“清虚一大”与神体:评程朱对张载思想的批判

“Qing-xu-yi-da” and the Substance of Shen:Comments on Cheng-Zhu’s Criticism of Zhang Zai’s Thought

"清虚一大"集中代表了程朱对张载《正蒙》思想的批判。《正蒙》在论及神、太虚、气时多言及"清""虚""一""大",但张载并未连用过"清虚一大"一词。在二程看来,太虚是张载思想之本体,但这种本体偏滞于清虚,混淆了形而上下,道器不辨,不具有真正的本体义。二程捻出"清虚一大"一词,实际上是对张载《正蒙》所论太虚本体的讥讽。朱熹在此问题上亦步亦趋追随二程批判张载。在程朱看来,道体兼清浊、虚实、阴阳,虽不离气,但也不杂于气,同时又是根据因与"所以然",这样的话,唯有"理"才是真正的本体。张载论清、神、虚、气关系时,固然有逻辑上的不圆满处,但实际上,如果内在于张载思想体系,全面来看《正蒙》的话,神化才是其思想纲领,其本体是神,清虚一大皆为神之属性,此清虚为本体绝对之清虚,贯穿于经验意义上相对之清浊虚实。二程试图以"清虚一大"为把柄,从根本上否定《正蒙》思想,此不足为训,无损于《正蒙》后来成为中国思想之经典。

"Qing-xu-yi-da" represents Cheng Zhu’s criticism of Zhang Zai’s thought in Zhengmeng(Correcting Youthful Ignorance).In Zh eng-meng,when discussing "shen"(spirit),"taixu"(the great vacuity) and "qi"(material force),Zhang Zai always used "qing"(pure and clear),"xu"(vacuity),"yi"(the one),"da"(vast) instead of the whole phrase of "Qing-xu-yi-da".In Two Cheng’s view,although "taixu" is the substantial concept in Zhang Zai’s thought,it does not have the ontological meaning as its connotation is close to the meaning of "qing" and "xu",which thus mixes up the metaphysics and dialecticism and confuses Dao(the Way) with Qi(the concrete).Two Cheng picked out "qing","xu","yi" an d "da" from Zhang Zai’s Zhengmeng and combined them together as a phrase "Qing-xu-yi-da" to summarize Zhang Zai’s theory of the substance of "taixu",which is also a criticism and sarcasm to this philosopher followed by the later philosopher Zhu Xi.In Cheng-Zhu’s view,the substance of Dao combines the meanings of "qing"(clear) and "zhuo"(turbid),"xu"(unreality) and "shi"(reality),yin and yang,neither deviates from Qi(material force)nor mixes with Qi as the original cause and the whys and wherefores.Therefore,Li(principal and law) is only real substance.Although there are some weaknesses in logic when Zhang Zai discussed the relation between "qing"(pure and clear),"shen"(spiritual),"xu"(vacuity) and "qi"(material force),it cannot cover all thoughts of Zhang Zai.Based on Zhang Zai’s overall philosophical system and make a comprehensive analysis of Zheng-meng,it is obvious that the core concept of Zheng-meng is "Shenhua"(the spiritual transformation),the reality of which is "shen"(spiritual).Meanwhile "qing","xu","yi",and "da" are its attributes.In Zhangzai s view,"qing xu" means the absolute and substantial "qing" or "xu",which also includes the empirical meaning of "qing" and "xu",which is opposite to "zhuo"(turbid) and "shi"(reality).Two Cheng attempted to fundamentally deny the thought of Zheng-meng by their criticism of "Qing-xu-yi-da",but they failed for the lack of proof.And it detracted nothing from Zheng-meng to be one of the classical literatures in Chinese intellectual history.