Textual Resarch And Thought Study On Shao Yong's <Questions And Answers Between A Fisherman And A Woodcutter >

Shao Yong,together with Zhou Dunyi,Zhang Zai,Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi,known as one of the "Five Famous Thinkers of the Northern Song Dynasty",occupies a very important position in the history of the Song Dynasty.Compared with his counterparts,researches on Shao Yong are limited.Due to his profundity in articulating the thought of Yi and experiencing and examining the natural law and affairs of men,majority of the researches are directed towards <Huang Ji Jing Shi> and <Yi Chuan Ji Rang Ji>.Because of the controversies around the issue of authorship to some extent,few attention has been paid to a book signed by Shao Yong,namely,<Questions and answers between a fisherman and a woodcutter>.Through dialogues involving past and present issues between a fisherman and a woodcutter,<Questions and answers between a fisherman and a woodcutter> touches on nearly all sorts of issues including thoughts about cosmology,society,history and affairs of men.The aforementioned uncertainties around the issue of authorship is the main reason behind the neglect of the inquiries of the work.By way of conducting a comprehensive and systematic research,this article mainly focuses on the following four aspects : different versions of the work,claims of ownership,completion date of the book and its relationship with his other masterpieces.All these analyses,hopefully,leads to the revelation of its philosophical connotations.There are several versions of <Questions and answers between a fisherman and a woodcutter> and different versions have different contents.By analyzing various versions ranging from the Song Dynasty to the present day,it is my contention that the completion date of the book is no later than the year 1107.In terms of the issue concerning ownership,it is my argument that it is written by Shao Yong by means of comparingvarious views,amongst which especially articulated by Zhu Xi and Zhang Xingcheng.Secondly,the text analyses,to me,support my argument as well.Apart from these evidences,the <Questions and answers between a fisherman and a woodcutter> refers to the original words in <Huang Ji Jing Shi> for a number of times.All in all,therefore,my inference is that the book is highly likely one of the earliest books composed by Shao Yong and it lays foundation for his later significant book <Huang Ji Jing Shi>.The philosophical thought of <Questions and answers between a fisherman and a woodcutter> has always been centered on the principle of "promoting the way of heaven and understanding the affairs of men".Following the logic of ‘one divides into two' by treating ‘Tai Chi' as its noumenon,the idea of Yin,Yang,hardness and softness emerges.Then,naturally,the idea of 64 diagrams and Xian-Tian Y ology is established.The creation of the universe begins with the idea of ‘one' and the situation is developed from simpleness to complexity.Shao Yong built a set of his highest law of cosmic creation,and its foothold is still based on the Confucianist idea of ‘humane'.People are born with yin and yang,and Yang is good,yin is evil.Therefore,there are differences between gentlemen and villains,good and evil.Good and evil are all in their own category,and benefits and harms are born.The gentleman must repair the good,maintain the righteousness and listen to the destiny.Fundamentally speaking,man,heaven and earth are all in one.Man is the spirit of all things and can understand the essence of the universe.The sage is the one who is the best of the people and whether to act or not depends on nature.Shao Yong strives to eliminate the difference between the ‘thing' and the ‘self' and understand the notion of ‘one' by adopting the epistemological principle of "see things from the perspective of the things".In exercising this methodology,the unity of heaven and man is ultimately established.The ebb and flow of the tide is constant,so is the affair of man.Because the growth and decline of yin and yang is reflected in the social history,Shao Yong goes deep into the history of change and explores the law of social development by analyzing the ancient and modern ways of dealing with chaos,he concludes that ‘man is of paramount importance when it comes to the overall situation of the society'.The method of governing the world needs to be adapted to specific times and should be flexible.Shao Yong advocates that man should exert their subjective initiative by grasping the rationale of yin and yang and understanding the principles behind societal change.By adhering to this way of thinking,man could master the course of history andtheir own destiny.