Reason:
1, forbearance and Sima Qian's Taoist thought
Sima Qian angered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty by protecting Li Ling, and suffered from corruption. Sima Qian was virtuous and attached great importance to honor. What belief did Sima Qian hold in completing Historical Records?
Laozi once said: "Defeat its sharpness, solve its disputes, and its light, and its dust." It means: don't be sharp-edged and get rid of disputes; It contains brilliance and dirt. I said the above words twice in Laozi, once in Chapter 4 and once in Chapter 56. Laozi repeatedly emphasized "harmony between light and dust" in his book, which shows that he attaches importance to this idea. Laozi first used this idea to explain the characteristics of Tao. He said: "Tao is blunt, but it is unprofitable to use it for a long time." The Tao is empty, so it can be used for a long time without overflowing. It is an eternal truth that the weakness of Tao is caused by the erroneous introduction of Tao. Weakness can last for a long time, strength can be quickly forgotten, and weakness can overcome strength. If people want to be invincible, they must follow this common sense, converge their abilities, confuse themselves with dirt, and put themselves in a weak position. In addition, Lao Tzu advocated "harmony with light" from the perspective of removing wisdom and falsehood. Laozi believes that intellectual debate is the cause of repeated disputes, so he advocates moving from wisdom to knowledge. True knowledge is the inner experience of the Tao, not from the outside. Based on this idea, Lao Tzu asked people to close their doors to the outside world and put an end to foreign interference. "Harmony without difference" is the same as "Tao" in order to achieve the goal of not being expensive for the world, but being expensive for the world. In the ideological struggle between life and death, it is precisely because of this Taoist theory that "weakness can last forever" that Sima Qian has the courage to live-even in the face of contempt and incomprehension from all over the world. You know, it was easy for the ancients to choose the road of death. Laozi once said: "Dare to kill; Dare, live. " The profound accumulation of Taoist culture in Sima Qian's mind made him choose "harmony but difference" in the face of the power of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. This embodies the essence of Taoism, and history also proves that Historical Records has become a treasure handed down from generation to generation, but Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty died of his power.
2. The origin of Taoism and Sima Qian's Taoist thought.
Sima Tan, the father of Sima Qian, "studied Tianguan in the Tang Dynasty, collected the Yijing in Yanghe, and taught himself Taoism in Huang." He is an expert in Taoism and strongly advocates that Taoism is compatible with hundreds of schools. He said at the beginning of the article "On the Essentials of Six Classics": "The Book of Changes":' The world is consistent and eclectic, and all roads lead to the same goal. "Husband, Yin and Yang, Confucianism and Mohism, fame, law and morality, this matter is also for governance. Straight from the words and different ways, there are provinces and ears. "
Therefore, Sima Qian was educated and influenced by Taoism, and Taoist thought played a very important role in Sima Qian's mental journey and growth path. Historical Records not only contains the essence of the Six Classics, but also gives high praise to Huang Lao's thoughts throughout the book. Third, the purpose of writing books and Sima Qian's Taoist thought. In the book "Bao Ren Shu An", he said that the purpose of the book is "to study the relationship between heaven and man, to understand the changes of ancient and modern times, and to get married." In the preface to Taishi Gong, it is also mentioned that "it is a common saying to pick up and supplement." From this theme, we can get a glimpse of his Taoist thought. The idea of "studying the relationship between man and nature and linking the changes of ancient and modern times" is to explore the causes of historical changes of ancient and modern times and find out the truth of the success or failure of dynasties. This constitutes the core content of Sima Qian's historical theory, mainly inheriting and developing Laozi's dialectical view.