中国传统孝子故事的价值分析

The Significant Value of China's Traditional Filial Piety Stories

中国孝子故事有两千年的悠久历史。从东汉到唐朝,许多有名的官人,隐士,甚至皇帝都很热情地收集孝子故事,编辑孝子传。到了明清的时候,在民间,二十四孝的书非常普遍。按照西方传教士的话,要是一个家庭只拥有一本书,那就是《二十四孝》。2012年八月,全国老龄工作委员会办公室和中华全国妇女联合会一起发布了改装的"新二十四孝"。"新二十四孝"最使我惊讶的地方是它们不是故事,相反只是行为的标准。"新二十四孝"的标准很平凡,枯燥。我预料大多数的人一下子会把"新二十四孝"忘掉。传统二十四孝故事受到人们的欢迎,流传了差不多一千年。会这样的理由是:它们能让读者感动而且觉得很有意思。人喜欢看记叙,尤其奇妙的记叙。在这篇论文,要证明我们现在人还可以从这些故事中学习很多东西。不过,我们必须学习怎么读这些故事:得看故事的真意,不要看它的字义;同时不要逐字地去看故事,必须从比喻的角度来读。

Traditional filial piety stories have a long and glorious history in pre-modem China. In early imperial China, collections of filial piety stories, usually known as Accounts of Filial Children （Xiaozi zhuan 教子传）, were compiled by some of the age＇ s greatest writers and even by royalty. By the late imperial period, the more popular Twenty-four Filial Exemplars （Ershisi xiao 二十四孝） became widely distributed throughout Chinese society. Indeed, in China before Liberation, if a household owned just one book it was probably the Ershisi xiao. Last August, China＇ s All-Women＇ s Federation and the National Bureau of Senior Affairs issued a new, updated version of the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars. What is most surprising about the new version is that it is merely a list of filial acts. Gone are any stories of renowned filial sons and daughters who perform heroic actions to fulfill their filial duties. Indeed, the new twenty-four filial actions are terribly prosaic： they almost all consist of modest acts that show concern or consideration for one＇ s parents. The filial exemplars of old would blush at such trifles. It is my prediction that the new twenty-four filial exemplars will be a tremendous flop. Part of the reason why the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars have stood the test of time is that pre-modem Chinese found them both fascinating and moving. What gave the book continued relevance was its compelling stories of historical individuals who realized this moral value. In this essay, I will argue that these stories still have many important lessons to teach us. However, modern people need to be taught how to read the stories： they need to pay attention to the spirit rather than the letter of the tales; moreover, the stories have to be read figuratively rather than literally. These tales have significant value for modem people, but they need to be read in a sophisticated manner.