Ming Zuo

Chapter 307 The Theory of Qi

Starting from Zhang Zai's "too emptiness is qi", Neo Confucianism has the concept of qi.

However, Zhang Zai's theory has not been recognized by the latecomers, but has attracted criticism.

This is also something that is missing in the development of traditional Chinese philosophy, that is inheritance.

In the process of development of Western philosophy, there is a clear thread.

The predecessors pose a problem, and the descendants are responsible for solving the problem.

This method has continued for thousands of years, and the "something conjecture" that is often seen in later generations of mathematics is a manifestation.

In the process of the development of Confucianism, what later generations often do is to refute the ideas of the predecessors, and then propose new ideas.

As a result, various ideas emerge in endlessly, influencing each other without blending, making each thought fragmented and difficult to form a system.

After Zhang Zai, Er Cheng criticized his "too emptiness is qi".

【Heaven and earth have inside and outside. To speak outside of heaven and earth is to not know heaven and earth.Human beings are like fish in water in the heaven and earth, they don't know there is water, they don't know they can't move until they come out of the water.Li Qingxu is the source of all things, fearing that it will not be safe, it must be clear and turbid, virtual and real are the gods that can be said, the Tao, the body and the things are not left behind, and there should be no way. 】

Criticized, but not thoroughly criticized.

So much so that the concept of "Qi" is still inherited by Neo Confucianism, but because it is not perfect, it has become a brick to move wherever it is needed.

When Huang Zongxi questioned what Tao is, Zhang Cai couldn't give an explanation, so he moved out Zhang Zai's idea that Tao is Qi.

Of course, this could not convince Huang Zongxi, he asked what is Qi?
All of Zhang Cai's efforts are in the classics and meanings. To explain these problems, he naturally needs the support of classics.

He still misappropriated Zhang Zai's theory.

"Qi is the source of the growth of all things, and Tao is the foundation of the growth of all things. Therefore, the Dao in the world is only Qi and reason."

Huang Zongxi was very serious and followed closely behind.

"What is this qi? What is this Tao? Why is qi the source of all things' growth and Tao is the foundation of all things' growth?"

Zhang Cai stated the form of things, while Huang Zongxi pursued the essence of things.

Even Zuo Menggeng didn't know that Huang Zongxi's philosophy had begun to approach Hegel's "essence theory".

And his question is tantamount to directly questioning the rationality of Neo Confucianism.

The theoretical system of "Tao", "Li" and "Qi" established by Neo Confucianism has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people after hundreds of years of development, but Huang Zongxi's purpose is to let Neo Confucians explain the essence of these three.

You can't say that Qi is the source of growth of all things, and Tao is the foundation of growth of all things, it must be like this?
Although from the perspective of natural sciences, this statement is not wrong, but Huang Zongxi wanted Neo Confucianism to come up with an explanation.

Can Zhang Cai take it out?
Without the support of science, of course he couldn't come up with it.

Being pinched by Huang Zongxi and unable to find a way to break the game, Zhang Cai faintly failed.

"This is the most reasonable principle of the sages, and everyone abides by it. How can Brother Huang not know?"

This is to use authority to suppress doubts.

How could Huang Zongxi be afraid of this? He took a step forward with a loud voice.

"Mr. Nan Guo talked about him. Why do you need to blame the ancients? Times have changed, and the world has changed. Compared with the past, the situation today is already different. Everything follows the ancient ideas. Don't you know it's a foolish way of looking for fish?"

As soon as these words came out, the scene immediately exploded.

Luo Congyu couldn't help shouting: "Bold!"

Zheng Sanjun flustered endlessly, his eyes flicked around, wishing to leave immediately.

The rest of the people did not know how many people criticized Huang Zongxi.

In the eyes of these people, questioning the sages is undoubtedly a great sin.

The crowd was turbulent, but Huang Zongxi was calm and fearless, and pointed coldly at everyone.

"Shao Kangjie (Shao Yong) refuted Zhou Lianxi's (Zhou Dunyi's) theory of 'Tao is one', and Ercheng's 'Tao is all things without leaving anything behind, and there should be no way'. Zhu Xi's 'integration of Li Qi' finally achieved great success. You respect it All the sages were brave enough to question and push the old to bring forth the new, but today you are foolishly sticking to the old principles, going against the present, not thinking about progress, harming yourself and others, and the world is in trouble."

This time it was scolding ruthlessly.

Directly put Zhang Cai and others into the ranks of conformity, and even said that they violated the purpose of the sages.

Shao Yong questioned Zhou Dunyi's theory that he became a family, and then Er Cheng questioned Shao Yong's further progress, and Zhu Xi perfected Neo Confucianism on the basis of Er Cheng.

It can be said that the later achievements of Neo Confucianism came from the courage to argue and innovate like the great sages of the previous generations.

Today's Zhang Cai and others can only turn over old papers, blindly respect the words of the sages, and ignore the present, so they were naturally scolded by Huang Zongxi.

Everyone in Nanjing was furious, but they couldn't say a word.

How to refute?

The deeds of the sages of Neo-Confucianism are well known in the world, and Huang Zongxi refuted everyone with them.

No matter how I argue, it becomes me scolding myself.

Zhang Cai hates it secretly. If he had known today, he would not be in a hurry to engage in this debate.When Zhang Pu comes back, combined with the strength of the two, maybe they won't be so passive.

However, at this time Zhang Puyuan was in the capital, and he hadn't come out of the freshness of his first involvement in the officialdom, so he could only support it alone.

Zhang Cai has given countless lectures, and he has seen countless scenes, but he is also a little quick-witted.

"In the opinion of Brother Huang, what is Qi?"

This is also attacking the other's shield with the other's spear.

Zhang Cai didn't believe it anymore. He had studied Confucianism for decades but hadn't gained anything. Huang Zongxi, a young man, could tell clearly what Qi is?
Since you can't explain clearly, then your question is not valid.On the contrary, Neo Confucianism's theory of qi will become orthodox again.

Unfortunately, what he asked was Huang Zongxi.

If he had asked Liu Zongzhou, he might still have achieved results.

It is true that Liu Zongzhou is a great master, but he is still a traditional literati who only focuses on learning.

However, Huang Zongxi was deeply influenced by Zuo Menggeng, and he was always diligent in learning new knowledge.

However, he is also solid in Confucianism. It can be said that he is a double cultivation of Confucianism and science, covering everything.

"Qi, there are two types. One is integrity. I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring aura. This is the case. People in the world study books, sharpen their minds, get rid of cowardice, greed, and sin in their hearts, and shape their bodies with integrity to become a gentleman..."

This explanation came as no surprise to those present.It is not uncommon for almost everyone to be able to make such an explanation.

But the other thing Huang Zongxi said was beyond their comprehension.

"The other kind of qi is the qi of nature, which exists around us all the time and is necessary for the survival of all creatures."

Everyone was surprised and kept looking around, but apart from feeling the breeze, they couldn't see the qi that Huang Zongxi was talking about.

"Brother Huang said that Qi exists beside us, but who has seen it? It's hard to deceive the world by making big claims."

When Li Wen made a sound, she almost said that Huang Zongxi was a liar.

Huang Zongxi didn't think it was disobedient, but said: "Brother Li, if you don't believe me, you can cover your mouth and nose with your hand and see what happens."

Li Wen was skeptical, but really tried it.Not only him, many people have quietly tried it.

Needless to say, Li Wen and the others were suffocated to the point of fainting in less than twenty breaths. They quickly let go of their hands and gasped for breath.

Seeing their embarrassment, Huang Zongxi smiled and said: "Brother Li, when he was breathing, did you ever feel the cool breath enter the body? This breath is qi. In my Shandong province, it is called air. Once the mouth and nose are isolated, it will If you can’t breathe, you will suffocate. Therefore, air is closely related to our lives and cannot be ignored.”

Everyone was quiet on the surface, but in fact they kept breathing, feeling the existence of air.

I never thought that such an ordinary behavior contains such a great way of "Qi".

"In addition to the air we can feel when we breathe, the wind we see every day is actually caused by the flow of air. And this air is not single, there are several types. It is not known how many types there are. I believe that in time, there will be Great to solve puzzles."

"Hahaha, it's really ridiculous."

Another student of Zhang Cai stood up.

"Brother Huang said that what we breathe is qi, so it's inconvenient for me to put my beak on it. But everyone can see this qi, which is colorless, tasteless, invisible, and qualityless. It's simple and clear. Has any of you ever seen this qi in other forms?"

Everyone in Nanjing burst into laughter, feeling that Huang Zongxi was grandstanding.

But Huang Zongxi looked at the man very seriously, and said: "This brother doesn't understand the way of air, but I don't blame you. However, in my Shandong province, someone has already obtained a different kind of air, which Zhongheng named Hydrogen. Hydrogen is lighter than the air around us, and it burns when it encounters a fire, and the flame is blue, which is very different from the red fire we see every day. This person is currently trying to separate other gases from the air, and now he has There are clues. Empty talk has no basis, and this real example is enough to prove that the air around us is not single."

The man's speech was stagnant, and he instinctively felt that the facts should be so, but he still insisted: "Shandong is thousands of miles away, how do you know what you said is true?"

Huang Zongxi laughed loudly, and said loudly: "No matter how far Shandong is, there are not many people who have been there. Besides, what Huang said is there, and you can go and check it anytime, brother."

After saying this, everyone present knew that what Huang Zongxi said was true.

Otherwise, he becomes a liar.

Not only will he be ridiculed by the world, but the reputations of Huang Zunsu and Liu Zongzhou will also be ruined.

No scholar dares to do this, making fun of the reputation of ancestors and teachers.

(End of this chapter)