由“四子侍坐”看儒家谦文化的场域偏离

On the Field Deviation of Confucian Modesty Culture from the Passage of“Four Sons Sitting in Attendance”

《论语》的“四子侍坐”章与“谦”关联紧密。孔子“与点”,可能是赞许曾点对“谦”的参悟和积极向上的生活态度。而孔子对其他三子的批判,则是着眼于他们未能合理地行“谦”。汉代今文经学认为,“曾点之志”是一种顺应知时的“谦”。魏晋士人的解读由“知时”转向“超然独对”,追求隐逸之“谦”。宋代理学家则将“曾点之志”升华为“曾点气象”,树立了追求圣人之谦的目标。然而,“四子侍坐”章也造成了消极的价值导向:似乎相比儒家的理想与目标,谦德更为重要。这就使得儒家的谦德具有虚伪性,进而塑造了古代士大夫和儒生虚伪、过谦的集体人格。作为谦文化的正面代表,《周易》的谦卦与儒家虚伪的谦德形成了鲜明的对照。谦卦的“谦”主要是指“尊重规律”,谦卦的精髓是个体意志要尊重客体规律。后世对“谦”的演绎则以形式的谦替代了实质的谦,把对人与对事的谦混为一谈。今天,我们必须警惕、避免蕴含在儒家谦德中的“形式谦”,充分结合具体实际,为“谦”设定科学合理的场域与边界。

The passage about“four students sitting in attendance”in the Analects is closely related to“modesty”.Confucius’s“I agree with Zeng Dian”may be praising Zeng Dian’s understanding of“modesty”and his positive life attitude.Confucius’criticism of the other three students focused on their failure to exercise“modesty”properly.According to the study of Confucian classics in the New Text tradi⁃tion of the Han dynasty(202BCE-220CE),“the aspiration of Zeng Dian”is a kind of“modesty”that conforms to the times.The inter⁃pretation of scholars in Wei and Jin dynasties(220-420CE)shifted from“knowing the times”to“being transcendent and independent”,pursuing the“modesty”of seclusion.Scholars in the Song dynasty(960-1279)elevated“the aspiration of Zeng Dian”to“Zeng Dian’s personality”,setting the goal of pursuing the modesty of sages.However,the passage about“four students sitting in attendance”also creates a negative value orientation:it seems that compared with Confucian ideals and goals,the virtue of modesty is more important.This gives the Confucianism virtue of modesty a characteristic of hypocrisy,and thus shapes the group personality of ancient Confucian scholars who are hypocritical and overly modest.As a positive representative of the“modesty”culture,the hexagram Qian[,Mod⁃esty,15]in Zhouyi stands in stark contrast to the hypocritical humble virtue of Confucianism.The“modesty”of hexagram Qian mainly refers to“respecting laws”,and the essence of hexagram Qian is that individuals must respect the objective laws.The interpretation of“modesty”in later generations replaced the virtual modesty with formal modesty,confusing modesty towards people and things.Today,we must be vigilant and avoid the“formal modesty”contained in Confucian modesty,fully combine it with specific reality and set a scien⁃tific and reasonable field and boundary for“modesty”by fully combining with specific realities.