When we lose our orthodox ritual system, we must search among the people for traces of these lost rituals and music. Through these, we can rediscover the original system.(禮失求之於野)
When we lose our orthodox ritual system, we
must search among the people for traces of these lost rituals and music.
Through these, we can rediscover the original system.(禮失求之於野)
During China's Han Dynasty, there was a
famous Confucian scholar named Liu Xin whose story is recorded in history
books.
The Spring and Autumn Period and the
Warring States Period were chaotic times, but they were also a golden age of
Chinese thought.
Many famous thinkers lived during this
time, each proposing solutions and ideas that they believed would best address
the social issues of the time.
Some advocated moral education to achieve
greater social stability, while others emphasised the need for clear laws to
build a better society.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, was
one of these famous thinkers.
However, the Confucian ideals he promoted
were not well received during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
After years of war and unrest, many Confucian classics were lost.
Liu Xin, who was born around 150 years
after the founding of the Han dynasty, wrote an essay for the king of the time
about certain phenomena of the period.
The fourth and fifth paragraphs of this
essay read as follows:
'I would like to offer you some suggestions
regarding this phenomenon.
Since you ascended the throne, you have
governed the country generously and diligently, hoping for its betterment. This
is your strength, but excessive tolerance can also allow errors to continue
spreading.
Over the past few decades, numerous ancient
Confucian classics, hidden among the people, have gradually emerged within the
Han dynasty. These books survived the destruction of the Qin dynasty and are in
exceptionally good condition. They are all complete with virtually no missing
pages or damage.
A group of the most prestigious official
scholars have spent decades studying these incomplete versions, establishing
their academic authority and status through this research. The contents of this
newly unearthed, more complete collection of ancient classics and their past
interpretations differ widely, undoubtedly shaking the scholars' foundations.
These powerful scholars denied the
importance of these ancient classics, clinging to their own narrow views of
Confucian ideals. In order to protect their own interests, they constantly
suppressed those who sought to promote these authentic ancient Confucian
classics.
These powerful scholars said: 'We do not
recognise these books of dubious origin!'
Liu Xin quoted a passage from Confucius:
'After we lost our orthodox ritual system,
we had to search among the people for traces of these lost ritual and music
systems. Through these traces, we can rediscover the orthodox ritual system.'
The ancient classics that have been found
among the people and in Confucius's former residence are well documented and
complete; even your father and grandfather recognised their value. These books
hold the key to rediscovering the ancient classical ritual system.'
In his article, Liu Xin reiterated that
scholars who deny the importance of ancient classics hold high positions and
considerable influence within the academic community.
Liu Xin suggested that the king should
address this issue by proactively issuing the necessary orders and making the
relevant personnel arrangements.
The idiom literally means that, when we
lose our orthodox ritual system, we must seek out traces of these lost rituals
and music among the people. Through these traces, we can rediscover the
orthodox ritual system.
It describes a situation in which, if orthodox
official scholarship is lost or corrupted, it may be more fully preserved among
the general population.
Dear friends,
What insights or inspiration have you gained from listening to this story?
If you were the king, would you take responsibility for resolving the issue? Are there any unspoken rules in your academic circles that you consider to be undesirable?
I hope this story has given you some new
insights.
禮失求之於野(When we lose our orthodox ritual
system, we must search among the people for traces of these lost rituals and
music. Through these, we can rediscover the original system.)
中國的漢王朝有一個著名的儒家學者，他的名字叫做劉歆，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
中國的春秋時代與戰國世代是一個極度混亂的年代，但那段間同時也是中國思想上的黃金時代。
有許多著名的思想家生活在那個年代，這些思想家針對當時的社會問題與人生問題提出了各自認為最好的解決的辦法和思想。
有些思想家認為要用道德教育來讓社會更安定，有些思想家強調要用明確的法律來建構一個更好的社會。
儒家的創始者孔子就是這些著名的思想家之一。
孔子所推廣的儒家的理念在春秋時代與戰國時代並不受到重視，經過長年的戰爭與動亂，所以很多儒家的經典書籍都已經失散。
劉歆出生的時間大約在漢王朝建立的150年後，他針對當時的一些現象寫了一篇文章給當時的國王。
這段文章的第四與第五段的大概意思如下。
針對這個現象，我向您提出一些建議。
您繼承王位以來，你寬厚待人且勵精圖治，希望國家變得更好。這是您的優點，但有時過於寬容，也可能會縱容錯誤繼續蔓延。
這幾十年來，漢王朝內陸陸續續地出現了很多被藏在民間的古代的儒家的經典書籍，這些書籍沒有在勤王朝時被毀，而且這批書籍的保存狀態非常好，這些書籍都很完整而且幾乎都沒有缺頁也沒有被毀損。
目前有一批最有名望的官方學者，他們幾十年來都在研究那些殘缺的版本，並憑此建立了自己的學術權威和地位。這批新出土的、更完整的古代經典書籍內容和他們過去的解釋有很多不同，這無疑是動搖了他們的根基。
這些有權有勢的學者們否認這些古代經典書籍的重要性，他們堅持他們對儒家理念的偏狹的個人見解，他們為了捍衛自己的利益所以不斷的打壓那些想要發揚這些正確的古代的儒家經典書籍的學者們。
這些有權有勢的學者說：我們不承認這些來路不明的書！
劉歆引用了孔子說過的一段話。
當我們失去了正統的禮儀制度之後，我們就要到民間去尋找到這些已經失傳的禮樂制度留下來的痕跡，我們可以藉由這些痕跡再重新找回那些正統的禮儀制度。
這些從民間和孔子舊宅發現的古代經典書籍，證據確鑿且內容完整，連您的父親和祖父都曾認可它們的價值。這些書是我們找回古代經典的禮儀制度的鑰匙。
劉歆在他的文章中再次強調，那些否認古代經典書籍的重要性的學者們在學術界都有著很高的地位而且影響力非常的大。
劉歆建議國王應該重視這個問題，並且主動發布必要的命令與人事安排來解決這個問題。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思當我們失去了正統的禮儀制度之後，我們就要到民間去尋找到這些已經失傳的禮樂制度留下來的痕跡，我們可以藉由這些痕跡再重新並找回那些正統的禮儀制度。
這句成語被用來形容一種情況，這種情況就是正統的官方的學問如果失傳或產生謬誤，這些學問可能反而在民間會保存得更為完整。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有什麼樣的或有什麼樣的啟發呢。
你如果是國王你會承擔起責任解決這個問題嗎?你嗎?你的國家的學術圈中有沒有那些你覺得不好的潛規則呢?
我希望這個故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為漢書-卷36-楚元王傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7036