Guo Zixuan

Guo Zixuan

Guo Xiang: a metaphysician in the Western Jin Dynasty. Zixuan was born in Luoyang, Henan Province. Official to Huangmen Shilang, Taifu Zhubo. Good old Zhuang, good at talking. Guo Xiang opposes the view that being is born of nothing. He thinks that all things in heaven and earth are generated and changed independently, and there is no unified basis for all things. He reconciles the two in terms of the relationship between Confucianism and nature, and holds that Confucianism is in line with human nature, and human nature should also conform to Confucianism. He demonstrated the rationality of the hierarchy system in feudal society, and believed that there were all kinds of things in society, and people were born with all kinds of abilities. It is not only out of nature, but also in line with human nature. He is the author of Zhuangzi's annotation.

Jin records

Guo Xiang, whose character is Zixuan, has less talent and reason. He is good at Laozi and Zhuangzi and can speak plainly. Taiwei Wang Yan said, "listening to the elephant's language is like a river flowing with water. It's never exhausting. "The prefectures and prefectures were called. He often lives in leisure and entertains himself with literary theory. Later, he was appointed to be a Si tu'er and a little to be a servant of Huangmen. Wang Yueyin of Donghai was appointed as the master of Taifu. He saw that he was in charge of the committee, so he was in power, fumigating the inside and outside of the country. At the end of Yongjia, he was ill and died.

First of all, there are dozens of people who annotate Zhuangzi. Xiang Xiu interpreted the meaning outside the old annotation, performed wonderfully and smoothly, but he died before the two chapters of autumn water and Zhile were finished. Xiuzi is young, whose meaning is scattered, but it is quite different. Xiang is a person who is weak in behavior, so he thinks that he has annotated Qiushui and Zhile. He has also annotated horseshoe, and the rest of them have been annotated. Later, Xiuyi came out of the original, so now there are Xiang and Guo er's Zhuangzi.

Comprehensive overview

According to the biography of Guo Xiang in the book of Jin, he was "less talented and reasonable, good at Laozhuang, and able to speak plainly". In the literary chapter of Shishuoxinyu, he said that he was "very talented and generous". He once argued with Pei ya, a famous debater. In the society, it has a great reputation, "when people thought that Wang Bi was inferior.". At that time, he was highly praised by some famous people, such as Taiwei Wang Yanchang, who said, "listening to elephant language is like a river flowing with water, and it can never be exhausted." In his early years, Guo Xiang was not called by prefectures and counties, but lived at home and "entertained himself with literary theory". Later, he was called as situ Chuan and moved to Huangmen. He was also recruited by Sima Yue, king of the East China Sea, and appointed as the master of Taifu. He was highly appreciated and valued. He was "in power, fumigating both inside and outside", and was despised and criticized by some chatting celebrities.

Chuang Tzu was once annotated, and Xiang Xiu's Annotation "narrates and generalizes" is another book, "the trace of Confucianism and Mohism is despicable, so the words of Taoism are prosperous.". Hou Xiangxiu's annotation is lost, and only Guo's annotation remains, which has been handed down to this day. He is the author of Zhuangzi's annotation.

Philosophical thought

Duhua and xuanming

Guo Xiang's philosophy is an important stage in the development of Wei Jin metaphysics. There are two important and unique terms in Guo Xiang's philosophy, one is "Duhua" and the other is "xuanming". The reason why these two terms are important is that the former answers the question about metaphysics ontology, while the latter discusses the question about spiritual realm. These two points are just metaphysics. The theory of Zhuangzi: "great master" is also the theme of Guo Xiang's philosophy. The reason why these two terms are unique is that the philosophical meaning expressed by these two terms is unique to Guo Xiang but not to other metaphysicians. Not only the pre metaphysics, but also the pre Qin Taoism did not put forward these two concepts. Zhuangzi once put forward the issue of "unique", but it has not been discussed from a more general sense (in Zhuangzi, "unique" is undoubtedly the issue of individual spiritual realm). As for the "mysterious realm", although it contains relevant significance in Zhuangzi's philosophy, it has not yet formed a unique theory like Guo Xiang's. Many changes have taken place in the form of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, from He Yan, Wang Bi to Guo Xiang, but there is a common and very practical problem, that is, the relationship between "Mingjiao" and "nature". In a certain sense, the change of metaphysical theory forms is around this problem. "Mingjiao" refers to the feudal hierarchy and moral norms, "nature" refers to the so-called original state or natural nature of human beings, and also refers to the natural state of all things in the world. He Yan, Wang Bi and others began to put forward the view that nature is the foundation of Confucian classics and Confucian classics is the foundation of nature, hoping that nature can lead Confucian classics and make Confucian classics return to nature. To Ruan Ji and Ji Kang, due to the complicated reasons of political struggle, they emphasized the idea of taking nature as the foundation and put forward the slogan of "transcending the Confucian classics and allowing nature", which impacted the norms of Confucian classics to a certain extent. In the middle and late period of the Western Jin Dynasty, some chatty celebrities and "noble youths" used "letting nature" as a cover for their extravagant, licentious and shameless life, and they called them "Tongda" and "Ti Dao". This situation seriously corroded the landlord class, endangered the feudal ethical norms, and even directly affected the political rule of the gentry. At that time, some knowledgeable metaphysicians, such as Yue Guang, criticized this situation and said, "there is a place of happiness in the Ming religion. Why should it be?" Pei Xun wrote the theory of advocating you, which exposed the serious harm to the social politics, economy and customs caused by letting nature go and advocating nothingness. He also used the theory of being as the basis, criticized the theory of nothing as the basis, advocated doing something, denied doing nothing, respected the Ming religion and rejected it Naturally. After that, Guo Xiang further reconciled the Confucian school and nature in theory. Guo Xiang - to reconcile the theory of Confucian classics and nature: in the great master, Guo Xiang disagrees with the theory of opposing Confucian classics and nature. He thinks that Confucian classics are completely in line with human nature, and the natural development of human nature must also be in line with Confucian classics. He believes that the moral norms such as benevolence and justice lie in human nature, saying: "benevolence and justice are human nature." According to his analysis, the norm of Confucian classics, which seems to be aided by external forces, actually exists in its own natural noumenon. "If cattle and horses do not refuse to wear down, it is the destiny of heaven. If it's the destiny of heaven, it's the human affairs, but it's the heaven. "

Everything has its own nature

Guo Xiang also believes that things have their own natures, while "natures have their own points.". All the rank of high and low is "natural" and "accepted by nature". If people "put their nature in order", the order of the Ming religion will be naturally stable. Therefore, there is no contradiction between the two. He didn't agree that "Inaction" and "Inaction" were diametrically opposed. He thought that it was totally wrong for people to understand "Inaction" as "staying in the mountains and forests". As a matter of fact, the so-called "Inaction" refers to "using one's own nature, and the mystery of nature"; and "moving freely, so it is called inaction". That is to say, as long as it follows nature, all activities within the scope of nature are "Inaction".

Therefore, he said: "although the sage sees his form all day long, his spirit remains unchanged; he looks up to all kinds of opportunities, but he is indifferent and self-confident." although he is above the temple, his heart is no different from that in the mountains and forests. ". Thus, on the premise of "each man's nature" and "doing nothing", the so-called "when each man is able to do something, it is natural and not doing something"; when each man is in charge of his duties, it is salty up and down, and the reason of doing nothing is right. ".

On the thought of independence

Metaphysicians' ontology

Metaphysicians' ontology is not about the existence of nature or the objective world, but about the existence of human life and spiritual life. Therefore, the problem of noumenon is closely related to the problem of spiritual realm. Generally speaking, metaphysical ontology is the theoretical basis of its realm theory, and realm theory is its completion. However, Guo Xiang's "independent theory" negates metaphysical ontology. He not only denied Dong Zhongshu's teleology of heaven and man, but also denied Wang Bi's ontology based on "nothingness". At the same time, he also disagreed with Pei Qing's theory of advocating being. So, does he want to establish the ontology of human existence? What is his ontology? This is the question that Guo Xiang's "theory of independence" wants to answer.

Wang Bi set up a set of "no matter what" system based on nature.

Pei Jian put forward a set of system of "worshiping you" which is based on Mingjiao.

On independence

Guo Xianghao, Laozhuang, and Guo Xiang advocated that Mingjiao is nature, and nature is Mingjiao, forming a system of "independence theory" that is the origin and the end, and that is the integration of the essence and the end. The central theory of Guo Xiang's "theory of independence" is that all things in heaven and earth are generated and changed independently. There is no unified source or common basis for all things, and there is no relationship of subsidization or transformation between all things. It is said that although all things are not separated from each other, they are not separated from each other.

Against the Creator

He opposed Wang Bi's theory that "nothingness" is the common noumenon that governs the generation and change of all things in the world, claiming that "nothing is nothing, then there can be no existence" and "no living things". And further clearly pointed out: "the upper knowledge of creation without things, the lower knowledge of self creation of things", "self generation". "Self satisfaction", "self-confidence" and so on. The theory of independence fully affirms that "everything is natural", opposes the creator, and denies the idea that "being comes from nothing". But at the same time, the theory of independence holds that not only "nothing" can't produce "you", but also "you" can't produce "you", but "things are made separately, and there is nothing to be treated". In this way, Guo Xiang, on the one hand, led the "self birth of things" to the mysticism of "sudden and complacent", "self-sufficiency without reason", "self-sufficiency without knowing why"; on the other hand, he exaggerated the "existence" of "self birth" and "independence" as eternal absoluteness, that is, the so-called "not only nothing but also nothing, but also nothing". It's based on the fact that the husband has something, although it's ever-changing, it can't be nothing.

One sided emphasis on the "complacency" of things

One sided emphasis on Guo Xiang's "theory of independence"

Chinese PinYin : Guo Zi Xuan