Please tell me about Master Gu Hongming.

The Mad Confucian Gu Hongming

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a saying among Westerners: You can go to China without seeing the Three Great Halls, but you must see Gu Hongming.

Who is Gu Hongming? He was born in Nanyang, studied in the West, married in the East, and served in the Beiyang. Proficient in 9 languages ??including English, French, German, Latin, Greek, and Malayan, he has obtained 13 doctorates. He read English newspapers backwards and laughed at the British, saying that Americans are uneducated. He was the first to compile Chinese "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Analects of Confucius". "The Doctrine of the Mean" was translated into the West in English and German. With his impeccable tongue, he lectured on Confucianism to Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, exchanged letters with literary master Leo Tolstoy, and discussed world culture and political situations. He was called "the most noble China" by India's Mahatma Gandhi. people".

Gu Hongming, courtesy name Tangsheng. Born on July 18, 1857 in a British rubber plantation on Penang Island in the northwest of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. In his early years, his ancestors moved to Nanyang from Fujian, China, and accumulated rich property and reputation. His father, Gu Ziyun, was the general manager of a rubber plantation run by the British at the time. He spoke fluent Hokkien and could speak English and Malay. His mother is a blond, blue-eyed Westerner who speaks English and Portuguese. In this kind of family environment, Gu Hongming has had an amazing understanding and memory of language since he was a child. Mr. Brown, the childless rubber plantation owner, liked him very much and adopted him as his adopted son. Let him read the works of Shakespeare, Bacon and others since he was a child.

British gunboats opened the door to China in 1840. Mr. Brown, Gu Hongming's adoptive father, said to him: "Do you know that your motherland, China, has been put on the chopping block, and the vicious invaders are wielding butcher knives, ready to divide and eat it. I hope you can learn both Chinese and Western knowledge and take on the responsibility of The responsibility of governing a rich country and civilizing Europe and America." When the Browns returned to England in 1867, they brought the ten-year-old Gu Hongming to the most powerful Western empire at the time. Before leaving, his father burned incense in front of his ancestor's memorial tablet and warned him: "No matter where you go, whether you are surrounded by British, German or French people, don't forget that you are Chinese."

When he arrived in the UK, under the guidance of Brown, Gu Hongming started with the most classic Western literary masterpieces and quickly mastered English, German, French, Latin, and Greek with the most sincere rote memorization method. He was admitted to the famous University of Edinburgh with excellent results and was appreciated by the president, famous writer, historian, and philosopher Carlyle. In 1877, after Gu Hongming obtained a master's degree in literature, he went to Germany to study literature and philosophy at famous universities such as the University of Leipzig. Later, when Cai Yuanpei went to study at the University of Leipzig, Gu Hongming was already a well-known figure with a prominent reputation; and when Lin Yutang came to the University of Leipzig 40 years later, Gu Hongming's works were already required reading designated by the school. Fourteen years of studying abroad have turned the talented young man Gu Hongming into a young scholar proficient in Western culture.

After completing his studies, Ku Hongming followed the persuasion of Ma Jianzhong, a master of language in Singapore at the time, and devoted himself to the study of Chinese culture. He returned to his motherland and continued to study Chinese classics. He served in the powerful minister Zhang Zhidong's shogunate in the late Qing Dynasty for twenty years, and his main responsibility was "interpretation". While assisting Zhang Zhidong in coordinating Western affairs, he studied Chinese studies intensively and called himself the "Hanbin Reader".

Gu Hongming's reputation for being proficient in various languages ??in Western Europe and for his sharp tongue quickly spread among European and American people in China. He kowtowed to his ancestors, and the foreigners laughed and said: Will your ancestors be able to eat the food on the table if you do this? Gu Hongming immediately retorted: If you put flowers on the graves of your ancestors, can they smell the fragrance of the flowers? He read English newspapers backwards and laughed at the British, saying that Americans were uneducated. He used pure German to ridicule a group of Germans on the ship. The British writer Maugham came to China and wanted to see Gu. Maugham's friend wrote a letter to Gu and invited him to come. But after waiting for a long time, no one came. Maugham had no choice but to find Gu's courtyard by himself. As soon as he entered the room, Gu said unceremoniously: "Your compatriots think that the Chinese are either coolies or compradors. As long as you wave, we have to come." In one sentence, Maugham, who had traveled far and wide and experienced a lot, was immediately embarrassed. Don't know what's right.

At the same time, as a defender of Eastern culture, Gu Hongming's reputation has gradually become more prominent. When Gu Hongming was lecturing at Peking University, he publicly said to the students: "Why do we need to learn English poetry? That is because after you learn English well, you can use our Chinese principles of life and gentle and honest poetry to teach those people from all over the world. At that time, he still spoke harshly and called the West a "land of four barbarians." For this reason, many people only regarded him as a maker of jokes, but ignored his inner pain and his feelings for the barbarians. The positive thinking of Eastern culture ignores his deep concern for the fate of this land and the determined and desperate struggle he made.

Since publishing an article titled "China Studies" in the English newspaper "North China Daily" in 1883, he has embarked on the writing path of promoting Chinese culture and ridiculing Western learning. In the years at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, he also translated "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" into English, which were published and printed overseas one after another. Later, "The University" was translated. His work was creative, adding to the ancient Oriental theory the illuminating quips of Goethe, Schiller, Ruskin and Joubert. Before him, there had never been good translations of ancient Chinese classics.

From 1901 to 1905, Gu Hongming published 172 "Notes on China" in five installments, repeatedly emphasizing the value of Eastern civilization.

In 1909, the English book "The Oxford Movement in China" (the German translation was titled "Defending China's Opposition to European Concepts: A Critical Essay") was published, which had a huge impact in Europe, especially Germany. Some university philosophy departments listed it as A must-read reference book. In 1915, "Spring and Autumn Days" (the famous "The Spirit of the Chinese") was published. With idealistic enthusiasm, he showed the world that Chinese culture is the panacea to save the world. At the same time, his criticism of Western civilization was also sharp and profound. Soon the German version of "Spring and Autumn Days" was published, causing a huge sensation in Germany, which was undergoing World War I.

Gu Hongming believes that to evaluate a civilization, one must look at "what kind of people, what kind of men and women it can produce." He criticized those missionaries and sinologists who were "called authorities in the study of Chinese civilization" who "actually do not really understand the Chinese and the Chinese language." He uniquely pointed out: “To understand the true Chinese and Chinese civilization, that person must be deep, broad and simple” because “the three major characteristics of Chinese character and Chinese civilization are exactly the deep, broad and simple Simplicity, in addition to "sensitivity"

From this unique perspective, Gu Hongming compared the Chinese with the Americans, the British, the Germans, and the French, highlighting the characteristics of the Chinese. Why: Americans are broad and simple, but not deep; British people are deep and simple, but not broad; Germans are broad and deep, but not simple; French people are not as naturally deep as Germans, and are not as broad-minded as Americans and British people. The land is simple, but they have the sensitivity that these three nations lack; only the Chinese have these four excellent spiritual qualities. It is for this reason that Gu Hongming said that the overall impression left by the Chinese is "gentle". "That kind of indescribable gentleness." Behind the gentle image of the Chinese people, there is hidden their "innocent heart" and "adult wisdom", Gu Hongming wrote that the Chinese "live like children." - A life of the soul.

Gu Hongming lived in an unfortunate era. In such an era, as long as you were a Chinese, you could only be weak and at the mercy of others. If You are awake, and if you want to fight, you will have to pay an extremely painful price. Facing the motherland with internal and external troubles at that time, Gu Hongming was worried about the decline of Chinese tradition and the ruin of Yanhuang civilization. He wrote in his notes "Zhang Wenxiang Shogunate". "Jiwen" expresses his deep sighs about the self-esteem and worries of Chinese culture.

Gu Hongming's wild posture was his tearful performance, and he used wildness to protect his strong self-esteem. When he went to a Chinese market, the four words "Children and old men are not deceived" were hung everywhere, and he often said to Gu: These four words can be seen that the Chinese people are deceitful. People are much more open-minded, and Gu Hongming understands that misfortune more clearly and deeply than anyone else. Therefore, he does not hesitate to use a paranoid attitude to express his love for Chinese culture. He studied in the West, but he likes Eastern girls. He especially liked the small feet of Chinese girls. He fell in love with her at first sight and never let her down. After the founding of the Republic of China, he taught English literature at Peking University and adopted extreme behavior - growing pigtails, wearing old clothes, and keeping concubines. and foot-binding, to counter the deformed tendency of the entire society to abandon Chinese traditions. However, he did not kowtow when he saw a memorial tablet. The "congratulatory poem" he blurted out in public was "The Emperor." For thousands of years, people have spent money. "Longevity without bounds, the common people suffer". After Yuan Shikai's death, the whole country mourned for three days, but Gu Hongming specially invited a theater troupe to hold a party at home, which was lively for three days.

Gu Hongming teaches at Peking University and wears pigtails Entering the classroom, the students burst into laughter, and Gu said calmly: "The braids on my head are tangible, but the braids in your hearts are invisible. Hearing this, the arrogant Peking University students were silent.

Attachment: "The Spirit of the Chinese" (excerpt)

I once heard a foreign friend say this: As a foreigner, the longer I live in Japan, the more I dislike Japanese people. On the contrary, the longer I live in China, the more I like Chinese people. I don’t know how to comment on Japan from this foreign friend who has lived in Japan and China for a long time. Whether the person is suitable or not, I believe that everyone who has lived in China will agree with the above judgment of Chinese people. The longer a foreigner lives in China, the more he likes Chinese people. This is a well-known fact that Chinese people have this tendency. Indescribable things. Despite their lack of hygiene and their unsophisticated lifestyles; despite their many shortcomings in thought and character, they still win the favor of foreigners, a favor that no other nation can win. Summarize this indescribable thing as gentleness. If I don't justify this kind of gentleness, then in the minds of foreigners it may be mistaken for Chinese people's physical and moral defects-docility and cowardice. The meekness I have suggested is a meekness that springs from sympathy or real human wisdom - neither from reason nor from instinct, but from sympathy - from sympathy. Power. So, how do the Chinese have this power of sympathy?

I would like to give you an answer here - or you can regard it as a hypothesis if you like. The secret of the power of sympathy for the Chinese people.

The reason why the Chinese have this power, this powerful power of sympathy, is that they live a life of the soul completely or almost completely. The whole life of the Chinese is an emotional life - this emotion does not originate from the emotion in the sense of sensory intuition, nor does it originate from the emotion in the sense that you call the rushing passion of the nervous system, but It is an emotion in the sense of passion or human love that arises from the depths of our humanity.

Let’s see if the Chinese live a spiritual life. In this regard, we can use the general characteristics shown in the actual life of Chinese people to illustrate.

First, let’s talk about Chinese language. Chinese language is also a language of the soul. An obvious fact is that among foreigners living in China, it is much easier for children and uneducated people to learn Chinese than for adults and educated people. The reason is that children and uneducated people think and use language with their minds. On the contrary, educated people, especially modern Europeans who have received rational education, use their brains and wisdom to think and use language. There is a saying about Nirvana that also applies to learning the Chinese language: you cannot learn it unless you become a child.

Secondly, let us point out a well-known fact in the daily life of Chinese people. The Chinese have amazing memory. What’s the secret? The reason is that Chinese people remember with their hearts rather than their heads. It is much better to remember things with the heart, which has the power of sympathy, than with the mind or intellect, which is dull and boring. For example, most of us have better memories as children than as adults. Because children, like the Chinese, remember with their hearts rather than their brains.

The following example is still a fact reflected in the daily life of Chinese people and recognized by everyone - Chinese politeness. China has always been regarded as a land of etiquette, so what is the nature of its etiquette? This is the feeling of being considerate and caring for others. Chinese people are polite because they live a spiritual life. They fully understand their own emotions and can easily empathize with others, showing their characteristics of being considerate and caring for other people's emotions. Although Chinese politeness is not as complex as Japanese politeness, it is pleasant. In contrast, Japanese politeness is complicated and unpleasant. I've heard some complaints from foreigners. Eclectic politeness should perhaps be called rehearsed politeness—rehearsed by rote like theater rehearsals. It is not politeness that comes from the heart and comes from nature. In fact, Japanese politeness is a flower without fragrance, while true Chinese politeness comes from the heart and is filled with a strange fragrance similar to expensive perfume.

The last example we give of Chinese characteristics is their lack of precise habits. This is an idea made famous by Arthur Smith. So what is the reason for the lack of accuracy among the Chinese? I say still because they live a spiritual life. The heart is delicate and sensitive. It is not as rigid and rigid as the mind or intellect. In fact, the Chinese writing brush may be regarded as a symbol of the Chinese spirit. It is very difficult to write and draw with a brush, and it seems difficult to be accurate, but once you master it, you will be able to create beautiful and elegant calligraphy and painting, which is impossible to achieve with a hard Western pen.

It is precisely because the Chinese live a spiritual life, a child-like life, that they still appear naive in many aspects. This is an obvious fact, that is, as a great nation with such a long history, the Chinese are still so naive in many aspects. This makes some superficial foreign students studying in China think that the Chinese have failed to develop civilization and that Chinese civilization is a stagnant civilization. It must be admitted that the intellectual development of the Chinese people has been artificially restricted to a certain extent. It is well known that in some areas the Chinese have made little or no progress. This applies not only to natural sciences, but also to purely abstract sciences, such as science and logic. In fact, it is impossible to find completely equivalent words to express the two words "science" and "logic" in European languages ??in Chinese.

The Chinese, who live a spiritual life like children, have no interest in abstract science, because the mind and emotions are helpless in this regard. In fact, everything that does not require spiritual and emotional involvement, such as statistical tables, will arouse the disgust of the Chinese. If statistical charts and abstract science only arouse the disgust of the Chinese, then the so-called scientific research that Europeans are currently engaged in, the so-called science that does not hesitate to destroy and dismember living organisms in order to prove a scientific theory, frightens the Chinese. and were suppressed by them.

Actually, what I want to point out here is that the most wonderful quality of the Chinese is not that they live a spiritual life. All peoples in their primary stages live a spiritual life. As we all know, European medieval Christians also lived a spiritual life. Matthew Arnold said: "Medieval Christendom lived by the heart and imagination.

"The most outstanding characteristic of the Chinese people is that when they live a spiritual life, like children, they have the power of thought and reason that medieval Christians or any other nation in its primary stage did not have. In other words, China The most wonderful quality of human beings is that as a nation with a long history, it has the wisdom of adults and the ability to live a child-like life - a life of the soul.

Therefore, we are in harmony with it. To say that the development of the Chinese people has been hindered is to say that they are a nation that never ages. In short, as a nation, the most beautiful trait of the Chinese people is that they have the secret of eternal youth.

Now we can answer the original question - what is a true Chinese? We now know that a true Chinese is a person who has the heart of an innocent and the wisdom of an adult and lives a spiritual life. . In short, the true Chinese people have the heart of a child and the thoughts of an adult. The spirit of the Chinese people is the spirit of eternal youth. What is the secret of the eternal youth of the Chinese people? I once said: It is sympathy or real human intelligence that creates the Chinese type of people, thus forming the indescribable gentleness of the real Chinese. This real human intelligence is sympathy and intelligence. It is an organic combination that reconciles the human heart and brain. In short, it is the harmony of soul and reason. If the spirit of the Chinese nation is a spirit of eternal youth and an immortal national soul, then the national spirit is immortal. The secret is the perfect harmony between the Chinese soul and reason.