Therefore, when it comes to "cultural figures" in the past 20 years, Qian Zhongshu is unparalleled and occupies all the scenery. Strangely, his books, whether good to read or difficult to understand, sell well; He doesn't like to communicate with the world, but every move is just a word. Anyone who knows about it will expose the newspaper, which is so big that it will "cough up"; About him, there is a special periodical "Research on Qian Zhongshu" with the name of "Xue Qian". Articles about Qian Zhongshu over the years can be printed into a book with a single directory; The praise for Qian Zhongshu has probably reached the point where future generations can no longer surpass it-it can be called "cultural Kunlun". But almost ironically, Qian Zhongshu's word is "silence". "The silent live" means the pride of the Han people. Qian Zhongshu's father, Qian Jibo, took this sentence as a warning to him.
Qian Zhongshu's warning to his father, after a lifetime of twists and turns, should have a deep understanding. After his death, many people published memoirs, and I was particularly impressed after reading them. There is an article written by two young people-Dong Lei and Sun Xiaoling. They were entrusted to Qian's house to collect evidence. During the chat, Qian Zhongshu gave the following warning to the two strangers (it was 1992 at that time):
One should be very careful when talking to people around him or even his friends. If he is a duplicitous person, he may seize the loophole in your words, stab you in the back and betray you; Knowing that you are a weak person, under the intimidation and threat of others, you may commit some perjury and fabricate some events out of thin air; If he is an honest man, he may frankly admit something very unfavorable to you; Knowing that he is a trustworthy bosom friend, he may sacrifice himself to protect you. In short, people who have no obstacles in their hearts and have no scruples about speaking are likely to harm others and themselves.
"It's sloppy to talk to people!" Although this is an old saying, it is rare to say it like Mr. Qian, so dangerous and scary. This is his concern for youth; Behind this, it is the gloomy shadow of China society, whose fate is unprovoked and easy to be blamed.
Qian Zhongshu understands people's hearts and is sensitive to hidden dangers in social change. After Fortress Besieged, he began to write another novel, Heart of Lily, with about 20,000 words. It is said that he lost his manuscript when he moved from Shanghai to Beijing on 1949. "If written, it should be better than Fortress Besieged" ―― Qian Zhongshu later talked about it. This unfinished Heart of Lily makes people feel sorry. But losing the manuscript is probably not the main reason, right? I stopped writing novels after 1949. When Fortress Besieged came out, it was attacked by the left wing. Qian Zhongshu knows what will happen if he writes in his own way. He didn't fall into the trap of 1957 "speaking out". This spring, Mr. Qian went to visit relatives in Hubei. On the way, he wrote five quatrains of "Going to the Middle Section of Hubei Road", one of which wrote: "The car is clear and small, and it is faint and far away. The leaves are still flying, the wind is uncertain, and the pigeons suddenly rain. " At that time, many people were "singing", but Qian Zhongshu felt that "rain is coming". Notes on Selected Poems of Song Dynasty published by 1958 enjoys a high reputation for its exquisite annotations and comments. Several years later, Qian Zhongshu expressed his dissatisfaction. We can see how Qian Zhongshu wisely found a way to express himself (fuzzy bronze mirror, 1988) between giving full play to his personal opinions and "adapting to the climate as much as possible" by looking at the selected articles of this book and quoting the eloquent preface of Mao Zedong's Speech at the Yan 'an Forum on Literature and Art. During the Cultural Revolution, Qian Zhongshu was also branded as a "reactionary academic authority" (it is said that he was slapped by the mob, which can also go down in history), but compared with many people, he was finally safe. Some people speculate that he has not suffered more bad luck, which may be reasonable, because he served as the director of the English translation Committee of Mao Xuan and the finalizer of the English translation of Mao Zedong's Poems (it is widely rumored overseas that he is Mao's English secretary); But in the final analysis, Qian Zhongshu's attention to politics is the most important.
But returning to Qian Zhongshu mentioned by Dong Zhongshu and Sun, isn't there a feeling of cynicism? And truly sophisticated people know that they shouldn't talk to people casually, but how can they be so sharp to two strangers? At this time, Qian Zhongshu is still willful. Yes, Guo Jia Qian Zhongshu is just a prudent and profound scholar, and our admiration for him will be very limited. I know Qian Zhongshu from other people's articles and dictation, and there are many touching stories. For example, during the "Cultural Revolution" in Huang Yongyu, Qian Zhongshu refused to attend the "State Banquet", and others took "Comrade Jiang Qing's roll call" to pressure him, but he also ignored it; He didn't want to be excused from his illness. He just smiled and said, "I'm in good health. I'm not going, ha! For example, Guangming Daily on June 3rd of1988 published a special article for Qian Zhongshu-"Opening newspapers is the general trend"; Before and after this, we know that Qian Zhongshu also participated in several signatures. It is true that Qian Zhongshu doesn't talk much about politics at ordinary times, but I'm afraid his inner concern for state affairs and anger at all absurd situations are by no means weak. Therefore, although he is smart and completely honest, he has irresistible contempt and disgust for intellectuals' kitsch, flattery and learning from the world. This is also his indirect reaction to politics. Chen Danchen records: "Mr. Qian usually hates intellectuals who loaf about in Vanity Fair and officialdom. He called them Philistines and fashionistas ... whenever he vividly described these characters and events, he seemed excited and angry, but he was witty, humorous and sharp ... "There are many examples in this regard. For example, Qian Zhongshu's letter to Wu Zhongkuangxin sneered at Li Bai, Du Fu and Liu written by Guo Moruo and Zhang to cater to "Shang Yi" during the Cultural Revolution. Another incident later triggered a pen and ink lawsuit between Zong Pu (the daughter of Feng Youlan) and Qian Furen Jiang Yang: It is said that Qian Zhongshu 1979 visited the United States and "emotionally" cursed Feng Youlan in a forum of Stanford University. Professor Zhuang Yin, who attended the meeting, said: "He said that Feng Youlan simply has no backbone of literati and no concept of moral integrity of intellectuals. He also said that the last thing Feng Youlan should do is to betray his friends. " (Impression of Qian Zhongshu, Taiwan Province United Daily News1June 3, 979; For details, please refer to Mu Zhengping's The Cause and Effect of Jiang Yang and Zong Pu's Pen and Ink Lawsuit and China Reading News1September 30, 998).
There is also a story about Qian Zhongshu and his wife fighting with their neighbors, which has been mentioned many times in other people's articles before. Jiang Yang probably recorded their conflict experiences with their neighbors (she called them "revolutionary men and women") in detail, and preserved evidence for history. One of the details is that Qian Zhongshu put "many big footprints, one foot from knee to belly" on the "revolutionary". This story makes people laugh. I think all Qian Zhongshu's articles are handwritten. This one is written with feet and has a unique style. Unfortunately, Jiang Yang "played it down" on the spot.
Zhuangzi teaches students that "I will be between matter and immateriality" (Zhuangzi Sumwood), while Qian Zhongshu is between silence and non-silence? I think many people like Qian Zhongshu, not only because of his amazing erudition and talent, but also because of his character and clear nature. He is keen and often simple; He is serious and often willful. People who say Qian Zhongshu often say that he is "amiable and respectable". When I read his articles and photos, my first feeling is cuteness. His eyes are clear, his eyes are flying, he is amiable and arrogant (not overlooking, but ignoring), which should be the normal state of his speech. Also, he always maintains an inexhaustible scholar's arrogance, and when he can't stand it, he will call names, which is exactly what makes him lovely. As for writing articles on other people's stomachs, it may hinder their reputation, but it is inevitable that such indecent things will happen in life.
Qian Zhongshu's usual disasters broke out one after another when he was old and sick, leaving his wife Jiang Yang exhausted. First, when he was at National Southwest Associated University, did he ever say "Wu Mi is too stupid"? Jiang Yang said it was impossible, because Wu Mi was Qian Zhongshu's teacher, and she specially asked someone to write down written testimony, as if to provide a trial; Did Qian Zhongshu scold Feng Youlan in America later? Jiang Yang said it was impossible, because Feng Youlan was one of Qian Zhongshu's "five teachers". However, not many people believe her defense. Those words and events all have Qian Zhongshu's style-perhaps the details are different, and some conditions may be attached. Speaking of it, Mr. Yang is also very cute (sorry, too much). She tried her best to publish articles in all directions to maintain Qian Zhongshu's image as a gentleman in Wen Ya. -She thinks it's important? This reminds people of her "Writing Qian Zhongshu about Besieged City", which directly depicts Qian Zhongshu as an urchin who loves to make trouble. I still remember an article in which Qian Zhongshu stopped donating a sweater made in Jiang Yang to the victims, saying that it was a "thread in the hands of a loving mother"-loving mother!
In this place of China, honest people are sometimes stubborn-to make matters worse, they make their living conditions extremely heavy; Flexible people may become tactful and unprincipled, and know nothing. Just solving it is too much. Qian Zhongshu, on the other hand, is upright and tactful, which can be realized from articles written by people familiar with him and his own works, especially novels and essays. This is because he has a clear understanding of the world and people's hearts, but his childlike innocence and arrogance are hard to shake off. He really knows that people-"animals with hairless feet"-are ugly, stupid and hypocritical, and there is nothing he can do about it. He knows that the world likes to be cheerful in absurdity and absurdity. However, although he also cares about his country and people around him, he doesn't take himself seriously like many scholars in China, and thinks that he should and can "be the teacher of the emperor" and bear the worries and joys of the world. If nothing happens, as long as others don't push that stench under his nose, he still has his own things to do. Therefore, although he has experienced great absurdity, he can still live neatly and keep a sense of humor. In the "Qian Zhongshu fever", his life wisdom circulated in twists and turns, which became a good instruction-to live neither heavy nor dirty, which is the life state that many people are striving for in this difficult land of China.
It is interesting to compare Qian Zhongshu with Chen Yinque. Modern scholars, if they are knowledgeable and "learn from China and the West", are probably only the two of them. As early as the 1930s, Wu Mi said: "Today's outstanding talents in literature and history should promote the older generation of Mr. Chen Yinque and the younger generation of Mr. Qian Zhongshu. They are all dragons among people. " But their academic paths are quite different, and there are more important differences behind them.
Chen's hobby is discussing history, focusing on "seeking historical knowledge in history" and understanding the changes in modern China. This is just as Gong Zizhen said, "A wise man can worry about the world with the worry of giving books for three thousand years" ("On the occasion of B and C"), which is a tradition of literati. Qian Zhongshu's hobby is talking about art, far beyond political experience and close to emotional experience; Even if it is extended to general ideology and culture, it also focuses on the expression of human spirit and wisdom, as well as the way people know the world and themselves. Therefore, Chen Yinque's learning is always hard and stubborn, while Qian Zhongshu's learning is free and lively: their life consciousness is also different. Chen Yinque thinks highly of himself and is detached from things. He stands firm and cares about himself. Even if he lives in a corner of the sea, his psychology towards the outside world is antagonistic. Chen Yinque's self-portrayal, "All my life is negative, and no one in the world cares about the sunset". On the other hand, Qian Zhongshu is a bit like his favorite monkey. With a little game mentality, he went into the sky and saw the world in all directions. He praised and criticized the famous Chinese and western sages and philosophers, and talked about health preservation, but this does not mean that he regards himself as particularly valuable. He also has anger, but he still has humor after all. Therefore, reading Chen Yinque makes people feel heavy, while reading Qian Zhongshu seems to be looking at life from a distance, full of feelings, but not directly stimulating.
Both Chen and Qian are very familiar with western culture. Chen Yinque's proposition is to insist on absorbing foreign literature based on national culture. "Middle school is the body, western learning is the use" is his consistent position, while Qian Zhongshu is completely different. People say that money is a "world scholar". From telling Italian stories he doesn't know to telling Italian and French books he doesn't know, it is always superficial from the perspective of his mastery of many languages. If he is a "world scholar", the most remarkable thing is that he pays special attention to the universality of many cultures at some roots, and is good at exploring the concrete manifestation of this universality with his extensive knowledge. "The East China Sea and the West Sea are psychologically in the same boat; Learning from the south and learning from the north, Taoism has not been cracked (introduction to art), the problem of "using Chinese and western" that troubled Chinese people was cancelled by him, which is undoubtedly a healthier and more confident attitude. Of course, this is also because Qian Zhongshu mainly talks about art and culture in a broad sense, and "middle school as the body" is valued by many people and actually implemented in the social system.
No matter how widely Qian Zhongshu is respected, since he is "hot" to this extent, criticism and accusation-empty timidity and boldness, somewhat reasonable and unreasonable-are inevitable. Although Qian Zhongshu himself is tired of all kinds of praise and "textual research", it doesn't matter.
There has long been a criticism that he is "showing off". When Fortress Besieged first came out, some people suggested that the author was too ostentatious-there were too many quips and aphorisms in it, and it was packed ("beautiful front"). When it comes to "Pipe Cone Compilation", what is striking is the author's erudition. How many classics are always quoted in this book? Estimates vary from school to school (different standards may be used), ranging from 5000 to 10000. In any case, this is shocking: it is not surprising that three or five languages and dozens of books are quoted in a small topic. Some people think it is to show off and show off their talents. I think Qian Zhongshu did it not only because it was necessary, but also for fun. "Show off" already exists. But we can see the possibility of human intelligence from this, and the rest is not worth mentioning.
Another criticism is serious, that is, accusing Qian Zhongshu of keeping silent in the face of dazzling politics. Some people wrote "Shame on the Light of Gu Zhun" based on Gu Zhun's courage and criticism of the "Cultural Revolution" and compared Qian Zhongshu's shortcomings. Of course, we can say that Qian Zhongshu does not have great moral appeal; It can be said that the lack of ideological struggle in that era was a disgrace to the whole nation, and some people copied Qian Zhongshu. But since he has decided to remain silent, no one can say that he as an individual has no right to remain silent under tyranny. Moreover, the "Pipe Taper Compilation" written in the "Cultural Revolution" era is not without thoughts, nor is it without ignorance of the times. "Under severe punishment and severe law, those who can endure pain don't tell the truth, and those who can't endure pain don't tell the truth" (although it is cited by ancient Roman rhetoricians, isn't it aimed at the phenomenon in the Cultural Revolution, and people who have experienced it will know it at a glance? It's just that the author's writing in obscure classical Chinese from a wide range of social and cultural perspectives and historical phenomena has not become a loud cry. Qian Zhongshu explained to people why he wrote this book in classical Chinese, saying that it would reduce the spread of toxins (Mr. Qian Zhongshu I Know by Yu Yingshi). In fact, he preserved the intolerable content of that era-the so-called "toxin" in obscure language. Of course, this is also the pressure of self-protection.
In the early decades of this century, a number of outstanding cutting-edge scholars and literati emerged in China. They all have a similar experience: they are from a scholarly family, and they are already familiar with the major traditional literature and history books in China. They went abroad to study at the age of 20 and were influenced by western culture. As a result, they can become a generation of academic masters or writers, and together form a splendid landscape in the cultural history of China. Here are Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, Hu Shi and Chen Yinque. And Qian Zhongshu is one of them who is younger and makes a late debut, but maybe he is one of them who is particularly clever. 1998 19 February 19, Qian Zhongshu died in Beijing, an academic era, with his departure, declared the final end.