I. Origin
Where did "Xia" come from? China's chivalrous man appeared early. Jing Ke, Zhuan Xu and Yu Rang in Sima Qian's Historical Records-Biography of Assassins were the original rangers. The Four Childes of Warring States are also a kind of chivalrous men, and some scholars regard them as "chivalrous men" who don't wear cloth or official clothes. At present, there are two mainstream views that chivalrous spirit mainly comes from Confucianism and Mohism.
One view is that chivalry and Confucianism are of the same origin.
The reason is that Confucius talked about justice and peace, but he also talked about madness, thinking that "the chivalrous are enterprising, and the stubborn are doing something." This ambitious and enterprising value orientation is quite close to chivalry. But we should see a main idea of Confucius' theory: ceremony. Etiquette is about seniority, equality and order, the monarch and his son. This is quite different from the code pursued by Xia. Confucianism, moderation and chivalry go to extremes; Confucianism advocates forgiveness and revenge for chivalrous people; Confucianism attaches importance to order and chivalry does not stick to form; Confucianism opposes force, and chivalrous people do not avoid violence. In a word, Confucianism does what it wants from the heart and never goes beyond the present; The chivalrous man is willing to go beyond the rope inspection every time and does not avoid etiquette. Chivalrous people ignore the upper and lower levels maintained by Confucianism, draw out a sword to kill violence and help the poor, and pursue the principle that there is no way in heaven.
Others believe that chivalry comes from ink.
Mr. Lu Xun once said: "Confucius' disciple is Confucianism, and Mozi's disciple is Xia." Mozi opposed the Confucian theory of destiny. It is said that there are differences in love, and there is no distinction between men and women. It advocates "Shang Tong", "Shang Xian", "universal love" and "non-aggression". Mohist school is enthusiastic about public welfare, kindness, helping Wei Cheng and asking the rich to help the poor, which is strikingly similar to the chivalrous principle of life. Mohist thought has something in common with chivalry, but simply speaking, chivalry originated from ink. Mohism cares about politics and stresses the way of governing the country. Although Mohism and Confucianism are different, they have one thing in common: they are both political ethics. Chivalrous men don't care about politics. The chivalrous man's behavior is entirely out of his own sense of justice and courage, without any political purpose. Mohist school has strict discipline and certain organizational forms. He abides by Mohist theory by obeying the orders of giants and restraining his own desires, thus exercising self-discipline. Chivalry is far from freedom, so don't pay attention to these rules and regulations. They are still angry with Ren Xia and don't pay attention to self-cultivation. It can be said that chivalry is a fellow Mohist in action and harmonious with Mohist in spirit, but it is quite different in outlook on life.
Of course, the division of these two origins is a bit simplistic and formulaic, and the author will put forward a new division in the third section "Classification of China Chivalry".
Bushido rose in Japan under the background of Fujiwara's authoritarian politics, and manors rose all over Japan. For the sake of territory and security, the manor owner slowly separated some farmers for training, and later simply set up a samurai group to take charge of security work.
The emergence and growth of samurai forces, from the beginning of 1 1 century, gradually formed a regional armed group outside the manor. Countless scattered warriors gathered in one place, unified command, and formed a samurai group. The leader of the samurai group is called "Ling" and his subordinates are called "bastard". The samurai group has a strong clan concept, resolutely carries out the orders of the leaders and implements the master-slave relationship. Warriors' bravery on the battlefield and their dedication to their masters are the basic requirements of warriors and samurai regiments, forming new concepts such as "martial arts" and "the way of archery" and becoming an important ideological pillar to maintain the samurai regiments. The era of the rise of samurai is the time when Japan changed from a society ruled by law to an aristocratic society, and it is also the time when feudal society began to take advantage.
But in fact, it was not until the end of the Warring States and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate that the word "Bushido" first appeared in written materials.
Second, the spiritual core of Japanese Bushido
The core meaning of Japanese Bushido has three points:
The first is "forbearance", that is, forbearance in all things to exercise adaptability and viability in adversity. We will inadvertently see the big word "forbearance" hanging on the living room wall of some people, which comes from this.
The second is "shame". Bushido requires the samurai to have strict self-cultivation, not only to be proficient in martial arts, but also to show the "loyalty, honesty and shame" that the samurai should have morally.
The third is "death". Life is worse than death, but it doesn't mean that you can die at any time, and you can despise life. But living must be meaningful, so that you can have no regrets when you die.
From the core essence of Japanese Bushido, we can find that it has a strong China chivalrous color. In addition to the first point of forbearance, the second point of loyalty, honesty and shame, and the third point of death, you should live a valuable life and never drag out an ignoble existence when you die, which is also the root of China's inner spiritual strength.
The "forbearance" is different from the unrestrained style of mainstream chivalrous men in China, but it is strikingly similar to the forbearance assassins in the Warring States period! It can be said that the Japanese Bushido is more like an assassin in China during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. He is absolutely loyal to his master, waiting for an opportunity to achieve political goals, at all costs, at death! Sima Qian's Biography of Assassins in Historical Records describes such "forbearing" assassins: Zhuan Xu, Yurang, Nie Zheng and Jing Ke.
Slightly different, the "loyalty" of China assassins is embodied in "a scholar dies for a confidant"; Japanese samurai, on the other hand, are more simply concerned about the superior-subordinate relationship of manor owners, but this relationship is extremely "iron". If you give me food and a chance to live, I can die for you. If you can't finish the task, you will definitely cut yourself off.
Personally, I think that Japanese samurai are very similar to China assassins in spirit, but they are by no means genuine. Because later, the spirit of Bushido changed. This will be discussed below.
Third, the classification of China chivalrous man.
In this section, we will take Mr. Jin Yong's martial arts novels as an example to talk about the general classification of China chivalrous men. Tracing back to the source, the author found that China's chivalrous men can be roughly divided into four categories.
The first category is "Confucianism and chivalry", whose ideological roots come from Confucius and Mencius. This is a chivalrous man who joined the WTO, taking the safety of the world as his own responsibility. Guo Jing in The Legend of the Condor Heroes is a typical representative. After his success, Guo Jingyi spent almost the rest of his life in Xiangyang City, resisting the invasion of Mongolian army. Finally, Xiangyang City was broken, and Guo Jing and Huang Rong were both dead. The so-called Confucian chivalry can be summed up in a sentence that Guo Jing used to say before his death: "The great chivalry is for the country and the people".
The second category is "under the Tao", which is rooted in the "inaction" thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi. This is a natural man. Sometimes they do chivalrous things, but sometimes they follow their own preferences regardless of secular etiquette. Such people are chic and elegant, and often retire and become hermits in the end. Huang in Legend of the Condor Heroes and Zhang Wuji in Eternal Dragon Slayer are typical representatives. Huangshi is on the edge of good and evil, nicknamed "East Evil"; Zhang Wuji is easy-going, and although he has been in danger for many times, he can let go. When he became the leader of Zoroastrianism, he basically ruled by doing nothing. Finally, I can give up everything and get away with Zhao Min, which won the essence of Taoist thought.
The third category is "Buddha and chivalry", which is rooted in the compassion of Buddhism "loving all beings". This chivalrous look no longer focuses on the feuds in the rivers and lakes, and is not even limited to ethnic contradictions. They have broad vision and profound thoughts, and look down on the compassion of all beings. Xiao Feng in Tian Ba Long Bu is a typical representative. Xiao Feng is a typical Confucian and chivalrous man. He once wanted to do something important for DaSong in the Beggars' Sect. However, after his life experience was exposed, he traveled all over the world and experienced numerous disasters, and finally realized the chivalrous spirit, thus surpassing the realm of Confucianism and chivalry. "What is the reason for the dispute between Da Song and Da Liao for many years?" "Why do you call me Liao Gou and I call you Song Zhu? We can't fall in love together?" Xiao Feng is a Khitan, but he is inextricably linked with Dasong. His vision has already surpassed nationalism, and in modern words, he is an internationalist. His final suicide only changed the color of the storm and touched ghosts and gods. The author remembered the words of Buddha: "If I don't go to hell, who will go to hell?" ...
The fourth category is "Moxia". Moxia is actually a state without summer, and martial arts is not important at this time. What matters is the spirit of Xia. Whether you are a prince or a general (such as the Four Childes of the Warring States) or an ordinary citizen (such as Wei Xiaobao), whether you have martial arts or not, as long as you have a bumpy road, you can become a knight. This is the most authentic knight-errant rooted in the folk soil, and also the most vigorous and generalized knight-errant in the history of China. The heroes in "Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses" and "The Water Margin" sung by people in past dynasties are essentially ink heroes. In Jin Yong's novels, Ling Huchong of the legendary swordsman is the representative of Moxia. Ling Huchong came from a noble family and was a gentleman (although he was later found to be a hypocrite). He really wants to be a Confucian knight-errant, but that kind of thing in his bones is no different from ordinary people. He drinks heavily, likes to be lively and dissolute, loves to make friends from all walks of life, and even teaches people magic. No matter whether he is peerless in martial arts or seriously injured, he will come to the rescue as long as he encounters unfair things. He will help after the incident. Let's take a look at him kicking and blasting four beasts in Qingcheng Mountain, the geese fighting the rogue Tian Boguang, and the road outside Hengshan City seeing the injustice "the legendary swordsman", helping the magic to teach the left to fight the righteous and the evil, and dressing up to save the Hengshan School. In these things, it seems reckless, but in fact it is smart and witty. You can vaguely see the shadow in Water Margin in him.
From the author's classification of China's chivalrous men, we can see that China's chivalrous spirit is rich and broad, but it is too narrow compared with Japanese Bushido. Sometimes it's so narrow that it's only "loyalty, righteousness and shame", and even it's only militaristic, arrogant and unwilling to admit mistakes. Its spiritual connotation is weak, and its roots are not as diverse and powerful as China's. This is the biggest difference between China's chivalrous spirit and Japanese Bushido.
Fourth, individual heroism and team spirit.
After focusing on the first three points, let's briefly talk about the comparison between China's chivalrous spirit and other aspects of Japanese Bushido. The first is personal heroism and team spirit. Undeniably, China's chivalrous people advocate multiple individual heroism and act chivalrously, often relying on personal preferences and their own efforts. Although there are also large-scale team warriors, it is often the individual who turns the tide, reverses Gan Kun and decides the final situation. For example, in The Condor Heroes, Guo Jing held a hero's meeting for the first time. Without the appearance of Yang Guo, King Jinlun might have ruined this heroic meeting; The second hero conference in Xiangyang, without Yang Guo, history may be rewritten from now on; In Tian Bu, Ye Lv Hongji would have died long ago if he hadn't joined the army alone to capture the emperor's father-of course, this is only an example, and the novel is fictional after all-Jin Yong's novels can best reflect this. The situation in Wulin, a person can often turn the tide and turn Gan Kun around. Without this person, Wulin and even the world would probably develop in another direction.
Bushido in Japan is different. Japanese samurai usually form groups to fight for the interests of their owners and their groups. This determines that they like to fight as a team when they act, and each has its own responsibilities and tasks. The final success is often the result of teamwork. The advantage of Bushido spirit to Japan is the team consciousness of Yamato people. In the past hundred years, Japan has continuously developed and strengthened itself with this awareness. Japan's miraculous economic take-off after the heavy losses in World War II largely benefited from the team spirit of Bushido.
Isn't there a famous saying: one China person is a dragon, and ten China people are worms; One Japanese, one bug, ten Japanese, one dragon. Taking its essence and carrying forward the team spirit of Bushido are worth learning and learning from China people.
V. Their respective political nature
Chivalrous men in China were very political during the Warring States Period. However, under the influence of "respecting Confucius alone" in the Han Dynasty, chivalry became the opposite of the government. Taking the famous as the turning point, Xia took a turning point in the Han Dynasty.
China people like to say "every three to five", and the government cannot tolerate that there are always different authoritative voices outside its own legal system. When Liu Bang rose, he relied largely on the power of chivalrous men. Sean and Han Xin were both rangers to a certain extent, so the Han Dynasty knew the activity ability of rangers. In dealing with the incident of Lu Bu, the temple reached a compromise with the Jianghu, and Lu Bu worked for the Han Dynasty to avoid death. "Ji Bu's sages are in a hurry, and Korea needs it. If it is not north, it will be south." My husband was afraid that strong men would go to the enemy, so this Wu Zixu whipped King Jingping's tomb. "(Historical Records. "Biography of Ji Bu and Luan Bu") Ji Bu represents the end of the ranger's regime mode from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. "Winning is as good as a promise" has become the last spark before the end of the sharp opposition between the rangers and the regime.
On the court side, chivalrous men have been clearly regarded as opposites. Since the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, it is no longer a chivalrous biography. Since then, it has been recorded that the pen of the chivalrous man has flowed from the official to the people, and some people have grievances. They have grievances, they have rivers and lakes, and they can't do without chivalry. Chivalrous men did not disappear from the world, but changed their way of life.
This is of course related to China's powerful feudal autocratic influence, but the situation in Japan is different. Japanese Bushido is very political. Look at its origin-
"Bushido rose in Japan under the background of Fujiwara's authoritarian politics, and manors rose all over Japan. For the sake of territory and security, the manor slowly separated some farmers for training, and then simply formed a samurai group to take charge of security work. The emergence and growth of samurai forces gradually formed regional armed groups outside the manor from the beginning of 1 1 century. " (Japan-Japan-Japanese culture).
We can draw a conclusion that Japanese Bushido has a strong team spirit and politics. In fact, the reason is very simple, that is, Japanese feudalism lags behind us for more than 1000 years. China emerged as a vassal state during the Warring States Period, while the Japanese manor, a regional armed group, only appeared in 1 1 century. Its feudal autocratic regime did not reach the height of China, and soon it was the Meiji Restoration. It is natural that Bushido's team spirit and its political nature will not be annihilated in a short time.
Cultural influence and development trend of intransitive verbs
As mentioned earlier, the spiritual core of Japanese Bushido is far less rich and broad than China's chivalrous spirit. The reason is inseparable from culture. China is a multi-ethnic unified country, and its inclusiveness is amazing. It also determines that many cultures can coexist in the unified cultural environment of Confucianism. Blend and influence each other. Tolerance and coexistence are the demeanor of a big country. This also determines the development of chivalrous culture, which will not and cannot be unitized. The development of China culture goes hand in hand. The same is true of chivalrous culture, from the original ranger to Mohism, Confucianism, Taoism and even anti-chivalry (Wei Xiaobao). Until modern times, the ancient chivalrous spirit of two thousand years ago still exists in many people's hearts.
Japan, however, is a small island country, lacking in resources, with a serious sense of crisis and a somewhat single culture. The narrowness, paranoia and extremes of Bushido come from this cultural soil. After Meiji Restoration, the disappearance of professional samurai was the beginning of the decline of Bushido. 2 1 century, Japanese young people seem to be getting farther and farther away from Bushido spirit, so that some old people are worried about it, thinking that the next generation of Japanese without Bushido spirit will eventually lose the soul of Yamato nation.
But in my opinion, spirit can't be lost, but ghosts don't have to stay. The ghost of Bushido has deeply influenced a large part of Japanese people, such as the friction between Japan and its neighbors, the Prime Minister's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, the change in the nature of the Self-Defense Forces and the invasion of Iraq. Is it really "success is bushido and failure is bushido"?
Finally, let's talk about ourselves in China. Writing this article is not a simple review of the past, but a better way to the future. How much is China's chivalrous spirit left in the hearts of modern people? Is chivalry unnecessary in a society ruled by law?
My answer is: Chivalry has undeniably declined in modern times, but some China people still have chivalry in their bones. Although not much, talk is better than nothing; Chivalrous spirit, as a subculture, is indispensable even in a legal society. On the one hand, our legal system has not been perfected to the point where "the legal net is long, sparse and not leaking". In times of crisis, someone needs to step forward. After all, the police uncle is not a mountain soldier and can't fall from the sky. On the other hand, even if the legal system is really perfect, all criminals will eventually get the punishment they deserve, but when they commit crimes and infringe on personal interests and collective interests, no one needs to stop them. Let the victims suffer directly and their interests are damaged, but ignore them and expect legal judgment. Do you like this society where everything is programmed, impersonal and bloodless?
We cherish the memories of those years when chivalrous men spread all over the world and were deeply rooted in people's hearts. Although far away, it is like a shining star that will never die. Finally, borrow a famous saying as the conclusion, "The starry sky may be far away, but I will still look up."