A Comparative Study On The Literrary Charateristics Between The Book Mencius And The Book Chuang-Tze

Based on studies made by previous and contemporary scholars and using the method of expounding the Mencius and the Zhuang-Tze in accordance with the two works the thinkers have left, a comparative study of their lives is now attempted, taking into consideration the background of the era in which they lived, historical records, and the two thinkers' writings at same time. From this biographical study and employing principles of aesthetics, literary criticism and creative woks, the distinctive features and characteristics of the two books are than comparatively explored.Mencius, a native of Lu and Zhuang-Tze, a native of Song lived in the same mid-period of the Warring States. The imaginative, romantic and colourful style of Chuang-Tze, though deeply influenced by Chu culture, is also brought about by factors of the Yin-Shang culture which was inherited by and latent in all the people of Song. Both men were passionate and full of feelings. But Chuang-Tze, passionate and emotional as he was, could release himself from such engrossings to achieve a state of "passionless tranquility"(wang qing 忘 情)The passionless passion in Chuang-Tze, however, was the ever-present"dao (道) "or path or way of life. Mencius who advocated systematic benevolent government premised his doctrine and philosophy upon "human nature is innately good". Chuang-Tze was emphasising"preservation of complete human nature and its truthfulness(quan xing bao zhen 全性保真)" and his pursuit was to fuse this into the abstract, intrinsic "dao" or quality of the cosmos as a single body, and from whence an absolute and perfect freedom could then be achieved. His thinking was unrestrained and not other-worldly: his teaching was not egoistic, self-centered nor empty talk.The features or characteristics of the works of the Mencius School and the Chuang-Tze School are unified or in line with the aesthetic and literary principles expounded by each respectively. From the literary point of view and judging by the characteristics from these two books, the writing is just like the man himself and can be identified with his individual character.In argumentative process, both books have shown a definite degree of critical spirit and revealed abundant emotions. In Mencius' argumentative exposition, sentiments are embedded in its reasoning and cause while in Chuang-Tze, its reasoning and cause are hidden under the emotions.In its momentum, Mencius carries one through a rushing stream while Chuang-Tze puts one in the unbridled waves of the vast ocean. Mencius' momentum comes from nurtured "qi" or energy, vitality while the Chuang-Tze follows its authors in pursuing freedom of the spirit and soul. Both books excelin the use of analogy and figurative speech to expound doctrine and principles. Mencius is adept at analogy but Chuang-Tze excels in fable presentation. While both employ images and a figurative way of writing, Mencius tends to realism and Chuang-Tze romanticism.At the same time, the Mencius'' argument are gradually progressive and circumlocutory, but the Chuang-Tze School integrates the use of fables, imagery and arguments, interchanging their use with liveliness to supplement one another. One feature of mis School's reasoning is to make one party in a fable as its spokesman. But the authors of both works would inevitably give sufficient considerations to their "listeners' and readers'" specific requirements in compiling and concluding their pieces and essays.In the structure of its contents, the Mencius seems detached, fragmentary as it transits towards a specific topic. This is also one of its features. As for the Chuang-Tze, it has the distinctive features of a discursive topical essay, particularly in the "nei pian 内篇" or Inner Chapters, forming an organic entity. The Chuang-Tze is bold in imagination daringly blazing and closing a trail, so to say, unrestrained and unrestricted by rales or customary practice and full of unexpected variations. In many chapters and sections of the Mencius , the theme is clear-cut, the exposition exquisitely neat, distinctly and logically developed and rigorously organized.In arguments, Mencius' words are sharp and penetrating, proof cited is thorough and its excellent usage of metaphor, simile and contrast is inciting and rousing, rather like the spirit of the Chinese latitudinarian and longitudinarian of the Warring Sates Period (战国纵横家) . However, in argumentative skills, Mencius is always imbued with the great, upright and vital spirit known as "hao ran zhi qi 浩然之气" and moral fervor. Chuang-Tze, on the other hand, is eloquent, jocular and yet unusual, often surprising others with its witty comments. Both books are adapt in taking the initiative and control aims suitable in situation.In the use of fables, Chuang-Tze is the first to use "conjoined fables" meaning a group of fables connected and interlinked closely to make a more comprehensive and appealing whole. Structurally, fables in the Chuang-Tze have more complicated plots and often the technique of a "fable within a fable" is employed. But in both books, the fables often transcend from an expository nature to culminate as proof for what have been expounded. This is a common feature of the Mencius and the Chuang-Tze too. In both books, fables are not only used to propagate one's views and to prove such views and opinion, but also as an instrument or weapon to overcome and suppress the opposition in order to achieve victory. Another aspect of Chuang-Tze^ fables is that these are an inseparable component of the essay itself and typically arranged to delineate and expound the theme from different angles The use of fables inMencius, however, is more objective, sober and with stronger elements of rationality, often waiting till the end or conclusion before pointing out clearly their meaning and intent. The fable or analogy used in Chuang-Tze is mainly to elucidate philosophical thinking; it directly involves the author's participation and often bears specific and symbolic meaning which requires the readers' careful study before realizing its true implications. Mencius employs contrast in most fables while Chuang-Tze engages hyperbole and personification. Both share the common feature of exquisite and detailed description. But a greater characteristic of the Chuang-Tze School lies in its emphasis on the essence or spirit of the content of writing rather than its form or style. In their creative work of fables, both authors have infused their feelings and sentiments into them. As a matter of fact, Chuang-Tze express his emotions and sentiments through these fables. The sharp, biting language with its humour is scathing satire, yet another typical characteristic of the fables as well as these two works. The Mencius is sympathetic to the people and exposes the excessive and ruthless taxation by the ruler, thus giving its fables a realistic spirit and evolving correspondingly its style of writing. Chuang-Tze on the other hand is fired with the pursuit of an idealistic life, rendering its fables a romantic and colorful hue.For the Mencius and the Chuang-Tze, one is mainly a work of realism while the other mainly a work of romanticism. The unity of realism and romanticism is another great feature of these two works.Both works also exhibit a humorous trait, but the humor demonstrated is not the same. The Mencius has its satire with vehement and scathing remarks even pungent at times, but nonetheless and more often than not, it is well-intended sarcasm, far from the ruthless. Sharp and piercing to the bone marrow satire adopted in the Chuang-Tze.As for Linguistic art, the two authors are very apt to use rhetoric to make their prose rich and colorful. Even if the same rhetoric term is used in both books, each has its special shade of meaning. A common feature of both is the very apt usage of analogy, figure of speech and hyperbole. In the Chuang-Tze, nevertheless, hyperbole, analogy and personification are more frequently used; in the Mencius, analogy, parallelism and contrast are more often employed. Both books are good at integrating different rhetoric techniques. The Mencius integrates well the uses of parallelism, repetition and other rhetoric techniques while the Chuang-Tze utilizes analogy, parallelism, hyperbole, personification, supposition etc extensively and comprehensively, intermixing them at times with antithesis, repetition, interlocking chain etc.The creative style or tone of both books lies in its overtly firm and unyielding but beautiful language, making this their shared typical characteristic. The prose of Mencius has a majestic tempo with tremendous...