Unity Press/A different perspective on culture
say
A treasure trove of governing the country
A guide to self-cultivation
garden
Whether leading cadres or experts and scholars, in various articles and speeches, they often quote famous sentences in traditional classics to explain the ideas they want to express. There are some famous sayings and aphorisms in the classics that often appear from time to time, among them, there is the "Saying Garden" compiled by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty. These aphorisms are often quoted.
"Those who are good for the country love the people like the sons of their parents and the brothers who love their brothers, and they mourn their hunger and cold, and they see their hardships and sorrows."
【Source】Liu Xiang's "Saying Garden, Politics"
[Interpretation] Those who are good at governing the country treat the people like parents treat their children and brothers who love and love their brothers, and they feel sad when they hear that they are suffering from hunger and cold; they feel sad for them when they see their state of labor.
"It is better to hear than to see, and it is better to see than to practice."
[sic] It is better to hear than to see; it is better to see what is seen than to practice.
[Interpretation] What you hear from others is not as reliable as what you see with your own eyes; it is better to try to do it yourself than to see it with your own eyes.
"The young and eager to learn, like the sun of the sunrise; the strong and eager to learn, like the light of the sun; the old and eager to learn, like the light of the candle."
【Source】Liu Xiang", "Saying Garden, Jianben"
[Interpretation] When you are a teenager, you like to learn, just like the rising sun; when you are middle-aged, you like to learn, just like the noonday sun; in your later years, you like to learn, as bright as a candle.
Liu Xiang - the first person to sort out the literature of the Western Han Dynasty
He served as emperor of the Three Dynasties and compiled a history of his writings
If you make a list of best-selling authors in the Western Han Dynasty, the first one is undoubtedly Ma Qian of Taishi Company. What about the second place? Perhaps many people can't guess, that is, liu zizheng, a literature expert - Liu Xiang.
Speaking of Liu Xiang, although he is not as famous as Sima Qian. But the book he compiled was not at all inferior to the "History". For example, the Chu Ci, which is the same name as the Book of Poetry, was compiled by him. He also compiled the Classic of Mountains and Seas together with his son, and the rest such as the Warring States Policy, the Saying Garden, the Biography of the Daughters of Lie, the New Preface, and so on, are all masterpieces of his.
Portrait of Liu Xiang
When it comes to the most important person in the Han Dynasty to inherit China's history and culture, Liu Xiang can be said to be definitely a mainstay figure. Liu Xiang(?) –6 BC), originally known as Gengsheng (進生), courtesy name Zizheng ,字子政), was a native of Pei County (沛县, in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province). Western Han Dynasty classicist, bibliographer, and writer. He was the fourth grandson of Liu Jiao, the half-brother of Liu Bang of Han Gao. As a chancellor of the Han Dynasty, his life can be described as ups and downs.
During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, he was elected as a Confucian Juncai, and he wrote dozens of hymns in response to the edicts, and the officials were sent to the rank of counselor and minister. During the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, he served as Emperor Zongzheng, but was arrested and imprisoned twice for opposing the eunuchs Honggong and Shi Xian, and was later demoted to a shuren. During the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, Liu Xiang was appointed Grand Master of Guanglu. In the third year of Heping (26 BC), Emperor Cheng of Han ordered Liu Xiang to study the scriptures and pass on the poems of his sons. After being appointed, Liu Xiang began a twenty-year long school book work.
Speaking of Liu Xiang's school book, it can be said that it is an inevitable demand in a specific historical period. After the Warring States and the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty, until the Western Han Dynasty, the orthodox Zhuzi Hundred Classic Books had a bad fate, and the sources were mixed and impure, and the authenticity was difficult to distinguish.
Faced with the situation that the state collection of books was on the verge of extinction, Emperor Hancheng specially ordered Liu Xiang to preside over and carry out the work of school books. In the process of proofreading, Liu Xiangguang gathered many books, compared the scattered fragments that were on the verge of extinction with the various versions of the classic ancient books in the treasured palace at that time, found out the differences between them, removed the repetitive content, reviewed the chapter titles, determined the titles, and finally completed the final version. During this period, Liu Xiang also created a complete and reasonable process of proofreading classics, and sorted out more than 500 volumes of more than 10,000 volumes of classics from the pre-Qin to the Western Han Dynasty, which built the basic framework of China's ancient literature and classics, and made the history of China's philology enter a new era. He is the well-deserved founder of the discipline of ancient Chinese philology.
Compile historical stories to advise the monarch
I don't want to make a classic that has been passed down through the ages
Since the school book needs to refer to various materials, Liu Xiang has the opportunity to come into contact with a large number of rich and precious classics and historical texts. Therefore, Liu Xiang compiled the various valuable historical allusions and legends he read into a "book of advice", hoping to dedicate it to the Hancheng Emperor at that time and play some role in the governance of the country.
Unfortunately, The Hancheng Emperor Liu Biao, although he loved to read the scriptures and like words, he still liked women more, especially the later favor of the Zhao Feiyan sisters, making him a representative of the emperor who indulged in wine and absurd political affairs in history.
Although the Hancheng Emperor was very absurd, there were still some praiseworthy advantages, that is, he was very interested in books, not only vigorously supported the collation of ancient books, but also often read the classics himself. Therefore, Liu Xiang dedicated his edited "Saying Garden" to Emperor Hancheng, hoping to make him study and wake up.
According to historical records, after Emperor Hancheng saw this "Saying Garden", his reaction was: "Although the upper part cannot be fully used, the inner jiaqi words are often sighed." That is to say, Emperor Hancheng felt that this book was very well explained, but he couldn't do it!
However, what Liu Xiang may not have imagined is that hundreds or even thousands of years later, "Saying Garden" has played a very important role in the administration. For example, in the early Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin ordered Wei Zheng, Xiao Deyan, and other editors to edit the "Qunshu Zhizhi Essentials", which included a volume of essential content of the "Saying Garden", which accounted for a considerable amount of weight. Wei Zheng also quoted a large number of passages in the "Saying Yuan, Chenshu" in the "Six Positive and Six Evils", which was highly valued by Tang Taizong, who wrote "Emperor Fan" in his later years, and it is said that he was also influenced by the "Saying Garden".
Another example is the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the status of "Saying Garden" was further improved. In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, the book "Saying Garden" was approved by the emperor as a Taixue course, which was a compulsory course for the Guozi superintendents.
In the Qing Dynasty, the "Four Libraries quanshu huijiao" was a series of books ordered by the Qianlong Emperor, and it was selected on the basis of the "Four Libraries Quanshu" Jinghua, collecting 473 kinds of books, including "Saying Yuan", and this "Saying Garden" was also the regular reading list of the Qianlong Emperor.
A classic masterpiece of allusions and famous quotes
Selected as a secondary school Chinese textbook, the middle school exam questions are often selected
However, unfortunately, Liu Xiang's "Saying Garden" had been scattered by the Song Dynasty.
Later, Zeng Gong edited and proofread the books of the History Museum, and after collecting and sorting them out, he restored the "Saying Garden" into twenty volumes. However, although Zeng Gong's "Saying Garden" has supplemented the number of twenty volumes, its content is still incomplete. Lu You said in the "Saying Garden": "There are twenty volumes of the "Saying Garden" in the museum, and one volume of the Que "Anti-Quality". Zeng Gong is divided into "Xiuwen" into upper and lower volumes, with a full twenty volumes. After Goryeo entered a volume, it was enough. Therefore, after several twists and turns, the scattered "Saying Garden" has finally basically returned to its original appearance.
The first and second volumes of the "Saying Garden" are "Jundao" and "Chenshu", indicating that Liu Xiang saw the core position of the Junchen Way in state affairs. The next eighteen volumes expound on Xiu Qi Zhiping from different aspects: Jianben, Lijie, Guide, Fuen, Zhengli, Honor, Zhengyi, Prudent, Good Talk, Envoy, Quan Plot, Zhi Gong, Zhi Wu, Tan Cong, Miscellaneous Words, Discernment, Revision, and Anti-Quality. These eighteen aspects basically cover all aspects of xiuqi zhiping, and can be regarded as the program of pingzhi world.
Many of the aphorisms and allusions in the "Saying Garden" are widely circulated, which also reflects that the book compiled by Liu Xiang is a classic on the one hand.
"The tooth dies and the tongue exists", from the "Saying Yuan Jing Shen": "The existence of the tongue of the husband is not its softness?" Isn't the death of the tooth also known as its gangye? This means that those that are too rigid are easier to break, and on the contrary, those that are soft are more durable.
"The blessing is incomparable", from the "Saying Yuan Quan Conspiracy": "This so-called blessing is not heavy, and the misfortune will come again." "Meaning, lucky things don't come in a row.
"The general of the defeated army cannot be brave; the minister of the subjugated country cannot be unspeakable." ("Talking about The Garden" means not talking about bravery with generals who have lost battles, and not talking about wisdom with courtiers who have fallen into the country.
"If you want others, don't know, don't do it; if you want people don't smell, don't say it." ("Talking about Yuan, Talking About Cong") means that there is nothing that you don't want others to know than not doing it yourself; if you don't want others to hear it, you don't want to say it yourself.
These idioms and classic sayings that have been handed down to this day have profound and thorough meanings, and are widely used in people's learning and life.
In addition, among them, allusions such as "Night Reading by Candlelight", "Bamboo of Nanshan", "Deaf on the Lower Gate", "Chu Cai Jin Yong", "Praying Mantis Catching Cicadas", "Orange Turning into Citrus" are also popular among the population and widely circulated.
Bamboo of the Southern Mountains
Confucius asked Zilu, "What do you like?" ”
"I like swords." Zilu answered.
Confucius said, "I'm not asking what you like, I'm asking what you want to learn!" If you have the talent you already have, coupled with a bit of learning, who can catch up with you! ”
"Can learning also increase strength?" ZiLu asked.
Confucius said: "If a monarch does not dare to slander his courtiers, the state will be corrupt; if a reader does not teach himself to be a friend who is good, his character will deteriorate; the horse that is galloping must not slacken his encouragement; the bow that can already be used must be placed in the vessel so that it will not be deformed; the wood can be bound by the ink thread to be straight; and if a person can accept advice, he will become more and more perfect." If you can accept learning and pay attention to consulting, who else will not succeed smoothly? If you destroy the benevolence and hate the readers, it is simply a lifelong punishment. Therefore, a gentleman cannot fail to engage in the cultivation of learning. ”
Moreover, some chapters of "Saying Garden" have also been included in primary and secondary school textbooks, and the mottos in "Saying Garden" are included in the eighth grade volume of the current "Language".
In addition, "Saying Garden" is also one of the common content of the middle and high school entrance examination essay questions in recent years, and the selected articles of "Saying Garden" have appeared in the examination papers of the middle and high school entrance examinations in various places.
For example, Ji Xiaolan praised the book in the "Compendium of the General Catalogue of the Four Libraries": "The discussion is mellow and upright, and it is worthy of Confucianism." ”
Liu Xun, the author of "Wenxin Carved Dragon", believes that the book "marks the heart above the ages, and sends the heart under the thousands of years." The golden stone is impressive, and the sound is gone? ”
He Liangjun, a scholar and bibliophile of the Ming Dynasty, said: "After thousands of years, all those who have learned to govern ancient literature want to see the three generations of lost old news, but the book of Zizheng is elegant. ”
The "Humble German Studies Library" recently launched by unity publishing house "Full Annotated Full Translation of "Shuoyuan"" is a classic version of "Shuyuan" for public readers to study and study "Shuoyuan".
The whole book is based on the Song Ben "Saying Garden", carefully proofread, and the whole book has not been deleted.
Each of the 20 volumes of the book is carefully written with a solution, so that the reader can quickly understand the main theme of this volume.
The content of each volume is decomposed according to the meaning of the before and after, and the more difficult words and allusions are annotated in detail.
Make an easy-to-understand vernacular translation of the whole book so that every reader can easily read and understand it.
There are a large number of stories and aphorisms and aphorisms in the "Saying Garden", full of profound wisdom, this book can not only guide the governance of the country, but also have many useful enlightenments for how everyone can settle down and live in the world, how leading cadres are on the side of the government, how entrepreneurs can cross the sea of commerce, how parents can teach their children, how young people can cultivate virtue, and how to learn ancient texts.