Starting from Zhang Zai's "Taixu is Qi", the concept of Qi appeared in Neo-Confucianism.
However, Zhang Zai's theory was not recognized by later generations, but instead attracted criticism.
This is also something missing in the development of traditional Chinese philosophy, that is, inheritance.
Western philosophy has a clear line in its development process.
The predecessors raised a problem, and the descendants were responsible for solving the problem.
This method has lasted for thousands of years, and the "what-so-what conjecture" often seen in the mathematical world in later generations is a manifestation of it.
In the development process of Confucian thought, what later generations often did was to refute the thoughts of their predecessors and then propose new ideas.
As a result, various ideas emerge in an endless stream, influencing each other but not integrating, making each idea fragmented and difficult to form a system.
After Zhang Zai, Er Cheng criticized his "Taixu is Qi".
[Heaven and earth have an inside and outside. To say that outside of heaven and earth means not knowing heaven and earth. People are in heaven and earth like fish in water. They don’t know that there is water. They don’t know that they can’t move until they come out of the water. If you establish the Great Qingxu as the source of all things, you may not be safe.
, it must be both clear, turbid, empty and real to be able to speak of the spirit, and the Tao, body and matter should not be left behind, and there should be no way to do it.】
It was criticized, but not thoroughly criticized.
As a result, the concept of "qi" was still inherited by Neo-Confucianism, but because it was not perfect enough, it became a brick that was moved wherever it was needed.
When Huang Zongxi asked what Tao was, Zhang Cai couldn't give an explanation, so he introduced Zhang Zai's concept that Tao is Qi.
Of course, this could not convince Huang Zongxi, and he asked what is Qi?
All Zhang Cai's efforts are focused on the meaning of classics. To explain these issues, he naturally needs the support of classics.
He still appropriated Zhang Zai's theory.
"Qi is the source of the growth of all things, and Tao is the root of the growth of all things. Therefore, the only great way in the world is Qi and principle."
Huang Zongxi was very serious and followed closely.
"What is this Qi like? What is this Tao like? Why is Qi the source of growth of all things and Tao is the root of growth of all things?"
What Zhang Cai states is the form of things, while Huang Zongxi pursues the essence of things.
Even Zuo Mengeng didn't know that Huang Zongxi's philosophical ideas had begun to move closer to Hegel's "essentialism".
And his question is tantamount to directly questioning the rationality of Neo-Confucianism.
The theoretical system of "Tao", "Li" and "Qi" established by Neo-Confucianism has been deeply rooted in people's hearts after hundreds of years of development, but Huang Zongxi's purpose is to let Neo-Confucianists explain the essence of these three.
You can't say that Qi is the source of the growth of all things and Tao is the foundation of the growth of all things. That must be the case, right?
Although from the perspective of natural science, this statement is actually not wrong, Huang Zongxi wanted Neo-Confucianism to come up with arguments to explain it.
Can Zhang Cai take it out?
Without scientific support, of course he couldn't come up with it.
Being manipulated by Huang Zongxi and unable to find a way to break the situation, Zhang Cai felt a little weak.
"This is the wisdom of the sages and is followed by everyone. How can Brother Huang not know about it?"
This is about using authority to suppress doubts.
How could Huang Zongxi be afraid of this? He took a step forward and raised his voice loudly.
"Mr. Nan Guo thinks about himself, so why should he blame the ancients? Times have changed and the world has changed. Today's situation is already different from that in ancient times. Everything should be done according to the ancient ideas. Don't you know that it is foolish to rely on trees to fish for fish?"
As soon as these words came out, the scene immediately exploded.
Luo Congyu couldn't help but shouted: "Bold!"
Zheng Sanjun was in a panic, looking around, wanting to leave immediately.
The rest of the people who criticized Huang Zongxi were even more numerous.
In the eyes of these people, questioning the sages is undoubtedly a grave sin.
The public sentiment was raging, but Huang Zongxi was content and fearless, pointing coldly at thousands of people.
"Shao Kangjie (Shao Yong) refuted Zhou Lianxi (Zhou Dunyi)'s theory that 'Tao is one', and Ercheng's theory of 'Tao is one without leaving out the body and things, and there should be no prescription'. Zhu Xi's 'Li Qi is one' is finally achieved. You respect it.
The forefathers all had the courage to question and bring forth the new, but today you are foolishly clinging to the old principles, going against the current situation, not thinking about making progress, harming yourself and others, and bringing disaster to the world."
This time the scolding was harsh.
It directly threw Zhang Cai and others into the ranks of being conservative, and even said that they violated the purpose of the sages.
Shao Yong questioned Zhou Dun's theory that Yicheng became a family, then Er Cheng questioned Shao Yong further, and Zhu Xi improved Neo-Confucianism on the basis of Er Cheng.
It can be said that the later achievements of Neo-Confucianism are due to the courage of the great sages of the previous generations to argue and innovate.
Nowadays, Zhang Cai and others can only dig through the old papers and blindly respect the words of the sages without considering the current situation. Naturally, they were scolded by Huang Zongxi.
Everyone in Nanjing was furious, but they couldn't say a word.
How to refute?
The deeds of the sages of Neo-Confucianism are well known to the world, and Huang Zongxi refuted them, as the saying goes, use his spear to attack his shield.
No matter how I argue, I end up criticizing myself.
Zhang Cai secretly resented that if he had known what happened, he would not have been in such a hurry to engage in this debate. When Zhang Pu comes back, with the combined efforts of the two of them, perhaps he will not be so passive.
However, Zhang Puyuan was in the capital at this time and had not yet come out of the freshness of his first involvement in officialdom, so he could only support it alone.
Zhang Cai has given numerous lectures and has seen countless scenes, but he is also somewhat quick-witted.
"Then in Brother Huang's opinion, what is Qi?"
This is also to use his spear to attack his shield.
Zhang Cai didn't believe it. He had studied Confucianism for decades and found nothing. How could Huang Zongxi, a young man, clearly explain what qi was?
Since you can't explain clearly, your doubt is not valid. On the contrary, the theory of qi of Neo-Confucianism will become orthodox again.
Unfortunately, he was asking Huang Zongxi.
If he had asked Liu Zongzhou, he might still have achieved results.
It is true that Liu Zongzhou was a great master, but in the end he was still a traditional scholar who only focused on learning.
However, Huang Zongxi was deeply influenced by Zuo Menggeng, and he was always diligent in learning new knowledge.
But he also has a solid foundation in Confucianism. He can be said to have practiced both Confucianism and science, covering everything.
"There are two types of Qi. One is integrity. I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring Qi, and that is how it is. People in the world read books, sharpen their minds, get rid of cowardice, greed, and sin in their hearts, shape their bodies with integrity, and eventually become gentlemen..."
This explanation was not surprising to anyone present. It is not unusual for almost everyone to be able to make this explanation.
But the other thing Huang Zongxi said was beyond their ability to understand.
"The other type of Qi is natural Qi, which exists around us all the time and is necessary for the survival of all living things."
Everyone was shocked and confused, and kept looking around, but apart from feeling the breeze blowing, they couldn't see the Qi that Huang Zongxi was talking about.
"Brother Huang said that Qi will be around us, but who has seen it before? It is difficult to deceive the world by making arrogant words."
When Li Wen spoke out, she would have just said that Huang Zongxi was a liar.
Huang Zongxi didn't feel dissatisfied and just said: "Brother Li, if you don't believe it, just cover your mouth and nose with your hands and see what happens."
Li Wen was hesitant and actually gave it a try. Not only him, many people also tried it quietly.
Needless to say, the result was that within just twenty breaths, Li Wen and others were so suffocated that they almost fainted. They quickly let go of their hands and gasped for air.
Looking at their embarrassment, Huang Zongxi smiled and said: "Brother Li, when he was breathing, did he ever feel the cool breath entering his body? This breath is Qi. In Shandong, we call it air. Once the mouth and nose are isolated, it will
If you can't breathe, you will suffocate and die. Therefore, air is closely related to our lives and cannot be ignored."
Everyone seemed quiet on the surface, but in fact they kept breathing and feeling the presence of the air.
I have never thought that such an ordinary behavior actually contains the avenue of "qi".
"In addition to the air we can feel when we breathe, the wind we see every day is actually caused by the flow of air. And this air is not single, there are several types. The specific number of types is currently unknown. I believe that in time, there will be
Able to clear up doubts.”
"Hahaha, it's really ridiculous."
Another student of Zhang Cai stood up.
"Brother Huang said that the things we breathe are qi, so I can't comment on it. But everyone can see this qi. It is colorless, tasteless, formless and qualityless, simple and clear. Have you ever seen this qi look like anything else?"
Everyone in Nanjing burst into laughter, feeling that Huang Zongxi was trying to please others.
But Huang Zongxi looked at the man very seriously and said: "This brother doesn't understand the way of air, but I don't blame you. However, in Shandong, someone has discovered a different kind of gas, which Zhongheng named
Hydrogen. Hydrogen is lighter than the air around us, and when it burns in fire, the flames are blue, which is very different from the red fire we see every day. This person is currently trying to separate other gases from the air, and now he has
There are clues, but empty words are unfounded. This real example is enough to prove that the air around us is not uniform."
The man was speechless and instinctively felt that this should be the case, but he still said stubbornly: "Shandong is thousands of miles away, how do you know the truth of what you said?"
Huang Zongxi laughed loudly and said loudly: "No matter how far away Shandong is, how many people have been there. Moreover, what Huang said is there. Brother, you can go and check it at any time."
After saying this, everyone present knew that what Huang Zongxi said was true.
Otherwise, he will become a liar.
Not only would he himself be ridiculed by the world, but the reputations of Huang Zunsu and Liu Zongzhou would also be completely ruined.
No scholar would dare to do this and make fun of the reputation of his ancestors and teachers.