Chinese academic spirit

Author: Xu Fuguan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The author has divided the selected articles into six parts, with each part's title added by the author. Part is "Ren Education and Governance." The content of Ren studies includes self-cultivation, family harmony, governance, and peace for the world, or simply put, it is the cultivation of inner virtue and external sovereignty, or in modern terms, it is self-cultivation and engaging in politics. The second part of this book is titled "Case Studies," featuring three articles; the third part is titled "Dialectical Approach to Academic Methods," featuring six articles. In the "Method Dialectics" section, the first three articles are debates with Mr. Mao Zishui and others on the relationship between textual research and principle-based reasoning. As debates often involve emotions, even the wise cannot avoid them, and Mr. Xu was no exception. With the passage of time, looking back calmly today, this emotional outburst was not entirely necessary. Mr. Xu himself said that writing these articles was a "waste of ink" and that he "felt great pain." At the end of the last article in this group, he expressed his intention to "respectfully decline further responses." However, setting aside unnecessary emotions, there are indeed many profound insights in these articles. This group of articles, along with other related discussions, holds undeniable value in clarifying the complexities between textual research and principle-based reasoning, as well as in exploring how to integrate the two effectively. Mr. Xu is erudite and has deep expertise in literary history. His basic spirit and approach to literary studies are no different from his approach to philosophy, which he describes as "pursuing experience." I personally find the most fitting summary to be "understanding the literary heart through historical insight," hence using it as the title for several literary critiques in this part. Among these, the article "Interpreting Du Fu's 'Six Quatrain Jokes' from the Perspective of Literary History and Poetic Method" is one I particularly favor. This article begins with a critique of a national Chinese literature exam question, revolves around Du Fu's "Six Quatrain Jokes," and brings up numerous issues in the literary history from the Qi and Liang dynasties to the early Tang dynasty. It provides a comprehensive examination and precise judgment on the comments of predecessors regarding corresponding faith and the Four Masters, making it a masterpiece of mutual verification between poetry and history. Historically, it has been said that "poetry has no definitive interpretation," yet it has become the best excuse for some to indulge in unfounded assertions. If "governing poetry" is merely a pretext for creative expression, then unfounded assertions would be acceptable. The more alarming issue is when "poetry has no definitive interpretation" spreads to "principle-based reasoning having no certain interpretation" and "history having no true knowledge," leading to unfounded assertions everywhere, almost becoming the trend of the times. Mr. Xu Fuguan, through his "self-acquired craftsmanship"—"the method of inductive research"—and his consistent academic spirit and methods of "pursuing experience," has produced numerous insights and research work that serve as a serious critique of the era's problems. The fifth part of this book is titled "Cultural Embrace," featuring seven articles, mostly discussing the relationship between Chinese and foreign cultures, particularly Sino-Japanese culture. The sixth part is "Prefaces and Annotations," featuring twelve short essays.