Modern Literati And The Wei, Jin And Grace "

The article attempts to make a study on the relation between modern Chinese scholars and Wei-Jin style. It analyses mainly the influence of the Wei-Jin style upon modern Chinese scholars, and the inheritance of the latter from the former. The article selects three modern scholars as major objects to be discussed, they are Zhang Taiyan, Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren. Besides the foreword and the concluding remarks, the article falls into four parts. The first part excavates the implication of Wei-Jin style. After investigating different definitions of Wei-Jin style made by precursors, the author contends that Wei-Jin style includes three phases: Jian-An period, Zheng-Shi period, and the period from the late Eastern Jin through the Southern dynasties. Accordingly the scholars then split in three: the retired scholars, the bohemian scholars, and the conservative scholars. All of them exerted great impact on the later periods. The author finally suggests that the revival of Wei-Jin style in the late Qing dynasty was aimed to fight against the Tongcheng School which dominated the literary world at that time. The second part talks about Zhang Taiyan , touching upon his advocating Wuchaoxue, his attaching great importance to Wei-Jin metaphysics, and his holding Wei-Jin prose in very high esteem, etc. The author argues that Zhang's cultural restoration was linked to his Nationalism thought and his stand of racial revolution. Zhang maintained to study for the sake of application, so he strived hard to make concessions between metaphysics and Puxue. The third part surveys the relation between Lu Xun and Wei-Jin style. It expounds how Lu Xun's native cultural background affected his choosing Wei-Jin style, then explores carefully the influence on him from Kong Rong, Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Ji Kang, and Ruan Ji. It considers that Lu Xun's unrestrained temperament comes from Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, in the meanwhile his florid rhetoric comes from Cao Cao and Cao Pi. Lu Xun warned to look upon Tao Yuanming and Yan Zhitui all-roundly, obviously his purpose was to attack the disguised Confucians or hermits which emerged in modern society. The fourth part focuses on Zhou Zuoren, discussing the value of his efforts on thought enlightenment through classic tradition. It points out that Zhou's partiality for the Six dynasties essays and placing emphasis on the style of the Buddhist scripture translating were closely related to the emergence of the characteristic style of modern essays. It was due to his reclusive living modes that he admired Tao Yuanming and Yan Zhitui highly during the 30s and 40s of twentieth century.