Trend Of Thought To Doubt The Classics Of Song Dynasty

The period of Song dynasty in history of the Classics Studies was called the period of reform of the Classics Studies in History of the Classics Studies written by Pi Xirui, a scholar lived in the latest years of Qing dynasty. This saying is right. Features of the Classics Studies of Song dynasty reflect it is remarkably different from the preceding Classics Studies of Han and Tang dynasties and the later Classics Studies of Qing dynasty. The scholars of Song dynasty Classics Studies emphasized YiLi (principles or philosophy in the classics) and were impressive of their creativity as they always found something new in the classics. They explained and developed the inner values of Confucianism, and at the same time evaluated highly the subjective consciousness and the spirit of rational. One of the basic features of the Song dynasty Classics Studies is the spirit to doubt. A trend of thought to doubt the classics was formed after the middle stage of North Song dynasty, which influenced as far as the studies of Ming and Qing dynasties. Although the scholars of QianJia period denounced the Song Studies, they often accepted and adopted the Song scholars' achievements in classics textual research and in verifying falsehood of the classics. GuShiBian Movement beginning in the first half of the 20^th century also finds the influence from remote origin of the Song Studies.Part 1There is a close relation between the doubt trend in Classics Studies and thereform of Classics Studies. The former is a prerequisite and the latter is a necessary outcome of the former. The reform, as a historical process, experienced a quite long period. It was not suddenly established in the Qingli years of North Song dynasty. After the middle of Tang dynasty, social productivity and mode of production were greatly improved, and this caused changes in areas of economic system, political system and social life. In the area of culture and academy, all the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism had some new changes. In respect of Confucianism and the Classics Studies, three new trends of thoughts appeared. They are:1. The trend to doubt the classics, with Liu Zhiji being its representative. This faction questioned some classics of Confucianism and their commentaries.2. The movement of new Classics Studies, with Dan Zhu, Zhao Kuang and Lu Chun being its representatives. Their major contribution was a new method of Classics Studies - studying the classics without consulting their commentaries.3. This faction was represented by Han Yu, Li Ao and Liu Zongyuan. They rebuilt the theoretical system of Confucianism.These three trends of thought are amendments and developments of Confucianism and the Classics Studies of Han and Tang dynasties. After the middle of Tang dynasty, Confucian Classics Studies took a new look compared with that of Han dynasty. The beginning of the reform of the Classics Studies should be in retrospect to the middle of Tang dynasty. Tianbao and Dali years of Tang dynasty should be regarded as a turning point from the old Classics Studies to the new one. In fact, the Classics Studies reform and the doubt trend in the middle term of North Song dynasty are continuance and development of the new trend of Confucianism beginning in the middle of Tang dynasty. This new trend of reform was just thin streams before Qinli years, and joined and formed a big river that ran forwards and could never be returned during the Qinli years. So we can say that the reform of Classics Studies began in the middle of Tang dynasty and prospered and established in Qinli years.The reform of Classics Studies in Song dynasty contains three aspects as described below.Firstly, the attitudes on the Classics Studies were changed.The Song scholars' change of attitudes on the Classics Studies was reflected mainly in two points. The first point is that they emphasized to discover and develop "Confucius' Dao" implied in the classic text when they had to make their choice between the classic text itself and Dao implied. Generally speaking, they emphasized the importance of the classic text on one hand, and advocated to "understand the classics by heart (by understanding the spirit implied in the classic text and not sticking to the text itself)" and to discover and understand the ideas and spirit of Confucius beyond the classic text books.The second point is that the Song scholars established a tie tighter than ever between the Classics Studies itself and the practical application of the classics studied. The scholars of aftertime understood that the Song studies was not practical and showed no in-depth concerns about social reality. Gu Yanwu criticized that "the Song scholars had words of emptiness that talked about human nature and had no materialistic theory to improve human individuals and administer society." Yan Yuan also criticized that "the Song scholars took ZhuJingzhiZhi{^.M.^%W)zs their purpose, took sitting to read books as their outstanding ability, took human nature and fate as their lecture's contents, and took commenting the classic text and its commentaries, compiling books and writing history as their career." In fact, these opinions are partial and unfair. If someone says that the Song studies emphasizes fiLi, generally speaking, this saying is no big error. However, the trend to apply the principles in the classics to administer society can be found in the Song studies. This can not be neglected. In the history of the academic ideology of Song dynasty, Lixue/Daoxue did not prevail exclusively of any other trend of thought. The Song Classics Studies had many factions, among which some emphasized practical social application, others laid stress on YiLi. Anyway, those who emphasized practical application did not exclude YiLi and vice versa.The second aspect of the Classics Studies reform is the revolution of the commentary method of the Classics Studies.In the movement of Confucianism reform, the Song scholars established a new set of methods to comment the classics, called the Song studies methods. These methods include: to study the classic text itself and neglect the commentaries made by preceding scholars; that TiLi is of the most importance; The six classic books support my ideas ; and my ideas explain the six classic books. In their commentaries on the classics, the Song scholars highlighted the subjective consciousness. They not only explained the meaning of the classic text, but also make more efforts to discover and develop the significance implied or beyond the text itself. Through criticizing and surpassing the Classics Studies of Han and Tang dynasties and giving a new commentary on Confucian classics, the Song scholars established a theory of morality and human nature with XinXingNun{>\j$r.$;) being the core of this theory. This theory is called the New Confucianism. It is a new development of Confucianism in Song dynasty.The third aspect of the reform is that an academic trend to doubt and modify the classic text began. This trend began synchronically with the reform. In fact, this trend is an important and necessary part of the reform. Doubt would necessarily lead to reform. The doubt trend of the Song dynasty covered all the study areas of the classics, history, thinkers' thoughts, and corpus, among which the doubt of Confucian classics and Han and Tang dynasty Classics Studies is the most influential. So when we say the doubt trend of the Song dynasty, we generally refer to the doubt of the Classics Studies.Part 2The doubt trend of the Classics Studies of the Song dynasty can be understood to consist of two layers and four stages of time.The first layer is the doubt and criticism of the commentaries of the classics of Han and Tang dynasties. In Han Studies, the classic of ShUing had two highlightedcommentaries, MaoZhuan and ZhengQian. In Han and Jin dynasties, the classic of ChunQiu had three versions of commentaries, including He Xiu's ChunQiu Gong Yang Me Gu, Du Yu's ChunQiu JingZhuan Ji Jie, and Fan Ning's ChunQiu Gu Liang Ji Jie. The classic of ZhouTi had Wong Bi's commentary. The classic of ShangShu had Wei Kong's commentary. The classic of SanLi had Zheng Xiian's commentary. In Tang dynasty, Kong Yingda wrote Wu Jing Zheng Yi, a commentary on the five classics. All these commentaries were doubted and criticized by the Song scholars. Furthermore, the Song scholars also attacked the research method of ^'Rjiifli^j^ (studying the classic text sentence by sentence) adopted in the conventional Classics Studies in Han and Tang dynasties.The second layer is the doubt and verification of the existing classics, such as the doubt and verification of the original text of Shi, Shu, Li, Yi, ChunQiu. The Song scholars understood that Confucius' Dao broke up after Confucius died, and his students learned only different parts of his studies and few learned the whole. So after the long period of ZhanGuo ( Warring States ), Qin and Han dynasties, "the classic text were not purely the original and the historical records were not purely the real facts", and scholars could not find "the whole original classic text". During this period, the Confucian classic books and documents were burned by QinShiHuang and interpolated by later scholars. So the classic text became incomplete on one hand, and on the other hand was interpolated and developed without convincing reasons, which caused the classics lack of originality and contradictions in the classic text. Some Song scholars also revised and made changes in some classic text following their own understanding of the inner logic of Confucian ideology in order to protect Confucius' Dao. DaXue was revised by the twin Cheng s. Zhu Xi revised DaXue and XiaoJing. In later Song dynasty, Wang Bai changed and cut off quite a lot of parts of ShUing and ShangShu. Such doings of the Sony scholars, in the posterity's eyes, made a mess of the holy classics and insulted the holy sages. But the Song scholars thought that all their doings were to protect Confucius' Dao.In respect of the structure of the Classics Studies, the doubt trend can be analyzed in two layers. In respect of evolution of time, the trend can divided into four stages. The first stage is from the beginning of Song dynasty to the time just before Qinli years. In this stage, the Classics Studies of Han and Tang dynasties remained its influence and meanwhile the doubt trend began to come into being. In the beginning of Song dynasty, the official Classics Studies followed the convention of the Classics Studies of Han and Tang dynasties, and featured in ZhangJuXunGu(%'n]\)\\\&). This is reflected in sorting out and verification of Wu Jing Zheng Yi and in verification and compiling of Qi Jing Shu Yi. However, the doubt trend of Song dynasty began at the same time. In early North Song dynasty, scholars including Liu Kai, Wang Yuchun,Sun Fu, HuYuan, and Shi Jie began to critisize the conventional Classics Studies and made attempts to establish a new form of Classics Studies. The second stage is from Qinli years of North Song to the end of North Song, in which XueTongShiQi C'^^cH^") and the doubt trend widely spreaded, and many scholars who doubted the conventional studies occurred, such as Ou Yangxiu, Li Gou, Si Maguang, Wang Anshi, Zhang Zhai, the twin Cheng's and the three Su's, and so on. These scholars raised many questions on Confucian classics. The third stage is the early South Song dynasty till Qingyuan years. In this stage, LiXue continued to develop and the doubt trend went further into depth. The methods and contents of the Classics Studies were significantly changed. All the unique characters of the Song Studies were formed. The Song Studies eventually outdated the Han Studies, and constituted a most important part of China's cultural and academic history just like the Han Studies and the Qing Studies. In the same time, the doubt trend further developed in both dimensions of depth and width in degrees far exceeding that in North Song. The representative scholars of this stage included Zheng Qiao, Ye Meng De, Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan, Ye Shi and Lu Zuqian, the latter two belonging to ZheDong faction. The fourth stage is from Jiading years to the end of South Song, also called the later Song. In this stage, the doubt trend came into its end period. After Zhu Xi passed away, the Classics Studiesof later Song divided into two trends and two factions formed. The doubt trend was still an important part of the Classics Studies trends of the later Song. Part of the scholars of the later Song turned to such a form of Classics Studies that emphasized to base the studies on evidences and facts. Such scholars included Wang Yinglin and Huang Zhen. Another part of the scholars relied the studies exclusively on Li ( principles or philosophy? ). They used Li to judge and doubt the classics. They even took their own opinions as Li, and so led the doubt trend as far as beyond an appropriate limit. Wang Bai was a representative scholar of this faction. The studies trends of the later Song gestate the Ming Studies and the Qing Studies. The Ming Studies inherited the shortcoming of emptiness and the Qing Studies inherited the trend of basing the studies on supporting evidences.Part 3The Song scholars generally agreed that to study the classics was a correct approach to seek Confucius' Dao. However, there were two questions to be answered about the relationship between Confucius' Dao and the classic text. Firstly, was Confucius' Dao completely included in the classic text? Secondly, was what the classic text told entirely Confucius' Dao? The Song scholars put forwards some new opinions, which were reflected in their review of the classic text and its commentaries.Through studying the classics, the Song scholars found out that the existing classics did not cover the whole of Confucius' Dao and had quite a lot of fragmentary text. QinShiHuang burning books caused damages to the five classics and made them incomplete. Also many errors occurred during the deliverance of the classics. So these factors affected people to understand correctly Confucius' Dao. As the classic books were incomplete and had errors, it was necessary to have these books supplemented and corrected. Furthermore, some Song scholars thought that the classics had contradictions in its text, and that what the classics recorded was not completely in compliance with historical facts, and that some ideas expressed in theclassics were not of high significance and led people to doubt. Some scholars also pointed out that some ideas expressed in the six classic books were in contradiction with social reality. Through summarizing the misunderstandings of the scholars of Han and Tang Classics Studies, the Song scholars pointed out that the Classics Studies should be directed to meeting the needs in practical application, so should also be aimed to finding out and expressing clearly TiLi and Confucius' Dao. Therefore, the Song scholars critically reviewed the Classics Studies of Han and Tang. They understood that the Classics Studies divided after Confucius' death, and Confucius' Dao could not keep its integrity as the commentaries made by offspring scholars were different or in contradiction with each other, and it was very difficult to decide which was correct. In the viewpoint of some Song scholars, the more important problem with the classic commentary of Han and Tang was that their commentaries were not in compliance with the YiLi of Confucianism.As the scholars of Han and Tang classic commentaries did not correctly master Confucius' Dao, and did not understand all the ideas and implied meanings of the classics, and did not stop the attacks from non-majority cultures of Buddhism and Taoism, it was difficult for the fundamental spirit of Confucianism to be popularized and for Confucianism to prosper once more in the old architecture of Han and Tang Classics Studies. Therefore, in order to make the old Confucianism regain its strength, the Classics Studies must be reformed, and the old ideas, methods and contents of the Classics Studies must be significantly changed. To surpass the Han and Tang Classics Studies was a basic purpose of the doubt trend of the Song Classics Studies, and this purpose was realized in fact. To reconsider and criticize the conventional Classics Studies was "to break up the old", and to establish the new form of the Classics Studies was "to establish the new". Through reforming the old Classics Studies, the Song scholars established a new form of classics studies, called the Song Studies, a form different from the Han and Tang classic commentary studies.There is one point to be clarified. Although the Song scholars pointed out thatConfucian classics had this or that problems, their motive in doing so was not to try to destroy the classics. On the contrary, by pointing out these problems, they intended to protect the holiness of the classics, and to sweep off the non-original unauthentic statements mixed in the classic text and by doing so to recover the purity of the classics. Therefore, many Song scholars did not mind their "insulting the six classics and criticizing the preceding holy sage". The purpose of their reconsidering the old Classics Studies was to "protect Confucius' Dao". Facing the severe challenges from Buddhism and Taoism, the Song scholars had to act to protect the holiness of Confucianism as a dominant culture, especially to discover and develop the inner value of Confucianism. This is a battle of culture to "protect Confucius' Dao". The Song scholars' reviewing the Confucian classics was not to damage the authority of Confucian classics, but to strengthen the domination of the classics and Confucius' Dao on social life, and to rebuild the belief in the classics and Confucianism. Although they strongly criticized the Han and Tang classic commentaries studies, they did not deny the importance of the commentary studies in helping understanding Confucian classics.Part 4Many new viewpoints and ideas about the conventional classics produced by the Song scholars had great influence on the posterity generations. Therefore, it is necessary to sort out and summarize their achievements in doubting and verifying the classics in full range, and so to show the overall look of the Song scholars' research and verification work on the classics. The classic books covered by this paper include mainly ZhouYi, ShangShu, ShUing, ZhouLi, YiLi, LiM, ChunQiu, and XiaoJing. The Song scholars also had some research on LunYu and ErYa. As for the former, they mainly verified the errors of characters and sentences and non-original text, but had little doubt with when this book was written. As for the latter, the Song scholars pointed out that this book was not written by Confucius, but they had little more discussion on this book. Therefore, these two books are not covered bv thispaper. Another book to be talked about is MengZi, which was not recognized a classic before the Song dynasty. As for this book, the Song scholars divided into two parties, one respecting MengZi and the other doubting it. However, in general, the academic status of MengZi was raised and regarded as a classic in the South Song period. This book is covered in some relative chapters of this paper, and so no chapter is specially set for this book.The Song scholars also paid attention to methodology in their research and verification of the classics. The doubt trend in Song dynasty sprouted the seeds of the evidence studies of Qing dynasty. But there is a significant difference in methodology between the Song scholars and the Qing scholars in doubting the classics. The Song scholars mainly took the method of YiLi in doubting the classics. The Qing scholars mainly doubted and verified the classics by method of literature studies. In viewpoint of today, the Song scholars' research method is rather simple, and their evidences are not so reliable, and their conclusions drawn by this way still have possibilities to be argued. But they were brave to raise questions, acute to discover problems and brave to settle the problems. In their research work, they were able to avoid following authority blindly and being restricted by existing theories, and had an open mind and wide view. Therefore, they surpassed the Han and Tang scholars in understanding the classics. When the posterity scholars research and verify the Confucian classics, they usually start with the research achievements of the Song scholars. No matter the posterity appreciate or disagree with the Song scholars' ideas, they can not avoid the questions raised by them. The posterity gained the good influence of the Song scholars directly or indirectly. This is a fact that can not be denied. The judgments and conclusions they drew were discussed and researched by scholars of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and the modern times. Part of their conclusions survived the trial and were confirmed and other part were proved to be false and denied by posterity. This is in compliance with the general laws of academic development. Today, evaluation on the Song scholars' doubting and verification of the classics should be impartial with two sides.Their achievements can not be denied on one hand, and they can not be evaluated too high on the other hand. When the Song scholars are criticized to be too brave in doubting the classics, they should also be appreciated for their spirit of pursuing the reality and their in-depth influence on the evidence verification studies of the later times.