A Popular Explanation of Chinese Thought: The Qian Mu Works Series

Author: Qian Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book aims to point out the commonly used and widely prevalent concepts and terms in contemporary Chinese society—such as "reason," "life and destiny," "virtue," and "destiny." It traces the entire history of Chinese thought, progressing from the familiar to the profound, and explains the intrinsic meanings, evolution, and interconnectedness of these concepts and terms, thereby outlining a major framework of traditional Chinese thought.
—Preface to the Book Distinguished gentlemen, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to deliver a systematic lecture to you. My lecture will span four sessions, divided into four topics. Collectively, I propose a general title for it: Several Universal Themes in Chinese Thought. First, allow me to briefly elaborate on the meaning of the term "Chinese thought." When we speak of thought, it can refer to individual thought, such as Confucian thought or Wang Yangming's thought. It can also refer to collective thought, such as Chinese thought or Indian thought. The origins of human thought were originally universal. For example, when hungry, people desire food; when thirsty, they seek drink; and when cold, they wish to wear clothes. However, over time, thought diverged, such as the distinction between rice and wheat diets, with some people thinking about baking bread while others consider how to cook rice. Drinking habits also diverged, with some people contemplating how to make coffee while others focus on cultivating tea leaves. Clothing habits followed suit, with some people thinking about raising silkworms and weaving silk, while others consider how to raise sheep and weave wool. Human thought has thus evolved in such a divergent manner. What we discuss today is not about cooking rice or weaving silk, but rather about abstract concepts that still retain a degree of universality. "Chinese thought," then, is a subset within the broader universality of human thought. And when it comes to Confucian thought or Wang Yangming's thought, "Chinese thought" still represents a shared universality. When discussing thought, it is essential to pay attention to its coherence. In other words, thought must have a tradition. Thought of this era must have its roots, threads, and structure in the preceding era. Therefore, any thought that takes shape must have a historical dimension. When discussing thought, it is necessary to address the history of thought. Human behavior is guided by thought. Only because thought has a tradition and structure can human behavior continue coherently, maintaining continuity. This continuity of behavior is what we call a historical spirit. Historical spirit also has a universality, yet it must retain its inherent divergence. Such divergence gives rise to the distinctiveness of each culture in human history, or what we call specificity. Within each ethnic group, there are also the characteristics of different eras. In divergence, there is universality; in universality, there is divergence. "Chinese thought," then, seeks to extract its universality from the divergences in the thought of the Chinese people across different eras, thereby highlighting its differences from the thought of other ethnic groups. In any ethnic group, there must be certain universal thoughts that permeate through time, transcend eras, penetrate the depths of people's hearts, and universally influence all aspects of society, becoming a topic that is widely valued, believed, or explored, almost becoming a commonplace. We may, due to habitual familiarity and frequent use, overlook or even lose sight of the profound meaning behind these commonplaces. Yet it must be understood that they are the crystallization of a nation's universal thought, and only this thought is alive and powerful. All divergences in thought stem from this. Today, we live in a great era, an era of ideological struggle. We should be able to create new thought that meets the urgent needs of our time. To create new thought for our era, we must explore the traditional thought of history, for it is deeply embedded in the collective hearts of our people, even in the heart of each individual. It has shaped our history and has become an essential core of our lives. All our actions, often unconsciously, stem from this. How can we afford to ignore it? We should grasp the historical tradition of thought to create new thought for our era and fulfill its new mission. These four lectures will be based on the above perspective to discuss several universal themes in Chinese thought. These themes must be timeless, discussed by thinkers across all eras. They must also deeply permeate the hearts of ordinary people in contemporary society. Therefore, to discuss the history of thought is, in essence, to discuss modern thought, for it is deeply rooted in the hearts of modern people, possessing a profound vitality. Thus, it is something we cannot help but pay attention to, explore, and develop to meet the needs of our time and become new thought. Due to time constraints, I will only elaborate on this through four sessions as examples.