命与工夫——朱熹“命”观念与工夫论之关系探析

The Relationship between Fate and GongFu—An Analysis of Zhu Xi’s Concept of “Fate” and Theory of GongFu

命论作为中国最早的哲学范畴之一,早在古代文献中就有所记载。朱熹在理学视域下对“命”的内涵进行了实质性的转变,他将“命”理解为类似于“令”或“命令”,其命观强调“理”和“气”的统一。对于解释宇宙和人物的运行规律提供了一种整合的视角,以“理之命”和“气之命”两个维度来开展对命的理解。尽管天赋予人之本体光明纯粹,但若个体不加涵养,这份光明就容易被遮蔽,人若欲达到天命,工夫是不可或缺的。通过居敬涵养和穷理尽性的方法实现个体功夫修养,工夫让人们深刻意识到命的有限性,故而心生敬畏。又因命的种种可能性,人们立志为学,最终“变化气质”,使得朱子传统的“命”论能够超越时代局限而产生积极的意义。

The concept of fate, as one of the earliest philosophical categories in China, has been recorded in ancient texts. Zhu Xi, within the context of Neo-Confucianism, substantially transformed the connotation of “fate”. He interpreted “fate” as akin to “command” or “order”, emphasizing the unity of “principle” (li) and “vital energy” (qi). This perspective provided an integrated view for explaining the laws governing the universe and human beings, with the understanding of fate developed along two dimensions: “fate of principle” and “fate of vital energy”. Despite the inherent purity and brightness bestowed upon individuals by heaven, without cultivation, this brightness can easily be obscured. If individuals aspire to fulfill their heavenly mandate, GongFu is indispensable. Through methods of reverence and self-cultivation, individuals achieve personal cultivation, making them deeply aware of the limitations of fate, thereby generating reverence. Furthermore, due to the various possibilities of fate, people are inspired to pursue learning, ultimately “transforming their disposition”, enabling Zhu Xi’s traditional theory of fate to transcend temporal limitations and yield positive significance.