Knowing Some Chinese Philosophy (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Tian Xiaofei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The Duke of Zhou was a statesman and thinker in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. He can be considered one of the earliest philosophers in ancient China, and some revered him as a great sage of the slave society. Later, Confucianism became the main branch of ancient Chinese thought and an important part of traditional Chinese culture. The Duke of Zhou was known as the ancestor of the Confucian tradition. In philosophy, it is said that he wrote the hexagram terms for 384 lines of the 64 hexagrams in the Book of Changes. It is believed that the period of Yao, Shun, Yu, and the three dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou was the time of the emergence of ancient Chinese philosophy. The Duke of Zhou summarized and advanced it, reaching the highest level achievable at that time.
A group of young scholars from the Department of History and the Department of Chinese at Peking University compiled a series of "Know a Little" books and invited me to write the preface. I was curious about the name of the series. Upon inquiry, I understood their intention and decided to write it., each book in the series is titled with "Know a Little" at the beginning, such as Know a Little Chinese History, Know a Little Chinese Culture, and Know a Little World Culture. The scope of the series seems grand, yet the focus is humble, reflecting the playful spirit of the young scholars. The cultures of the world are like a vast mountain range. We should not timidly avoid them due to their towering heights or assume we have mastered them after a brief glance. What we can do is respectfully gaze from the foot of the mountain, eagerly inquire at the trailhead, and, in simple terms, "know a little."
First, not knowing is a pity. A mere five-foot body, without the cultural peaks as its backdrop, is merely a lifeless, ignorant, and mediocre existence. People communicate with the outside world at different levels through culture and prove who they are through it. Even those with limited education feel a sense of honor or shame about it. I remember last year, China Central Television hosted a national live broadcast talent competition for young artists, including a section on literary and historical knowledge. The results were unexpected—the billions of viewers paid far more attention to this part than to the main competition. The audiences across the country were not concerned about their provincial contestants' failures in artistic skills but were unable to tolerate their inability to answer the literary and historical questions. This shows that even today, many Chinese people still seek their dignity and group dignity through culture, which is excellent.
However, the immediate follow-up question is to guard against people's obsession with literary and historical knowledge. Obsession may seem profound, but in reality, it is a disaster manufactured in the name of culture. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, a group of famous figures in China made a living by luring others into obsession, which was highly immoral. Therefore, it is necessary to mark some clear paths among the cultural peaks and lay some buoys and cables in the vast sea of history, so that people can appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers without being overwhelmed. This practice, expressed in colloquial terms, is to "know a little." "Know a little" does not mean lowering standards but raising them. Just as the path setter must know the mountain better than a casual visitor and the cable layman must be more familiar with the sea than a casual swimmer, they must also be more knowledgeable, more familiar, and more humane, with a stronger sense of cultural responsibility. In this sense, I believe that the young scholars at Peking University who compiled this "Know a Little" series are engaged in a valuable endeavor.
Citizens in the new century cannot entirely abandon the cultural and historical background created by humanity in the past, yet they must not let the past creations hinder today's creations. Therefore, there should be more path setters and cable laymen. Only in this way can the magnificent historical culture truly become the heritage of the new century.