The Study Of Zhang Taiyan’s Taoist View

Modern China had been exposed to domestic troubles and foreign invasions since 1840, especially to the military aggression and cultural infiltration by those imperialist countries. Our nation was in an unprecedented crisis of subjugation and genocide. With strong crisis awareness of culture and nation, many intellectuals with lofty ideals, such as Zhang Taiyan, actively reflected on Chinese traditional culture, from which they attempted to get a right recipe for national salvation. In this respect, Taoism became one of the significant resources by which they governed the country and dealt with business. Studying Taoism became an important part in Zhang Taiyan’s academic life. By examining Zhang Taiyan’s thought of Taoism, the dissertation analyzes how Zhang Taiyan was able to achieve the goal of serving realistic society through his interpretation of Taoism. The essay is divided into six chapters.Chapter one discusses the historical causes and academic background of Zhang Taiyan’s Taoism studies. Because of the "Su Newspaper Case", Zhang was put into prison, and started reading up the Buddhist scriptures deeply. Buddhist thought then became the basis of his advocating revolutionary and purifying morals. However, revolution suffered the defeat repeatedly. In view of this, Zhang contended that, it is necessary for us to excite human’s original kind-nature by the quintessence of Chinese culture as well as to initiate the confidence by morality. Only the integration of Buddhism and Taoism could reach this goal, hereafter, Zhang began to study Taoism. With good inheritance of family learning, and by absorbing the essence of ideas of down-to-earth learning, the pre-Qin thinkers, Buddhism and Western learning widely, Zhang laid a solid academic foundation for his Taoism studies.The course of Zhang Taiyan’s Taoism studies would be summarized in Chapter two. Until 1906, Zhang had been focusing on Confucian classics, without paying much attention to Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. During this period, therefore, he didn’t have many research achievements on Taoism. There were only 11 pieces of explanative essays on Chuang Tzu which could be found in his Moistening Orchid Room Reading Notes. And his Confucianism and Taoism in Oppression Book (《(?)书》) reflects his respect for Confucianism and depreciation for Taoism, and his respect for Chuang Tzu and depreciation for Lao Tzu. Since his academic focus shifted from Confucian classics to Buddhism and Taoism, his research results on Taoism gradually became plentiful, including:the Brief of the Philosopher(《诸子学略说》),the Exegesis of Chuang Tzu(《庄子解诂》),YUAN DAO and the Explanation of QI WU LUN. In order to reject Christianity, in the Brief of the philosophers he pointed out that Taoism has nothing to do with religion, and believed that timid people have more trickery so as to criticize Confucianism excelling Taoism in using trickery. He put forward his political views by interpreting the Taoist thought in YUAN DAO(《原道》).He explained Chuang Tzu’s QI WU with Buddhism in order to expound the thought of freedom and equality in the Explanations of QI WU LUN.The traditional exegetical method was used for the interpretation of Chuang Tzu in the Exegesis of Chuang Tzu, whose content, characteristics and exegetical method has been analyzed in this chapter. After experiencing many things, Zhang Taiyan’s academic focus shifted from Taoism to Confucian in gradual, the research result on Taoism mainly embodied in the Essence of Taoism, the Deep Meaning of Taoism, Sublime Words on Rejuvenating Han, Preface of Outline of Lao Tzu’s Political Thought and the Brief of Pre-thinkers(《诸子略说》).It has put forward that Lao Tzu attached importance of one’s body and adversities as well, so as to "take people’s benefit as a goal" and save the world and people out of misfortune in the Eessence of Taoism. Zhang stated his point of view of "forced to living not as good as death" through Zihuazi’s view of life and death in the Deep Meaning of Taoism, which was the reflection of his survival state, but also was the displays of his spirit of defying danger and death. Lao Tzu has been analogized as medicine store, where have a lot of prescriptions, from which different people can take out their own prescription according to their different needs in Preface of Outline of Lao Tzu’s Political Thought. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were used for proving mutually in Sublime Words on Rejuvenating Han, by which Zhang attempted to construct the cultural systems of fusions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. In the Brief of Pre-thinkers, it is said that the highest place of Lao Tzu’s "Tao" was to see "CHANG", "WU", "no-self", "no-income", and the thought of the Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu is abstracted, and which contains deep meaning of Buddhism.In Chapter three, taking YUAN DAO as the center, it discusses how Zhang Taiyan combined the interpretation of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu with the political reality. In YUAN DAO, Zhang pointed out that Lao Tzu talked about political trickery in order to get rid of people’s intrigue, by which he aimed at exposing the "pseudo-constitutionalism" of Qing government. Lao Tzu claimed to abandon former knowing(前识),i.e., one cannot guess in an absolutely groundless way, by which Zhang criticized the arbitrary of New Text School(今文经学派)represented by Kang Youwei. In order to explain that the representative system was not feasible in China, Zhang interpreted "not advocating able and virtuous personage(贤)’’claimed by Lao Tzu as "not advocating reputation, eloquence and ability". Zhang pointed out that Lao Tzu’s "Tao" knew the human affairs thoroughly, that is, different things went hand in hand, which stood for "distinguishing politics and Non-politics, and independent of each other". Finally Lao Tzu’s political thought has been summarized as "follow", that is, taking appropriate actions in accordance with the individual,local circumstances and time. It is for uncertainty of "follow", so Zhang felt confused to seek the effective method of saving the nation.In Chapter four, taking "the Explanation of QI WU LUN" as the central, it discusses the cause, results and purpose that Zhang explicated Chuang Tzu with Buddhism. When he related Chuang Tzu, Zhang found that the meaning of Buddhism and thought of Chuang Tzu had much similar, and held that no matter what could not match QI WU LUN in governing country, and so explicated Chuang Tzu with Buddhism, whose purpose was to show thought of freedom and equality, to come into an ideal condition. It requires transcending speech-phase, name-phase and heart-phase. After transcending nonima, "QI WU" is used to resolve disputes. Namely, under the guidance of " QI WU " thought, let both civilization and barbarism suit with its place; let right and wrong be what it is; does not matter what is positive or is negative theory; does not matter who is smart or is stupid, by way of which rejected those who seeked to impose their own standards of conduct on others, which resisted the aggression of those who tried to annex other country.In Chapter five, taking Sublime Words on Rejuvenating Han as the center, it has been examined how Zhang Taiyan demonstrated Confucius’ thought with Chuang Tzu’s theory. He explained Confucius’"ZHONG and SHU" with Chuang Tzu’s "QI WU", which should be considered to receive equal attention, and interpreted Confucius’"rejects four" with Chuang Tzu’s " no-self", and so he believed that Chuang Tzu carried on the most legacy of Confucius; he explicated "MING" in YI ZHUAN with Chuang Tzu’s "being dependent", and thought that "MING" was essentially used as a pretext, In Sublime Words on Rejuvenating Han, not only demonstrated Confucius’thought with Chuang Tzu’s theory, but also demonstrated Confucianism with Buddhism so as to regard them equally.Zhang Taiyan’s Taoist view would be evaluated in Chapter six. Firstly, Taoism provides important thought resources for Zhang Taiyan’s theory of evolution, political view, religious view as well as philosophic thinking. In Zhang view, Multi-dimensional thinking mode that inspired by "QI WU", provided a multi-perspective for the assimilation of thought achievement at all times and in all countries. The thought which unearthed from Taoism becomes the theoretical basis of his governing the country and dealing with business. Taoism was used for one of important theory weapons to criticize Confucian by Zhang Taiyan, but his "scolding Confucius" had the huge influence on the New Culture Movement afterward. In addition, Zhang Taiyan’s Taoism studies had some influence on Liang Qichao, Hushi and Luxun.In Conclusion, it carries on the summary to modern significance of Zhang Taiyan’s Taoist view:Zhang Taiyan’s "unique opinion" on Taoism is not only advantageous in inspiring national essence and enhancing nationality morals, but also open new fertile soil for Taoism in modern development. Particularly, by taking Chuang Tzu’s "QI WU" as a proper perspective, he links up each culture, thought and academic, and thus advocated cultural diversity in order to seek the culture to be independent by this. Zhang Taiyan’s Taoist view has its special significance in modern history of thinking and history of learning.