time, even Yao could not do it. One ear grows in winter." ("Famous Names") He gave full play to Xunzi's control of the destiny of heaven and used it. His thoughts emphasize the necessity and importance of man-made things, believing that natural objects can be transformed by human beings using tools, and use this view to demonstrate his proposition of the rule of law. He opposed the attitude of leaving nature and human affairs to their own devices, and favored active and conscious activities. This also shows that the view of nature and his advocacy of the rule of law are also connected.
The influence of "Han Feizi"
As the master of Legalist thought, Han Fei made Legalism an important school as famous as Confucianism and Taoism. Han Fei's core thought is the rule of law. His thought on the rule of law provided a theoretical basis for the establishment of feudal centralization. For more than two thousand years, his thoughts have become a textbook for the ruling class to rule the world. They have been regarded as a guideline for a long time and are still respected today. . Han Fei's thoughts on the rule of law have had a profound impact on Chinese society.
Han Fei lived on the eve of Qin's unification of the world. Qin finally won the war through annexation and established a large centralized empire with an autocratic monarchy. It was an epoch-making change in Chinese history. It was a great change in which centralization of power replaced separatism and division. During this great change, the political commentator who played a political guiding role in the Qin State was Han Fei after Gongsun Yang. Although Han Fei had not been in power in the Qin State, Qin Shihuang appreciated his works, Li Si used his political commentaries, and Qin II quoted his articles. It can be seen that his political commentary had a great influence on the Qin State and played an important role. It can be said that the establishment of a large centralized empire with an autocratic monarchy in the Qin State was a concrete manifestation of Han Fei's political theory. Therefore, in promoting the progress of history, promoting the unification of the world and the reform of the system, Han Fei
As far as its main body is concerned, "Han Feizi" can be called a masterpiece of political science, and it is also a masterpiece in the history of ancient literature and philosophy. a certain status. It mainly discusses how a monarch can control his subjects, enrich his country and strengthen his army, and even become king and hegemon, which is what the ancients called "the study of emperors". Of course, in addition to discussing the main contents such as magic and power, the book also discusses some necessary moral cultivation and political strategies for a monarch. At the same time, the book also contains some of Han Fei's analysis and feelings about human nature and sophistication. Legalism is an important school of thought as famous as Confucianism and Taoism. It has had a great influence on Chinese social politics and ideological scholarship, and "Han Feizi" is a collection of the culmination of Legalist thought. Zhao Pu, the famous prime minister of the Song Dynasty, said: "Half of the Analects of Confucius governs the world." Coincidentally, Zhang Taiyan, a famous scholar in modern times, said that "half of Han Feizi governs the world." The two "half theories" merge into one, demonstrating the spiritual soul of an era.
It is precisely because of "Han Feizi" that it has had a great impact on Chinese social politics and ideological scholarship. It is not only an important historical material for the study of Han Fei and his later studies, but also a first-hand reference for us modern people to learn from. Materials, so today we have compiled a book "The Essence of Han Feizi", which selects most of the famous chapters that have been widely circulated in "Han Feizi". The table of contents still adopts the order of the popular version; each article is divided into paragraphs according to the meaning of the text. With annotations and translations, there are explanations at the beginning of the chapter and comments at the end, combined with the historical background at that time, it comprehensively and deeply interprets Han Fei's thoughts.
The preparation of this book is guided by seeking truth from facts and critical inheritance, based on the principle of equal emphasis on ideological, historical, literary and popular nature, and adheres to the unity of history and logic, the unity of ancient thought and modern thought needs, Improve and popularize the unity. There are many incisive famous sayings and popular fables in the book, which contain rich ideological connotations and are worthy of learning and reference by us modern people.