尽性与尽孝:张载“乾父坤母”说的思想意蕴与现代转化

The Confucian Tradition and its Ethical Signifi cance of Zhang Zai’s Theory of“Father Qian and Mother Kun”

张载“乾父坤母”说以乾坤为义理的来源称父母,历来引发诸多争议。这一说法区分天地父母和生身父母,是对隋唐佛道教父母观的一种扬弃。在儒家传统中,程颐“理一分殊”和王夫之“天亲合一”两种思想模式对张载“乾父坤母”说的诠释最具有代表性,二者分别从横贯和纵贯方面说明乾坤和父母的内在一致性,以消除形而上的乾坤凌驾形而下父母的理论倾向,具有一定的解释效力,并形成了新的思想传统。但这两种学说囿于自身的理论框架,与张载思想系统下的“乾父坤母”说并不完全契合。“乾父坤母”说的本义是觉识天地乃人的自我本性,主张穷理尽性,而不是以孝为首出,因而极大地彰显了人的主体性精神。这是《礼记》以来“言孝不言慈”之外的另一个儒家传统,它为人证立与天地通达的自我的大力量,在现代社会仍然具有理论的生命力。

Zhang Zai’s theory of“Father Qian(乾)and Mother Kun(坤)”takes Qian and Kun as the source of righteousness and so-called parents,which has caused many controversies.This statement distinguishes heavenand-earth parents from natural parents,sublating similar discussions on the Buddhist and Taoist concepts of parenthood in the Sui and Tang dynasties.In the Confucian tradition,the two modes of thought of Cheng Yi’s“universality and particularity”“the unity of heaven and parents”are the most representative interpretations of Zhang Zai’s theory of“Father Qian and Mother Kun”.The two thinking modes explain the internal consistency of the universe and parents from the horizontal and longitudinal aspects respectively.They eliminate the misunderstanding that the metaphysical universe overtakes the physical parents,which have a certain explanatory effect and form a new ideological tradition.At the same time,these two theories are limited by their own theoretical framework,and cannot be completely consistent with the theory of“Father Qian and Mother Kun”under Zhang Zai’s thought system.The original meaning of“Father Qian and Mother Kun”is to explore one’s self-awareness,advocate including filial piety in benevolence,rather than filial piety first,so it is a great liberation of human’s spirit.This has been another Confucian tradition besides“claim for filial piety but not fatherlyness”since the Book of Rites,which proves the great power of human self to be connected with heaven and earth.It still has the vitality of theory in modern society.