王植的“太虚”三层说疏释

The Three-layer Explanation of TaiXu by Wang Zhi

王植认为“太虚”一词是理解张载哲学的关键,他在《正蒙初义》中将太虚的涵义分梳为三层:未发之体、流行之用和究极之归。第一层属于未发,指的是天地万物未生的阶段,第二层和第三层属于已发,包括天地万物成形和消散两个阶段。太虚的本质就是气,它贯穿于天地万物未生、既生成形和消散的全过程,这其实是一种宇宙生成论的思维方式。太虚不仅可以作为天地万物之母,而且还是生物之具,性、命、神和化等范畴都是围绕太虚产生的,这就实现了“太虚”范畴对整个张载哲学体系的统摄。

Wang Zhi holds that the word TaiXu is the key to understand Zhang Zai’s philosophy.TaiXu is divided into three layers in the book of Zheng Meng Chu Yi.The first layer is Wei Fa which means the undeveloped stage of the universe,the second and third layers are already developed,which includes the forming and dissipating stages of the universe.The essence of TaiXu is Qi,which runs through the whole process of the creation,formation and dissipation of all things in heaven and earth.This is actually a way of thinking of the creation of the universe.Taixu can not only be regarded as the mother of all things in the world,but also as the living creature.Xing(nature),Ming(life),Shen(god)and Hua(transformation)are all generated around TaiXu,which demonstrates the basis of ZhangZai’s philosophy.