“大病则大佳”——论晚明士人的疾病体验与性灵思想

“The Sicker,the Better”:On the Illness Experience and Xingling Theories of Late Ming Intellectuals

晚明士人在提倡性灵自由时,也普遍受到疾病的束缚,二者产生异质磨合。明代社会态势导致“国病引发身病”现象,士人无法摆脱疾病,对此产生畏惧。但疾病反而愈发彰显患者性灵,导致疾病概念在晚明士人心中经历了从“外在压迫”到“内向突破”的转化,士人将疾病与病人同构化并欣赏之。其欣赏对象进而扩至性格行止之疵病,由疵病窥见主体真实情性,并沿袭心学观念据本心认知自我与世界。在此过程中,自我与物相互交融,凸显“癖”的观念,以物为中介将疾病意蕴再度由自我提升到社会层面。但是,晚明的疾病文化观也存在偏重才性欣赏,忽略道德创生的问题。士人往往惑溺于病态人格,难以在事功方面着力。疾病观念代表了晚明自我发现的得与失。

The Late Ming intellectuals promoted the freedom caused by“Xingling”(inspiration from temperament),but they were also generally bound by illness.The social dynamics of the Ming dynasty led to the phenomenon of“national illness leading to physical illness”,and the intellectuals were unable to escape from illness and became fearful of it.However,illness gradually became a manifestation of the patient’s Xingling,leading to the transformation of the concept of illness from“external oppression”to“internal breakthrough”in the minds of the Late Ming intellectuals.The object of their admiration was then extended to the defects of character and behaviour,from which they could see the true nature of the subject and follow the teleological concept of cognition of the self and the world according to one’s nature spirit.In this process,the self and the object intermingle,highlighting the notion of“addiction”and using the object as an intermediary to elevate the meaning of illness from the self to the social level.However,the late Ming’s cultural view of illness preferred the appreciation of talent while ignored the moral creation.Intellectuals were often confused by their illness personalities and found it difficult to work on their merits.The concept of illness represents the gains and losses of self-discovery in the late Ming.