The national anthem he wrote for the Qing Empire was sung for only six days, and then it became an elegy.

He introduced the natural law of "natural selection, survival of the fittest" into China, but it was difficult for him to adapt to the changes of the times.

He refused to serve as Yuan Shikai's staff, but he went to the shame column of restoration because he was signed.

He influenced a generation of young people through translation and running newspapers, but politicians never cared about his ideal of governing the country.

Yan Fu sang the national anthem for the Qing Empire for only six days.

On June 4th,19110, written by Yan Fu, Gong Jin Ou, composed by Pudong, the owner of Red Bean Restaurant, replaced the previous national anthem and became the legal national anthem. "Gong Jin ou, bearing the burden of heaven, people are happy with algae, such as robes, thanks to Qing. Zhen Xixi, the imperial vault. The sky is high and the waves are urgent. "After careful consideration of these 32 words did not bring good luck to the empire. Only six days later, Wuchang uprising broke out, and the disaster-stricken national movement could not stand scrutiny.

People have never recited these complicated lyrics, and people in remote areas have never even heard of this melody, and their interest has been swept away by the enthusiasm of the revolution. The national anthem became an elegy.

Stubborn and conservative literati disapprove of the revolution.

At first, Yan Fu, like most people, disapproved of Wuchang Uprising. Six months ago, the Huanghuagang Uprising ended in failure. The revolutionary party hastily left more than 70 bodies, and Huang Xing, who once rejected Empress Dowager Cixi, went into exile again. Although people have been generally disappointed with the empire, this seemingly stable and prosperous empire seems unbreakable. Who can believe that Wuchang Uprising can be achieved overnight, and even trigger a series of chain reactions, quickly tearing off the lovely painted skin covering the face of the weak empire.

Twenty days after the Wuchang Uprising, the situation got out of control, and the Qing court issued an imperial edict, hoping to save people's hearts, but it was too late. In a letter to the British Times reporter Morrison, Yan Fu complained about the dullness of the Qing court: "The emperor vowed to faithfully obey the will of the upcoming Congress forever. He vowed not to let any member of the royal family enter the cabinet; He agreed to pardon all political prisoners, even revolutionaries who opposed the emperor. The constitution is made by parliament and will be accepted unconditionally. If you had done any of these three things a month ago, what would have happened to the Qing Empire! "

These belated vows failed to rebuild public feelings and trust in the empire. However, Yan Fu still stubbornly retained the last glimmer of hope for constitutionalism. Although he introduced the cruel philosophy of "natural selection, survival of the fittest" into China, he still could not imagine a China without an emperor.

Just like Zhang Jian and Liang Qichao, Yan Fu also put his final bet on Yuan Shikai.

It is difficult for people to understand Yan Fu's changes in recent years. When Yuan Shikai was in his prime, Yan Fu repeatedly declined his invitation and refused to be his aide, which made Yuan Shikai, who has always been good at employing people and wooing people, lose patience and angrily swear: "The sage is resurrected and dare not use it again." However, when Yuan Shikai was asked by the Regent to disarm and return to the field, Yan Fu publicly stood up and put in a good word for him. After the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, he began to take the initiative to show kindness, as if he had completely given up his early integrity.

Yan Fu obviously didn't give up integrity, he just inherited the stubbornness of an old-fashioned scholar. The revolutionary wave sweeping across the country did not let Yan Fu see the turning point of the country. What he witnessed was the chaos day after day and the crisis that followed. Looking up at the world, Yan Fu had to clearly realize that "who will win the head of state and Xiangcheng among the old and new factions?"

Yan Fu had no choice but to think he was in the game again.

I wavered in my thoughts, but I learned stereotyped writing after returning home.

Yan Fu's contradictory choice stems from his wandering thought.

Yan Fu studied in England and studied ship driving, but he was the only student who had never served on a warship. According to Li, a tutor studying abroad, Yan Fu's strengths are theory, foreign languages and negotiation, which is "worth teaching". After returning to China, he worked as a teacher in the Naval Academy for 20 years, but it was not satisfactory.

After studying in Britain for more than two years, Yan Fu showed great interest in the social and political situation in Europe and participated in parliamentary debates. However, when Yan Fu was teaching at Beiyang Naval Academy, he wrote a poem "I learned the script by mistake in those years (that is, foreign languages) and looked like a savage". He seems to have repented of his enthusiasm for western learning, so much so that he turned to the imperial examination, "I was so angry that I was Guo Jianzi."

From 1885 to 1893, Yan Fu took four provincial examinations, but all failed. This not only shows that Yan Fu is unwilling to be mediocre, but also shows his vacillation in thought. However, after the fiasco of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the ethos of scholars in the Qing Dynasty changed greatly, and the west wind blew hard. Yan Fu had the opportunity to give full play to his strengths and translated important western works such as The Theory of Evolution. In a few years, he became famous all over the world and became a generation of enlightenment masters.

filler

Restoration with Yuan Shikai

Pi Hou Feng's Biography of Yan Fu subverts a common view in the past that Yan Fu's participation in the "preparatory meeting" and his support for Yuan Shikai's restoration were "stolen", but in fact Yan Fu's participation in the "preparatory meeting" was basically voluntary. The book also wrote some negative comments on Yan Fu. For example, Xiong Chunru, Yan Fu's closest student, said: As far as western learning is concerned, Yan Fu is not as good as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, but as far as "courage" is concerned, Yan Fu is far less than Kang and Liang; The revolutionary party is called Yan Fu: only know selfishness, only enjoy rights and do not assume obligations; Zhang Taiyan said Yan Fu: Politically, he regards the Han people as despicable, which is beyond his understanding of revolution and constitutionalism. In China's knowledge of literature and history, he only got one sentence, but he didn't get it. In translating and introducing western learning, he takes the coupling with middle school as his real pleasure.

Debate with Liang Qichao's style of writing

Liang Qichao and Yan Fu had an open debate on stylistics. 1902, in the first issue of Xinmin Cong Bao, Liang Qichao recommended Yan Fu's newly published translation of Fu Yuan, but at the same time he frankly criticized the retro style of this translation. Yan Fu did not accept Liang's criticism. In his defense article, he said that the readers of his works are only those who read more ancient books in China. In order to cater to the hobbies of these readers, he advocated retro style.

Although this debate is caused by Fu Yuan's translation style, the content of the debate is beyond the scope of Fu Yuan's translation style. In fact, this is a collision between Liang Qichao and Yan Fu. In the mainstream literary world at that time, both Yan Fu and Liang Qichao had the same style. For example, Wu Rulun, a famous classical Chinese writer in China, supported Yan Fu, and Huang Zunxian, a famous poet, agreed with Liang Qichao.

Mistaken into the restoration vortex

Reformists hidden behind power

Recommend Liang Qichao to Yuan Shikai

After the founding of the Republic of China, Yan Fu was forced to tie up with Yuan Shikai more and more tightly. He recommended many people to Yuan Shikai, including Liang Qichao. He believes that this young man 19 years younger than himself has the same extraordinary power as Yuan Shikai. He has personally experienced this power in countless newspapers, so he urged Yuan Shikai that "Liang Qichao must go to Beijing." He also warned Yuan Shikai not to accept the revolutionary party's working conditions in Nanjing, otherwise it would be a disaster, and Zhang Jian also held the same attitude. Yuan Shikai immediately got the message, found an excuse to prevaricate the revolutionary party and resolutely stayed in Beijing.

In the early years of the Republic of China, Zhang Jian, Yan Fu and Liang Qichao were all keen on political reform, but they chose to hide behind power. Among them, Yan Fu is the deepest and farthest from the power center. Japanese sinologist Shinichi Sato later commented on the Revolution of 1911: The Revolution of 1911 was not a revolution that ran through the will of a specific individual or political party. The revolution was carried out in this form, which even revolutionaries never expected. The Revolution of 1911 was a revolution with various interests or doubts as the background, which surprised all China people. In this sense, this is an unpredictable revolution. Compared with the game between these complicated political forces, Yan Fu's ideas are often too simple, and his popularity makes him unable to stay out of it. However, his stubbornness and naivety always make him out of step with the times. He tried to influence this "unpredictable revolution", but he often gave up immediately after realizing his marginal status. The sensitivity and self-esteem of the old literati shaped his character tragedy and completed his life.

The spurned spiritual leader actually clamored for restoration.

When Yuan Shikai appointed him as the general manager of Shi Jing University Hall, Yan Fu thought that he had finally got a chance to show his talents, and friends came to apply and recommend him one after another, which also made him feel very gratified. He thought that this time he could finally be in the center of the whirlpool and turn the tide. He even planned many reform plans with great expectation, trying to rectify the atmosphere of Shi Jing University Hall, and even trying to command Peking University's liberal arts with Confucian classics, "to keep our country from being handed down from generation to generation for four or five thousand years", but his own incompatibility with the times and the opposition of the revolutionary party finally made him unable to cope.

Cai Yuanpei, the chief education officer of the Republic of China, wrote a letter to Yuan Shikai, which made Yan Fu's situation even more embarrassing. Cai Yuanpei quietly hinted to Yuan Shikai that Yan Fu's appointment was not nominated and approved by the Ministry of Education, and the procedure was improper. It is inappropriate for the president to intervene. "Peking University Hall will be renamed Peking University Hall today, and the Governor of the University Hall will be renamed the President and Prime Minister of the University; The branch school inspector was renamed as the branch school senior, in charge of education affairs; The academic affairs of the branch school will be abolished as soon as it is turned; The president of a university must be recommended by the Ministry of Education from the seniors of the branch school. The actual situation is consistent and the powers are unified, which can also reduce the school funds. Now the Ministry has instructed the director to be the president of the liberal arts university, and the president should be asked to appoint the president to act as the president of Peking University. " .

As the first president of Peking University after its name change, Yan Fu was forced to resign after only half a year in office.

The rise of Peking University still needs five years' waiting. Cai Yuanpei, who returned from overseas, personally became the president of Peking University, and finally created the myth of the times of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness". At that time, Yan Fu was mercilessly reviled by young people who once admired him. His passive signature on the declaration of "Yuan Shikai's Restoration of Six Gentlemen" became a political stain that he could not erase. Many young people who once regarded him as a spiritual mentor turned to attack him.

After leaving Peking University, Yan Fu gradually faded out of China's education stage and turned to the political stage. In the third year of the Republic of China (19 14), he served as political adviser to the Senate and the Presidential Palace of Yuan Shikai's government. It seems that, like other thinkers in modern China, such as Kang Youwei and Lin Shu, Yan Fu's thoughts tend to be conservative in his later years, and he changed from bourgeois reformists to conservatives. The first article of his last words also emphasized this point: China will not die, and the old law can be gained or lost, but there must be no rebellion.

Faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance

Yan Fu (1854.1.8-1921.10.27), also known as Ling, was born in Houguan, Fujian (now Fuzhou). China is an enlightenment thinker and translator in modern times. In the third year of Guangxu (1877), Yan Fu, as the first batch of students sent by the Qing government to study in Britain and France, went to study in Britain. Thinker, scholar, educator and translator.

The translation criteria of "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance" put forward by Yan Fu in the theory of evolution have a far-reaching impact on later generations. Faithfulness means being able to faithfully and accurately convey the original meaning, expressiveness means that the translation should be as fluent as possible, and elegance means that the translation should be literary. Since then, all translators in China have started their translation career from these three criteria.

filler

I was depressed and smoked a lot.

When Yan Fu's classmates Liu, Lin Taizeng and Sa Zhenbing gradually became the pillars of Beiyang Navy, Yan Fu was still teaching at Beiyang Naval Academy, feeling lost and depressed for a time, and began to smoke opium. Yan Fu complained many times: "Being a policeman in Beiyang tastes like chewing wax", and even lamented that "forty officials don't compare, who knows when men will hold them?" After learning about this, Li Hongzhang sincerely advised: "It's a pity for a talent like you to eat cigarettes! After that, I will look up to my wishes and find ways to change. " Yan Fu was deeply touched by this.

Gu Hongming's Kill Yan Fu

It is said that once, Gu Hongming, a master of Chinese studies, met Yan Fu and Lin Shu. After three rounds of drinking, Gu Hongming, who always loves to talk about strange ideas, suddenly lamented that if I am in power, I must kill Yan Fu and punish Lin Shu. Yan Fu just smiled and was silent, while Lin Shu was surprised to ask him why. After all, the three of us are fellow villagers, so please borrow swords to keep people. Gu Hongming responded rudely. Yan Fu translated the theory of evolution, but Chinese people only know that there is natural selection, but there is no justice, which leads to repeated smog and countless lives. Lin Shu translated La Traviata, and young people became fascinated with love and regarded ethics as nothing. Unless these two people are killed, the world will never have peace. Gu Hongming's remarks show the influence of Yan Fu and Lin Shu's translation on China.

Yan Fu's thoughts influenced Liang Qichao, Hu Shi, Lu Xun, Cai Yuanpei and Mao Zedong. ...

Wei Yuan came second.

Yan Fu's ideal accelerated China's awakening. However, they have also been simplified and distorted into the survival law of the jungle by radical compatriots with deep national disasters. The damage to this country, which has always advocated benevolence, righteousness and morality, is immeasurable. "Evolution" has even been introduced into various fields, especially in the fields of culture and thought, and can not be treated rudely by "evolution", which has laid a tragic foreshadowing for the future fate of this country. However, the viewpoint of evolution theory in China is so sensational that it coincides with the pulse of the times, so that Yan Fu's translation of "group, strictness" and his exploration of prosperity and system reform are ignored consciously or unconsciously. These results are unpredictable by Yan Fu.

Yan Fu's achievements in translation completely covered up his background as a naval general. Years later, people gradually forgot that he was classmates with Liu and Deng Shichang who died in the Sino-Japanese War. When studying in Europe, Yan Fu's teacher once told Minister Guo Songtao that according to Yan Fu's talent, "it is a waste of his talent to manage a ship with it", and he is more suitable for "being competent in negotiation affairs." However, he did not die at sea as a captain after all, nor did he save the dying empire as he wished.

Lao Yanfu only left a sigh for the past. Schwartz wrote: "In his lifetime, he stood aside like Cassandra and watched the growing chaos. In a letter to Xiong Chunru, a proud student, he reviewed his life experience and painfully felt that he had worked hard all his life, but only won a bad reputation for himself, neither rich nor rich. "

However, his pen still inspired some unexpected new achievements. He became the Wei Yuan of his generation, and his ideal fragments will be embedded in young people of later generations such as Liang Qichao, Hu Shi, Lu Xun, Cai Yuanpei and Mao Zedong. Only after decades can people really feel the energy he left behind and how huge it is.

filler

Before the birth of * *

Senior representative

The most striking thing in Yan Fu's historical evaluation is a passage in Mao Zedong's On People's Democratic Dictatorship: "Since the failure of the 1840 Opium War, advanced China people have gone through hardships to seek truth from western countries. Hong Xiuquan, Kang Youwei, Yan Fu and Sun Yat-sen represent a group of people who sought truth from the West before the birth of China's * * * production party. "