Gu Yanwu.

Liang Qichao was the first to rewrite Gu Yanwu's original words in 1897 as "Those who protect the world are responsible for the lowliness of an ordinary man." On this basis, he was the first to summarize in the same year that "everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world."

“Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.” Liang Qichao, Sun Yat-sen and others have quoted this saying, calling on the people to take responsibility and save the country, and it has been passed down to this day and has become a household name. However, there are mixed opinions among academic circles about the origin of this discourse, and there is no conclusion yet. The author conducts research on this and believes that this discourse was first proposed by Liang Qichao in the 23rd year of Guangxu (1897).

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Gu Yanwu was a famous thinker and scholar in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. He never wrote useless articles in his life, and advocated that "writing must be meticulous" and "must be beneficial to the world"; Scholarship emphasizes "applying knowledge to the world", opposes empty talk, and pays attention to on-the-spot investigation.

He wrote extensively throughout his life and made great achievements in geography, epigraphy, and music. He wrote "Zhi of Zhaoyu", "Book of Benefit and Diseases of Prefectures and Countries in the World", "Epigraphy and Stone Records", and "Five Five Principles of Phonology". Books" and other books are of high academic value. His representative work "Rizhilu" systematically expounds his views in philosophy, politics, economics and other aspects.

Gu Yanwu was born in a rural eunuch, studied since childhood, and participated in social restoration activities at the age of fourteen. Fushe is a society that seeks reform, and most of its members are patriotic intellectuals. When the Qing troops moved south, Gu Yanwu participated in the anti-Qing struggle and defended Kunshan together with Yang Yongyan, the magistrate of Kunshan, and others.

The city was destroyed, Gu Yanwu's two younger brothers were killed by Qing soldiers, and his stepmother Wang also committed suicide on a hunger strike. After that, he secretly acted as a businessman and contacted the anti-Qing forces. He was later hunted down by the government and fled Jiangnan to Shandong.