The development of Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty has its own characteristics. From the rejection of Confucianism in modern times to the establishment of Confucian classics, and then to the rise of ancient Confucian classics, it merged with ancient classics and then gradually declined. One is due to political changes, and the other is influenced by internal academic laws. Therefore, there are great differences in Confucian classics in Han Dynasty. Generally speaking, there are several differences:
The Western Han Dynasty emphasized modern prose, while the Eastern Han Dynasty emphasized ancient prose.
The distinction between modern and ancient Confucian classics stems from different characters. At that time, the modern prose refers to the popular official script, and the ancient prose refers to the ancient prose in the pre-Qin period. Scholars in the Western Han Dynasty are all Confucian classics in modern times, and there is no problem with Confucian classics in modern times. It was not until Liu Xin advocated classical Chinese classics, transferred Dr. Tai Chang's books, and established doctors such as Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals that there was a debate about ancient and modern Confucian classics. The texts of ancient and modern classics are only different in words. Later, even the interpretation of classics is quite different. Therefore, in Similarities and Differences of the Five Classics, Xu Shen divided the Five Classics into ancient and modern classics to study. Moreover, due to the differences in family law and learning law between the classic and the classical, their views are also far apart. Liao Ping's Textual Research on Ancient Learning concluded: "Today Confucius is the ancestor of learning and the master of Wang Zhi"; Duke Zhou, an ancient ancestor, was the master of Zhou Li. Modern learning is the theory of Confucius in his later years, and ancient learning is the theory of Confucius in his prime. Modern learning is a Confucian school, while ancient learning is a historical school. Learn from today's Qilu and ancient Zhao Yan. Today's learning is specialized, and ancient learning is different. " These differences later developed into disputes and even into impulsive feelings. Ancient writers denounced Confucian classics as "groundless", while today's writers denounced Confucian classics as "nothing but a name on the wall". Attacked each other for a long time.
Today's writing is still slightly upright, and there are many chapters and sentences in ancient Chinese.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Confucian classics emphasized subtle words and great righteousness, emphasizing practical application. For example, Yu Gong was used to govern the river, Hong Fan was used to observe changes, the Spring and Autumn Period was used to sentence prisoners, and the Book of Songs was used to admonish. Once the Confucian classics are processed, political viewpoints and methods that can be used in the contemporary world will be discovered. Most teachers of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty devoted themselves to exegesis of chapters and sentences, and many masters of Confucian classics were also exegetics masters. Xu Shen, Ma Rong and Zheng Xuan all reached the peak in the exegetical study of Confucian classics. Later generations called the study of famous things and exegetics sinology because the achievements of Confucian classics in exegetics in the Eastern Han Dynasty were unique in academic research in previous dynasties.
Jia Kui (30- 10 1), a native of Fufeng Pingling (now Xianyang, Shaanxi), was a Confucian scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was known as the "Confucian scholar".
Scholars in the Western Han Dynasty are more committed to classics, while scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty are more knowledgeable.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, due to the early prosperity of Confucian classics, its popularity was not wide, and the excavation of multiple meanings of Confucian classics, the general Confucian classics were only devoted to one time and rarely communicated at the same time. For example, Shen Pei is proficient in The Book of Songs and The Spring and Autumn Annals, while Han Ying's The Book of Songs and The Book of Changes are few. Only Xiahou Shichang can read the Five Classics through.
However, Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty were not, and there were many people who were proficient in Confucian classics. For example, Yin Minxi studied Ouyang Shangshu and was good at Shi Mao, Gu Liang and Zuo Shi. Jing Luan was able to do the same thing, but also learned the lessons of Heluo Titan and wrote "On Internal and External Rites". Xu Shen's five classics are unparalleled; He Xiu studied the Six Classics; Jia Kui, Ma Rong and Zheng Xuan were all familiar with the Group Classics, especially Ma Rong's familiarity with the Eleven Classics, which was rarely compared with later Confucianism. This ethos of studying Confucian classics is also a major feature of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
He Xiu (129-182), a native of Rencheng (now Jining, Shandong Province), was a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and wrote The Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram, with annotations such as The Analects of Confucius and The Book of Filial Piety.
The Western Han Dynasty said that classics were simple, while the Eastern Han Dynasty said that classics were complex.
Most of the western Han philosophers' theories stopped at one or two articles, while the eastern Han Confucian classics interpretation was extremely complicated. Ma Zonghuo's History of Confucian Classics in China said: "In the Eastern Han Dynasty, I learned the Book of Changes and wrote 300,000 words ... Zhu Pu wrote 400,000 words of Ouyang Shangshu Zhang Sentence ... Mou's Shangshu Zhang Sentence had 450,000 words, but Zhang Huan cut it to 90,000 words because of its numerous floating words. Fu Gongzhi's Strange Stone is rich in chapters and sentences, but it is a simple and floating word, which is set at 200,000 words. Zhang Ba accepted "Ram Spring and Autumn" and deleted "Spring and Autumn", but it was reduced to 200,000 words. " Scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty said that although there are many classics, they are numerous and useless. Han Shu once said: "The ancient scholars cultivated their self-cultivation, learned a skill in three years, and kept their main idea, just playing with classics, so they used less time to accumulate virtue and gained five classics in thirty." Because the classics of later generations have been surly, scholars ran away without thinking much about the meaning of doubt, so they used words skillfully and destroyed the form, saying five words for 20 thousand to 30 thousand words. Therefore, children keep an art, and then they can grow old together. They are content with what they have learned, destroy what they have not seen, and finally cover themselves up. This scholar is also a catastrophe. "Although this is the saying in Hanshu, it also applies to the disadvantages of scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Xu Gan's Annals of Zhong Lun also criticized the scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "I despise the erudition of Confucianism, which is also famous for its equipment, which is too detailed in exegesis, but can't unify its righteousness to win the heart of the former king." This is not unusual for women to recite poems vertically, so scholars have to spend a long time thinking without knowing it. "
Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty was proud of being rich, while Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty was the most prophetic.
The doctor of Confucian classics established in the Western Han Dynasty played a great role in the prosperity of Confucian classics, and the court's practice of attracting intellectuals with fortune was very successful. "History of the Scholars" said: "Since Liang Wudi established a doctor of the Five Classics, set up a disciple, set up a shooting strategy, and advised Guan Lu ... there are more than a thousand masters, and the road to Gree Lu is natural." Yan Shigu also believes: "It is advisable to persuade the scholars to speak and benefit from their salaries." Through classics, you can get high officials and high officials, and Gong, Huan Rong and others made their fortune through classics. After the Western Han Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, there were even more "officials" (the history of Confucian classics). Therefore, there is a saying in the world that "it is better to leave a child full of gold once."
The wind of divination was the most serious in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even scholars Rong and Zheng Xuan were keen on divination. Liu Shenshu's "On the Development of Chinese Studies" said: "Since Hanwu demonstrated the Six Classics, hundreds of schools were ousted, and the next family was the only way to get rich, and the last family was held hostage. ..... And Guangwu was ordered by Fuxi, ... So it is slightly derogatory to treat divination as a secret sutra and award it as a merit order, that is, Fu Feisheng cannot be punished. Indulge in one or two rough Confucianism, adorn classics, miscellaneous divination and flattery. Although he, Zheng Zhilun and addicted to it, it was a prosperous era of academic research in the Eastern Han Dynasty. "
Huan Tan (about 24-56 BC), a native of Pei Guoxiang (now Suixi, Anhui), was a philosopher and scholar at the end of the Western Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
After 400 years of development, the study of Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty reached its peak at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and experienced the dispute between modern and ancient Chinese and Qilu. Influenced by many factors, such as yin and yang, five elements, divination and political chaos, many factions have been formed, but the overall direction of Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty is still basically the same, that is, Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty are mainly based on exegesis of chapters and sentences and advocate Confucian classics.