Han officials

Chapter 310 The Four Worthies of the Wei Clan [5K]

Regarding the question of Sima Yi, various schools of Confucianism have already offered their interpretations.

The practice of Wei Zhe, who first exeges and then interprets the classics, was not unprecedented in the Han Dynasty.

However, his insights into the "Great Learning" chapter were unique in the Han Dynasty.

Before Wei Zhe had even finished speaking, a scholar below quickly and skillfully recorded the question and answer.

Sima Yi, being from a prominent family, naturally knew that such an occasion could not be taken lightly.

One wrong move and you might be embarrassed again and again in the commentaries and interpretations of later generations.

Therefore, regardless of whether he truly understood or not, he feigned sudden realization and solemnly expressed his gratitude.

There's no way around it; intellectuals often look down on each other.

If he asks one more question, someone might subtly mock him for being dull-witted in their notes later on.

Not long after Sima Yi sat down, Zhuge Liang, who was in the same study as him, immediately stood up to ask for his advice.

These two are actually quite close in age.

Sima Yi was sixteen years old, and Zhuge Liang was fourteen; both were young men just past twenty.

Perhaps for this reason, Zhuge Liang did not spend much time with his elder brother Zhuge Jin, but instead often discussed scholarship and debated classics with Sima Yi, making him a prominent figure in the academy.

Because Sima Yi was quiet and reserved, while Zhuge Liang was cheerful and outgoing, the enthusiasts in the academy referred to Sima Yi as a phoenix and Zhuge Liang as a dragon, giving them the nicknames "Sleeping Dragon" and "Young Phoenix."

The teachers couldn't help but nod in agreement after hearing this, and even Guan Ning, who occasionally came to give lectures, was quite in favor.

After all, a person's talent is visible, especially a talent for governing the country like Zhuge Liang.

Even though he doesn't yet possess the brilliance of later generations, he is still the most dazzling among his peers!

Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, and Cai Yong often joined forces to teach Zhuge Liang, wishing they had such a son of their own!
At this moment, Zhuge Liang's performance certainly lived up to the expectations of the three elders.

After bowing respectfully, he looked at Wei Zhe without any fear and asked for his guidance:
"The Master said that the Great Learning is the way of the sages, but can we mortals really become sages?"

It must be said that Zhuge Liang truly lived up to everyone's expectations.

His questions went straight to the heart of the matter, hitting the nail on the head, and he showed even more courage than Sima Yi!
In fact, he wasn't the only one curious about this question; many scholars and Confucian masters around him were also wondering about it.

They could understand Wei Zhe's high regard for "The Great Learning," after all, everyone has their own preferences, which is understandable.

But is it too much to define "The Great Learning" directly as the way to become a sage?
For a moment, many puzzled eyes couldn't help but turn to Wei Zhe.

However, Wei Zhe, who was the center of attention, showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he looked around with great interest.

When he saw that Lu Zhi and the other two were also quite concerned about this issue, he smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, amidst Zhuge Liang's bewildered gaze, he slowly spoke.

However, Wei Zhe did not answer the question directly, but instead asked in return:
"If there is a person whose heart contains the virtues of a sage, whose body possesses the abilities of a sage, and whose actions are personally performed by a sage... can such a person be called a sage?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang and the others were stunned and began to ponder deeply.

In the past, people always talked about the way of sages and saints, but rarely did they really define what a sage or saint is.

After a moment, Zhuge Liang nodded firmly and said:

"If such a person exists, he should be considered a saint!"

Wei Zhe was not surprised at all by this; such is the simple value system of the people.

If there is something that has the same texture and physical properties as a cup, looks exactly like a cup, and has the same function as a cup, then it is a cup.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe finally gave a direct answer:
"Saints and mortals are the same; there is no need to seek them from outside."

“You should know that Confucius was a former teacher, not a king without a throne.”

"Even sages were once mortals; only through arduous study and practice could they achieve sainthood!"

"Therefore, if we follow the path of the sages, we will naturally have the opportunity to become sages as well!"

This is precisely where the New Text and Old Text versions of the classics cannot be reconciled.

The New Text School of Confucianism always sought to deify Confucius, making him a complete "non-human being" so that he could be worshipped.

Only in this way can their system of apocryphal texts and classical texts be made coherent.

However, in Wei Zhe's view, the foundation of the New Text School was the greatest dross of this school of thought, and it was incompatible with it.

If Confucius was "a god, not a human," then the upper limit of Confucianism would be fixed, and it would be impossible for it to continue to evolve. After all, divine pronouncements are not knowledge and cannot be surpassed.

But if Confucius is the "first teacher," then all the Confucian disciples in later generations are just students.

In this way, it is perfectly normal for students to learn the knowledge imparted by their teachers and surpass them.

From this perspective, Wei Zhe's approach to scholarship was actually more radical than Zheng Xuan's.

Because he didn't think there was any need for "integration of the ancient and the modern" at all, and even felt that this matter was not open to compromise.

The study of prophecies and apocryphal texts has a pervasive and harmful influence; it must be eradicated completely and cannot be tolerated with any compromise.

The birth of the ancient text classics was a rare step forward, and the corrupt apocryphal and prophetic classics must be completely buried.

Otherwise, Confucianism in later generations will never be able to innovate or evolve itself.

When Confucianism could no longer evolve on its own, the dominant Chinese civilization naturally suffered as a result.

When Wei Zhe expressed this attitude with absolute certainty, Zheng Xuan, who was listening in, couldn't help but sigh softly.

Lu Zhi, standing beside him, couldn't help but nod repeatedly, finding Wei Zhe's views very much to his liking.

In the past, Lu Zhi thought that Wei Zhe was too influenced by Zheng Xuan, but now it seems that Wei Zhe should be his disciple.

It should be noted that Lu Zhi's academic approach was always to advocate replacing apocryphal texts with classical Chinese Confucianism, rather than integrating them.

Well, actually, there's no way to merge them.

After all, the foundation of apocryphal and prophetic classics is "Confucius as an uncrowned king," and if classical classics are accepted, then the fundamental nature of the teachings changes.

However, there are few people in the audience with the vision and level of Lu Zhi, and they cannot see such depth.

Most Confucian scholars were still curious about how ordinary people like them could become saints, and Zhuge Liang was one such example.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe patiently outlined the "Great Learning" into "Three Cardinal Principles and Eight Items."

The so-called Three Cardinal Guides are: Manifesting virtue, renewing the people, and attaining the highest good.

These three principles are actually quite easy to understand; to put it simply, they are:
Promote noble virtues, enable people to make continuous progress, and maintain a harmonious social order.

However, none of these three points are easy to achieve.

Therefore, after determining the "Three Guidelines" goals, we must put them into practice step by step through the "Eight Items".

That is, to investigate things, extend knowledge, make one's will sincere, rectify one's mind, cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.

In this way, one can progress from "ordinary" to "saint," forming a rigorous path of advancement.

However, Zhuge Liang was indeed Zhuge Liang; with a quick change of mind, he realized the key point.

"I wonder what you mean by 'investigating things to acquire knowledge'?"

After all, according to Wei Zhe's interpretation, the "Three Cardinal Guides and Eight Items" are the way to become a sage, and "investigating things and extending knowledge" is the beginning of the "Three Cardinal Guides and Eight Items". Therefore, the importance of "investigating things and extending knowledge" is self-evident.

It is precisely because of this that the "philosophy of mind" and the "philosophy of principle" in later generations have argued endlessly about this.

Even when Zhu Xi was annotating the Great Learning, he directly changed the original text and added a chapter on "investigating things and extending knowledge".
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The fifth chapter of the Right Commentary explains the meaning of investigating things and extending knowledge, but it is now lost. I have taken the ideas of Cheng Yi to supplement it.
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Zhu Xi clearly stated this, but Wang Yangming did not accept it, feeling that it was a distortion of the original meaning.

After all, Zengzi's original text already provided an explanation of the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge:
Those in ancient times who wished to manifest their virtue to the world first governed their states… Those who wished to cultivate sincerity first extended their knowledge. The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things.

However, both Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming believed that "investigating things and extending knowledge" is the beginning of becoming a sage.

Zhuge Liang's question actually reflects the difference between their doctrines.

Even Wei Zhe hesitated for a moment before speaking, word by word:

"Investigating things is for the purpose of seeking knowledge, but the attainment of knowledge requires investigating things; this is the unity of knowledge and action."

"True and solid knowledge is action, and clear and insightful action is knowledge."

Zhuge Liang: "..." For a moment, Zhuge Liang even doubted whether his family was really as smart as everyone praised.

After all, if he were really that smart, why would he only understand three or four parts of it?

He simply didn't realize that it was already quite remarkable that he could gain some understanding in such a short time.

The other scholars, and even the great Confucian scholars standing nearby, seemed to be deep in thought, but couldn't find a clue.

Fortunately, Zhuge Liang didn't have the same heavy idol image as Sima Yi; if he didn't know, he simply didn't know.

He bowed again, quite ashamed, and said:
"This disciple is foolish and ignorant; please enlighten me, sir!"

Wei Zhe thought for a moment and then explained from a different angle:

"There is no such thing as knowing without doing; knowing without doing is simply not knowing."

This statement is actually quite easy to understand: if you know something but can't do it, it only proves that you don't know enough.

Knowing too little is essentially the same as not knowing at all.

Just like how we've heard many life philosophies, yet we still can't live this life well!
With Zhuge Liang's wisdom, it was not difficult for him to understand this sentence. After a moment's thought, he nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe continued patiently:
"Old farmers learn farming skills by passing down knowledge from their ancestors over time."

"Because they know how to cultivate crops, they are bound to be able to sow in spring and harvest in autumn; this is the natural order."

"If a person is learned and claims to be an expert in farming, but his fields yield no harvest, he cannot be considered a true expert."

Even though the old farmer was illiterate, he was still familiar with the ways of farming.

"Just as you have heard the way of the sage, but cannot immediately put it into practice, this is the [unknown]."

At this point, Wei Zhe concluded:
"No one knows before acting, nor does anyone act before knowing."

"Knowledge and action are one and inseparable."

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Zhuge Liang finally understood.

As for the other Confucian scholars, whether they truly understood or not, they all nodded repeatedly, seemingly understanding but not quite.

However, after Zhuge Liang sat down, before the next student could ask a question, Zhou Yu couldn't help but say:

"If one has already investigated things and extended knowledge, what should one do next?"

He immediately realized his mistake and apologized profusely.
"I was momentarily distracted and spoke rashly. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

"It's alright!" Wei Zhe simply smiled.

Since he had Zhou Yu by his side, he naturally intended to promote and cultivate him.

So Wei Zhe not only didn't blame him, but instead answered Zhou Yu's question:
"Now that we have investigated things and acquired knowledge, we should be pragmatic, use our knowledge to our advantage, and give full play to our abilities."

Seeing that Wei Zhe did not blame him, Zhou Yu boldly continued to ask questions:
"Then how should we be realistic and apply our knowledge?"

This time, Wei Zhe remained silent for a longer period of time, unable to help but frown and ponder, but no one dared to urge him.

At this moment, even Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, and others had to acknowledge Wei Zhe's level of Confucian scholarship.

While Wei Zhe may not be as broad as them, he is a pioneer in the depth of his thought.

The reason Wei Zhe pondered for so long was not because he was stumped by the question, but because he didn't know how to answer it better.

Although what he just said borrowed some theories from "the philosophy of mind," he did not actually intend to use "the philosophy of mind."

In fact, he has not simply been reading scriptures all these years, but has been searching for a doctrine that is suitable for the present.

Fortunately, after ten years he finally achieved some results.

That is—practical learning!
At this moment, it is less about him interpreting "The Great Learning" and more about him using "The Great Learning" to annotate "practical learning".

The concept of "practical learning" actually originated in the Southern Song Dynasty, just like "Neo-Confucianism".

At that time, the Yongkang School of Practical Learning, led by the great Confucian scholar Chen Liang, criticized empty talk about morality and advocated "the simultaneous pursuit of righteousness and profit, and the combined use of benevolent rule and hegemonic rule." Therefore, it was irreconcilable with the "Neo-Confucianism" of Zhu Xi and the Cheng brothers, and they had constant debates.

Unfortunately, Zhu Xi ultimately prevailed, and the "Yongkang School of Practical Learning" declined for centuries afterward.

Until the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, as the country gradually declined, insightful people across the land began to seek ways to save the nation.

Among them, Qiu Jun, a great Confucian scholar from Hainan, was inspired by the Yongkang School of Practical Learning, which led him to establish the lineage of "practical learning".

Unlike Chen Liang, Qiu Jun, though known as a contemporary Confucian scholar, also had extensive political experience.

He served under four emperors: Jingtai, Tianshun, Chenghua, and Hongzhi, and successively held positions such as Academician of the Hanlin Academy, Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Minister of Rites, Minister of Revenue, Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, and Grand Secretary of the Yingdian Hall.

And after serving as the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty for six years, the elderly Qiu Jun sadly passed away in office.

It was precisely because of his unique experiences that his Confucianism placed particular emphasis on "practical learning for governing the world".

For example, Qiu Jun once wrote in the twenty-seventh volume of his book "Supplement to the Extended Meaning of the Great Learning," in the section "On the Coinage of Copper and Paper for National Use"—Although all things in the world are born from heaven and earth, they all require human effort to be used. Their forms vary in size and quality, and their craftsmanship varies in depth; therefore, their prices vary.

Coincidentally, two hundred years later, the British classical economist William Petty also put forward a similar view that "labor determines the value of commodities".

Furthermore, Qiu Jun paid particular attention to economic principles and had been trying to establish a monetary system based on silver, with silver, coins, and paper money as the three-tiered standard. Unfortunately, due to the political situation at the time, he was never able to achieve this.

However, after Qiu Jun, practical learning gradually gained influence on the elite intellectuals of the Ming Dynasty.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that "practical learning" is not as popular as "mind learning," which appeared decades later, nor is it as suitable for all ages, easy to understand, and accessible to only a few people.

After Qiu Jun's death, the practical learning of the Ming Dynasty split into two major schools:

In other words: the Mingti Approach and the Wangba Approach.

Among them, the Mingti Applicable School advocated restoring the Confucian spirit of "inner sage and outer king" and emphasized "the unity of learning and officialdom". Its representatives include Qiu Jun, Lü Kun, Xie Zhaozhe, Lu Shiyi, Gu Yanwu, and Li Yong.

The school that combines benevolent rule with hegemonic power can also be called the "dual approach of righteousness and profit" school.

This school of thought advocates the revival of the pre-Qin philosophers' doctrines, praising figures such as Guanzi, Hanzi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Mozi. In particular, it absorbed the "utilitarian" doctrines of Guanzi and Shangzi, not shying away from the pursuit of "wealth and power," and taking "enriching the country and strengthening the army" as the ultimate goal of their lives.

Its representative figures include Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui, Jiao Hong, and Xu Guangqi.

Regardless of the school of thought, the unified practical learning of the Ming Dynasty rejected the "eight-legged essay" and the "Daoist learning" practices. This was the common target of criticism of practical learning thinkers in the Ming Dynasty, which they often called "vulgar learning" to distinguish it from the "practical learning" they advocated.

They valued practicality, advocated practical learning, implementation, and governance, and championed a sincere approach to their duties. They abandoned the baseless and unfounded practices of moralists and paid more attention to matters concerning the national economy and people's livelihood, such as farmland, water conservancy, river transport, and salt administration.

Unfortunately, the influence of practical learning was still too weak. One or two ministers alone could not change the situation. Without the emperor's support and firm promotion, the ideas of practical learning could not become the official school of thought as widely adopted as Zhu Xi's "Neo-Confucianism".

Therefore, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, practical learning was only preserved by scholars such as Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui, Huang Zongxi, Wang Fuzhi, and Yan Yuan, and due to the constant infighting in the Southern Ming, it was completely powerless to reverse the decline.

As a result, the experience gained by generations of practical scholars through continuous exploration, as well as the painful lessons they learned from the fall of the Ming Dynasty, were passed down to this island nation with Zhu Shunshui's eastward journey and were absorbed by Japan.

Alas, life is unpredictable; every time I think about it, I can't help but sigh with regret!
Of course, Wei Zhe doesn't need to lament about the Ming Dynasty, which may or may not even exist, right now.

For Wei Zhe, what he urgently needs right now is the spirit of "practical learning"!

It is the kind of practical, pragmatic, hands-on, and results-oriented spirit that advocates "doing things wholeheartedly" and seeking truth from facts!
In particular, the "righteousness and profit-seeking" faction, represented by Zhang Juzheng, was exactly what Wei Zhe wanted.

After all, it has been less than three hundred years since Emperor Wu of Han "dismissed all other schools of thought and honored only Confucianism". The pre-Qin philosophers' doctrines were not as weak as they were in later generations. There were still many traditions in folk culture, and the Confucian imprint had not formed as deeply in society as it did in later generations. We can still maintain a certain degree of objectivity regarding the teachings of Guanzi, Hanzi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mozi, and others.

This open-minded approach to scholarship is exactly what Wei Zhe needs.

After much deliberation, Wei Zhe immediately used the debate between Wang Lang and Chen Ji as an example to analyze Song Zhong's criticism from Jingzhou, repeating his earlier argument about the "distinction between righteousness and profit" in the scripture room. Starting with the concept of "practicing both righteousness and profit," he explained to Zhou Yu what it meant to "seek truth from facts" and what it meant to "use knowledge according to its capacity."

"If it is for the sake of justice, a gentleman should not shy away from discussing profit."

As soon as Wei Zhe finished speaking, Zhou Yu, needless to say, immediately benefited greatly.

But what shocked the other Confucian scholars even more was that they were hearing these views for the first time.

The words, "Determine public justice based on public interest and private justice based on private interest," resonated deeply with them, bringing them comfort and clarity.

Things that I used to find confusing suddenly seem to have been explained now.

When they realized this, their hard-won composure was shaken once again.

Since he could even answer the question of "the distinction between righteousness and profit," this undoubtedly proves that Wei Zhe's theory is truly valid.

Doesn't this mean that Wei Zhe's statement about "entering sainthood from the mundane" really has a chance of being realized?

Upon realizing this, the gazes of all the scholars and Confucian masters present towards Wei Zhe instantly became fervent…

(End of this chapter)