The study of Confucianism and Taoism focuses on life and has no intention of discussing beauty. His aesthetic thoughts all come from aesthetic philosophy of life. Therefore, to discuss the aesthetics of Confucianism and Taoism is to discuss its philosophy, that is, its view of life realm.
First, the theory of Confucius and Mencius is based on "benevolence", which is its ideal; Laozi and Zhuangzi's words take "Tao" as the principle and "body Tao" as the destination. There are many differences between the two schools. The former sages had the theory of governing the world and the body, and Yan Shi had the judgment of joining the WTO, both of which were based on statutes and nature. The difference of aesthetic spirit is nothing more than this. Gai first had the concept of life realm, and then had the theory of artistic aesthetics.
1, goodness and nature are in harmony.
Confucius talked about music, "Shao" and "perfection is also good." "Wu", "all beautiful, not all good" (The Analects of Confucius. Bashu), because Shao's master Yao Shun gave way with virtue, while Wu's master conquered by force. This theory of beauty, kindness and happiness stems from his benevolence thought. Benevolence is the fusion of internal emotion and external ethics, and the benevolence of internal and external diplomacy is the basis of "ceremony" and "music". Music rhyme, bell and drum cloud? " (The Analects of Confucius. Yang Huo) The spirit of benevolence focuses on artistic things, which not only delights people's eyes and ears and entertains humanity, but also inspires good conscience in a subtle way.
Ziyun: "Prosperity lies in poetry, courtesy lies in ceremony, and success lies in joy." (The Analects of Confucius. Taber) "Music" is the art of music, which has both the formal beauty of pleasant temperament and the loving beauty of emotional will. "Success" is spiritual intoxication and pure transcendence, reaching the realm of freedom 1 Confucius heard Shao Yuqi, but he didn't know the taste of meat in March. All his life, he obtained art and morality from music, and he was immersed in the unity of beauty and goodness. Siletao dyed the soul, felt the kindness, filled everyone's inherent conscience with body and mind, and consciously thought can be benevolent. Ziyun: "I want to be kind, I am so kind." (The Analects of Confucius. And ") another cloud:" For benevolence, by yourself, and by people? " (The Analects of Confucius. Yan Yuan) Sincere words!
Mencius said, "benevolence and righteousness please my heart, and benevolence and righteousness please my mouth." (Mencius. Shang) endowed "Benevolence" with aesthetic value for the first time in the aesthetic history of China. Taking goodness as beauty, beauty and goodness are unified. This kind of goodness is solid, brilliant and magnificent; This beauty is full of kindness and perfection. Beauty and goodness enjoy each other to the extreme. The Confucian aesthetics of later generations has been passed down for a long time, and there is nothing against this fundamental person.
Laozi and Zhuangzi's philosophy takes "Tao" as the Sect. There are seventy-three "Tao" in Tao Te Ching, which is based on the universe itself. Zhuangzi's book Tao has been read 320 times, and the realm of freedom is the most important. The way of Laozi and Zhuangzi comes down in one continuous line, and its differences are also judged as present. I would rather think about the infinite and eternal road if I think about it again. Zhuangzi reinvented, deviant people, comfortable and far away. Xu Shuo's method develops the system of cosmic philosophy through speculation, which has important metaphysical significance. Zhuang Zhou's Tao strives to realize the transcendental realm of life, and his artistic spirit is more obvious. 2. "Tao" is the metaphysical root of the universe, the door of all things and the mother of all things, so I tend to observe and think about this great source. "To the virtual pole, keep static Benedict, everything is born, let me observe. Everything in the world returns to its origin. In the final analysis, it is static, that is, restoring life and restoring life, and knowledge is always clear. " ("Lao tze. Chapter 16) Wait and see, trace back to the source, and you will know that you have always been harmonious and have no body. "Tao" is a life experience of Zhuangzi, so Zhuangzi is more willing to understand and practice this realm of life. From the outside world and foreign things, exogenous, detached, see independence, no ancient and modern, in order to "enter the realm of immortality" (Zhuangzi. Master), carefree and uncomfortable.
The moral realm reached by Confucius and Mencius is the realm of metaphysics and artistic freedom. Lao Dan abandoned beauty, "Five colors make people blind and five tones make people deaf" (Lao Tzu. Chapter 12), sound and color are sensual pleasures and pretentious distorted false beauty, and indulging in this is just a mess. "Great voices are heard, elephants are invisible" ("Lao Tzu. Chapter 41) can be invented by Zhuang Zhou's theory of no music.
Zhuang Zhou regarded inaction and vanity as the sum of heaven and earth, and thought that "heaven and earth have great beauty without saying anything" (Zhuangzi. Know the north tour ")," simple and the world is not beautiful "("Zhuangzi. "Heaven"), despising the beauty of the world, violating the truth, and wanting to "confuse the six laws, make a sound, plug your ears, and people in the world contain their wisdom." Destroy the article, scattered five mining, glue from the eye of Zhu, and the world began to contain it. ("Zhuangzi. Zhuang Zhou's illness is a secular and illusory disease, in order to preserve the truth, abandon the beauty of the senses and seek great beauty, but he is Ren Zhen, swaying and clinging, praying for a free realm of freedom.
Zhuang Zhou regards beauty as truth, delights in things, integrates subject and object, and views everything with artistic mind, thus achieving the perfection and freedom of life. His life theory and art theory are integrated, and the humanization of art is the artistry of life.
2. The beauty of full personality and freedom of life.
Confucianism emphasizes beauty and goodness, especially the richness and brilliance of moral personality, while Taoism emphasizes beauty and truth, especially the freedom of life.
Confucius said, "Quality is better than literature, literature is better than history, gentle, and then a gentleman." (The Analects of Confucius. Yong also ") text for education; Quality is moral quality. A gentleman is benevolent, harmonious in character, moderate in manners and pure and noble in moral character. Master regards wealth as a cloud, but Yan Hui does not change the joy of the golden mean lane, advances and retreats moderately, and his native place all reflect the beauty of full personality.
Mencius is good at cultivating "noble spirit" (Mencius Ugly day), full of body and mind, full of dry Kun, vast and incomparable. This situation is supreme, "wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and powerful people can't be bent" (Mencius. Teng Wengong "), is not enough to describe it. Mencius said on cultivation for the second time: "What you want is goodness, what you want is faith, what you enrich is beauty, what you enrich is greatness, what you magnify is holiness, and what you don't know is God." (Mencius. Zhu Xi explained the beauty of enrichment and said, "Practice its goodness. As for fullness and solidity, beauty lies in it, and there is nothing to ask for. "3. This kind of beauty absorbs goodness and virtue, but it goes beyond sublimation, fills in the inside, forms in the outside, and turns into a brave and vigorous spirit and a lofty and solemn atmosphere.
The beauty of life is natural for those who are valued by Laozi and Zhuangzi. I admire the nature of babies and try to keep a childlike innocence. He said: "Everyone is bustling. If you enjoy too many prisons, you will go on stage like spring. I am alone, like an unborn child. " ("Lao tze. Chapter 20) and: "Changde never leaves, and it belongs to the baby." ("Lao Zi". Chapter 28): "Changde is thicker than Zi." ("Lao tze. Chapter 55 "). 5000 words of praise for the baby abound. However, Lao Dan's praise for the baby is not really based on his confused and ignorant mental state, but on the indescribable realm of heaven and earth, so he has to speak out forcefully and take the baby as a metaphor.
Zhuangzi's outlook on life and art are based on nature, rejecting worldly pretensions and protecting life's Chang Ran. "Chang Ran, benders don't need hooks, straighters don't need ropes, rounders don't need rulers, squares don't need moments, appenders don't need glue paint, and restrainers don't need ropes." ("Zhuangzi". Thumb ") naturally, dispel the stumbling, hold high and sway, and integrate with the avenue. Therefore, the pheasant does not seek livestock in the fence, and the horse does not seek to stand on the righteous platform. Although the tibia is short, it will be worrying to continue; Although the crane's shin is long, it is sad when it is broken "(ibid.). How can a free, lively and energetic person be hindered by artificial constraints? Therefore, he is good at understanding cows, because of his course, "the dance of mulberry trees is the first meeting" (Zhuangzi. Health advocate "); Painting history and painting, gorgeous clothes, "Jun does not move", but does not stand (Zhuangzi. Tian Zifang); Roll for food, like a tree, "no matter how ambitious, it is condensed in God" (Zhuangzi. Sheng Da "); Zi Qing forgot his limbs when logging, which means "meditation" and "harmony between man and nature" (ibid.). All of them are physical and mental, and things are different, creating a free and harmonious environment.
To sum up, turning free life into the universe is the supreme truth.
3. The beauty of neutralization and the beauty of heaven and earth
Confucianism and Taoism have different connotations, tendencies and purport, and their evaluation standards are also different. Confucius' etiquette theory is based on "harmony". "The doctrine of the mean is also a virtue, which is extremely difficult" (The Analects of Confucius). Harmony), it is necessary to unify the differences of opposites, but also to be harmonious and balanced, so as to have the beauty of fairness, justice and perfection "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "The joys and sorrows are in the middle; All are posted in the festival, which is and. " Zhu Xi explained: "Happiness, anger, sadness, joy and affection. If it doesn't happen, it is not biased, so it is called middle school. The hair is all in the festival, the feelings are right, and there is nothing awkward, so it is called harmony. " 4 Speaking by temperament is the golden mean, and speaking by virtue is the golden mean. The doctrine of the mean is the fundamental principle of ethics, and neutralization is the highest standard of aesthetics. Confucius "combines rigidity with softness, is strong but not fierce, and is respectful and safe" (The Analects of Confucius. The personality of "Shu Er" is the complete achievement of the golden mean and the highest virtue, while "Guan Sui" is "happy without lewdness, sad without injury" (The Analects of Confucius. Bashu art is the perfect embodiment of neutralization and great beauty. Both "neutralization" and "golden mean" are based on the principle of no mistakes and adhere to the principles of loyalty, harmony and harmony.
Confucian aesthetics regulates emotional activities with moral standards and moderately eliminates contradictions and conflicts. Taoist aesthetics is named "Harmony with Heaven and Earth" because it aims to get rid of mandatory norms, pursue natural inaction and freedom, and make nature freely realized (Zhuangzi. Heaven "), Ren Zhen and travel all things in the world," harmony is precious, floating in the ancestor of all things "("Zhuangzi. Mountain wood "). The beauty of this world is both transcendental and intrinsic. Zhou Pu is all-inclusive and sincere in the beauty of heaven and earth. From this great beauty, later generations have divided two veins, one is flat harmony and the other is vertical harmony. The former is lighter than the latter, and the former is introverted and the latter is extroverted.
There are many differences in aesthetics between Confucianism and Taoism. Others, such as the aesthetic consciousness that emphasizes the difference between internal laws and external constraints, the aesthetic attitude that emphasizes the difference between educational function and transcending utilitarianism, and the difference between the beauty of yin and yang, rigidity and softness, virtual reality and dynamic and static, will not be elaborated here.
Second, Confucianism and Taoism complement each other, and the two aesthetics can also be interlinked. The two main streams of China's aesthetics are the same but different, and they are the same but different, so we can't judge each other by their weight. Therefore, sticking to your own name is tantamount to being born in vain; What is the difference between Confucianism and Taoism if you have poor research on the inside story?
1. Aesthetic essence: spiritual observation
Confucianism and Taoism aesthetics in the pre-Qin period had humanistic aesthetics. Looking at things means looking at me. You can understand by looking at the situation. When God goes with things and takes things to the heart, the heart and things are tolerant of each other, and love is like giving, and joy is like answering (Wen Xin Diao Long). Looking for "). Traditional aesthetics is characterized by appreciation of personality spirit and life feelings. This is the same in Confucianism and Taoism aesthetics.
Confucius said, "Cold tells the decline of pine and cypress." (The Analects of Confucius. Zi Han ") praised the constancy of Ao Shuang pine and cypress, worthy of being self-righteous. Zhu Zishi explained that "the knower enjoys water, and the benevolent enjoys Leshan" (The Analects of Confucius)) said: "The knower reaches and therefore does not stay in the flow around him, which is similar to water, so he enjoys water; The benevolent is content with benevolence and kindness, like a mountain, so Leshan. "6 the wisdom of the knower turns, like water lumens, jumping endlessly; Benevolent people are kind, like mountains, endless. So the master used mountains and rivers as a metaphor for his sense of nature. Mencius also draws water day and night, inexhaustible, which means that a gentleman's virtue is lofty and knowledgeable (Mencius. Li Lou "). Confucius and Mencius' "Bide" all pour the spirit of personality into things, and things blend with me, which opens up the moral spirit and artistic realm in the process of being cultivated.
In connection with Confucianism's "Nature of Taoism", Taoism specializes in "Nature of Taoism", which is the nature under the subject spirit and has been deeply immersed in the subject's will and ideal. Old friends know that Lao Tzu is unkind to heaven and earth. Zhuang five chapters "), the beauty of the four seasons Ming Fa heaven and earth ("Zhuangzi. Traveling north), with its ideal personality, endows everything in the world, and the nature of heaven is subjective. It wants to standardize human nature, correct hypocrisy, and let people abide by and serve the law without breaking the law. Its principle is the same as that of Confucius and Mencius. Reflected in aesthetic thoughts, they are all aesthetic photos of their ideal personality, while the external form is appreciation of the world and the world.
Qian Zhongshu said: "When you visit the scenery, you will see me. If I have something, my body is different." The relationship between things and me has not disappeared, but it has been contracted. Things are still outside me, so I can appreciate them; Love is contracted, so things like my heart can be integrated with it. "A few words tell the essence of China's traditional aesthetic spirit. Although the form is different but interesting, the meaning is the same, which reveals the key to the integration of Confucianism and Taoism aesthetics.
2. Aesthetic way: In the aesthetic process of intuitive perception, the aesthetic way of toilet subject is not intuitive perception. Mencius took the eyes as a metaphor and talked about the relationship between spirit and form. "Those who exist in people's eyes are not beautiful. Eyes can't hide their evil. If the chest is right, the eyes will be awkward. If the chest is not straight, the eyes will be awkward. " (Mencius. Li Lou) exists in the middle and forms in the outside. Beauty, ugliness and evil are all positive. You can see at a glance that this instinct can't be grasped. Art appreciation is "against one's will" (Mencius. Zhang Wan), moral cultivation with intellectual knowledge, its method is intuitive.
To such as Zhuangzi's theory of nature (Zhuangzi. The theory of everything), Lao Tzu's theory of loud images (Lao Tzu. Chapter 41), it is not only an intuitive understanding, but also an inner experience. Lao Tzu's cloud "purges XuanJian" ("Lao Tzu. Ten chapters), some commentators interpret it as "clearing away distractions, getting rid of delusions and returning to inner self-reflection". Lao Tzu said that saints don't know if they don't look (Lao Tzu. Chapter 17) is also a proof of emphasizing inner intuition and introspection. Zhuangzi's "fasting heart" is even more so. "Listen attentively without ears, and listen attentively without ears. ..... gas also, empty and treat things also. Only the Tao is empty, and the empty one is also fasting. "("Zhuangzi. Xu believes that "forgetting the decomposed and conceptual knowledge activities, the rest are empty and waiting for things, that is, pure perceptual activities with eyes and ears open, that is, beautiful observation." This intuitive grasp of the realm is like looking in the mirror, not welcoming guests, lonely and vivid. Zhuangzi said: "The sage is calm, the mirror of heaven and earth, the mirror of everything." ("Zhuangzi. Heaven "). You must look at everything with an ethereal spirit like a mirror, so that you can understand everything in the world and see through the roots of the universe.
Zhuangzi also used Confucius to explain his point of view, "If your wife is a witness, you should not lower your voice" (Zhuangzi. Tian Zifang), intuitively understand his spiritual bearing and life realm, and intuitively grasp the true meaning without using language tools and rational speculation. In Zhuangzi, such examples abound, and it is difficult to list them one by one. Zhuang Zhou watches fish and enjoys fish; My technology is close to Tao. Others, such as chopping wood and spinning wheels in Purple Blue, are all above secularity and utility, above logic and cognition, between body and materialization, between mind and Tao, and die of selflessness and beyond the free realm of all things.
3. Harmony between man and nature. The aesthetic experience of Confucianism and Taoism is different in connotation and effort. Confucianism values moral personality, while Taoism values life spirit; Before Confucianism realized it, self-denial returned to benevolence and righteousness; Taoism is empty and quiet, forgetting myself and losing me, and leaving with Dahua. However, the two schools have no intention to unify, and both have created the realm of harmony between man and nature, that is, "the world is unified but different, and it is consistent and worrying" (Yi. The copula is handed down from generation to generation ").
Confucius said in the realm of self-cultivation: "Be determined to learn five out of ten, stand at thirty, not be confused at forty, know the destiny at fifty, listen at sixty, and walk at seventy, without exceeding the rules." (The Analects of Confucius. For politics, the commentator explained that knowing the destiny is the realm of knowing the truth of all things, listening to the ear is the realm of intuitively grasping the aesthetic realm of the universe, and the realm of perfection and beauty is not exceeding the moment and seeking beauty for the sake of knowing the truth. Confucius won the hearts of the universe from truth to goodness. He praised Gankun Xiu De, whose weather is like heaven and earth. Mencius' mind is awe-inspiring, such as the big dipper on Mount Tai, whose "everything is changed, everything is saved, and it rises and falls with the world" (Mencius. Dedicated "). "An adult is in harmony with heaven and earth, with the sun and the moon, with the four seasons, and with ghosts and gods. Congenital unnatural, the day after tomorrow. " ("Easy. Fuck. Classical Chinese), this great character of advancing despite difficulties and constantly striving for self-improvement is the highest realm of Confucianism, which is inseparable from life in daily life and transcends reality.
Laozi "is engaged in Tao and is in Tao" (Laozi. Chapter 23), although its philosophical consciousness is also the acme of its aesthetic point of view. Zhuangzi discussed many things here, and he had a deep understanding. The most comprehensive and clear explanation is the chapter of "Happy Travel". Those who are in harmony with Tao are evil, "take the meaning of heaven and earth, resist the discrimination of six qi, and swim endlessly." This kind of "carefree travel" is the life realm of the unity of man and nature. Chuanshan explained this passage in this way: "The sky is high, and the upper ones don't worry about their movements, and the lower ones don't worry about their sweat, and they tolerate everything without contradicting their harm ... In order to learn from pigeons, there is a small surplus, but it is not small. "For Kun and Peng, it is big and appropriate, not big. It is not easy to swim without swimming. "Elaboration of precise and meticulous, is really a bosom friend. Zhuang Zhou's dream butterfly is also lifelike and becomes a butterfly. I don't know if Zhou is a butterfly or a butterfly, not a butterfly, but also a butterfly. There is no need to be persistent. Zhuang traveled all over the Haojiang River and enjoyed watching fish. How did Zhuangzi know? Because of its self-forgetfulness, it has been materialized and knowledge has been abandoned, but people who are enlightened at present have forgotten the mystery of Tao. Zhuang Zhou's intuitive observation of the disappearance of all forms and the blending of subject and object, from his own heart to his own heart, is closely linked and directly related to the truth, and finally "heaven and earth coexist with me, and everything is one with me" (Zhuangzi. The highest state of matter theory.
The lofty moral realm of Confucius and Mencius and the transcendental freedom realm of Laozi and Zhuangzi are rooted in their spiritual philosophy, and they are interlinked and integrated in the realm of praising heaven and earth and practicing. What is the joy of Kong Yanqiong Lane? How's it going? Not exactly. Cheng Yi said, "What about making swallows happy and pottery? Not Stefanie. " ("Henan Shicheng Cui Yan", Volume 2) Taking Tao as fun, music and Tao are still broken into two sections; Music is Tao, and music is in harmony with Tao. Follow the logic, you will be happy wherever you touch it, and you will be happy when you reach the extreme. This is related to Zhuang Zhou's theory and invention. Xu said that Zhuang Zhou and things are the realm of spring, which stems from the benevolence of his whole personality. In fact, it is the natural integration and mutual absorption of the highest artistic spirit and the highest moral spirit, which can be described as a probe into the original theory. The ways of the two schools are different, but they must be realized in the practice of life in order to reach the artistic realm of life, which is the same for the two schools.
In fact, Confucius and Mencius, Laozi and Zhuangzi, Confucianism and Taoism can all be integrated with China's 5,000-year-old culture, and can all be integrated into the experience life and spiritual understanding. Xu said that Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and Zhuangzi all paid attention to life, but were not interested in art, and their artistic spirit flowed from their great and free personalities.
Confucianism and Taoism aesthetics originated from its philosophy of life and was finally put into practice. The questioning of philosophy and the testimony of life are both integrated by the artistic spirit of life. Fate and life, awareness and piety, heart and things are all included in it, and there are countless. Xiong Shili said that China's philosophy "only observes the whole universe, combines the essence of the universe, runs through it from beginning to end, connects all points, combines inside and outside, leaves the other and reaches a harmonious realm." Fang Dongmei even thinks that Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are convergent, and they are all committed to fully appreciate the rich connotation of the whole universe in the whole life experience. Establish sincere and respectful benevolence, express infinite sadness, and be willing to be free and true, no different; Art life and the art of human biochemistry are also primitive. Chaos and harmony are the best states of China's aesthetics, spiritual philosophy and even his understanding of life.