儒、道“赤子”之喻辨略

Distinction of the “Baby” Metaphors Between Confucianism and Taoism

诚如赤子或婴儿以其潜在的丰沛生机和成长可能而具有极大的可塑性,引"赤子"或"婴儿"以为譬,会因着取譬者价值导向的不同而使譬喻可有如是或如彼的喻义。老子的"赤子"之喻与孟子的"赤子"之喻的提出都在一种典型的"文敝"背景下,他们分别从充当喻体的"赤子"那里觅取其所看重的生命性状以印证所创学说的出发点,并试图将之纳入各自的"道",从而循其"道"对当时之世道人心作某种取向明确的引导。分辨老子的"赤子"之喻与孟子的"赤子"之喻的共趣与分野,固然是思想史或哲学史意义上的儒、道之辨的应有课题,但重要的则在于以史为鉴而借此反观当下现实的人文境遇。

Due to babies’abundant potential vitality,growth possibility and great malleability,the“baby”metaphor may have different meanings due to the different value orientations of the person who makes the metaphor.Against the background of“cultural decay”,Lao Tzu and Mencius independently made the“baby”metaphor.They used this metaphor to confirm the starting pointing of their theories,and sought to incorporated it into their“Tao”,through which made explicit guidance to people.Making clear the similarity and differences between the“baby”metaphors between Lao Tzu and Mencius is not only the subject of the history of ideology and philosophy regarding Confucianism and Taoism,but also the important instrument for rethinking the current humanistic environment.