Reading Notes about Fung Yu-lan’s A Short History of Chinese Philosophy: Part III, the major schools of Chinese philosophy

The chapter three of this book is very short, and Mr. Fung just quotes some introductions about Chinese philosophical schools from others.

From the fifth and third centuries B.C. there were so many different schools that we now refer them as the “hundred schools.” Later historians have attempted to make a classification of these schools, and the first one to do so was Si-ma Tan, who was the father of Si-ma Qian. He classified the six major schools as: the Yin-Yang chia or Yin-Yang school, the Confucianism, the Taoism, the Mo chia or Mohist school, the Ming chia or School of Names, and the Fa chia or Legalist school.

The second one who attempted to classify the schools was Liu Xin. He classified the major schools into ten, in which six are the same as those of Si-ma Tan, and the other four schools are the Zong-Heng chia or School of Diplomatists, Za chia or School of Eclectics, Nong chia or School of Agrarians, and Xiao-shuo chia or School of story Tellers. As Mr. Fung says, what is new in Liu Xin’s work is that he traces systematically the historical origins of the different schools for the first time in Chinese history.

In the opinion of Liu Xin, there was “no separation between officers and teachers” in the early Zhou dynasty. “In other words,” said by Mr. Fung, “the officers of a certain department of the government were at the same time the transmitters of the branch of learning pertaining to that department.”[1]In that days, there were only “official learning” but no “private learning.”

This had been changed when the Zhou royal house lost its power, and the officers scattered throughout the country because they lost their former positions in government. As Mr. Fung says, the officers, “they then turned to the teaching of their special branches of knowledge in a private capacity.”[2]From then on, the different schools arose. In Chinese language, the words “Xiao Ren” and “Shu Min” respectively means “small men” and “common people” or “the mass,” which is the contrastive social class to the feudal lords who has been called “Jun Zi”—this word literally means “sons of the kings,” but was also used as a common designation of the class of the feudal lords. In the old days, “Jun Zi” were the only people who owned the land and who only had the rights and opportunities to be educated. But with the trend that the education and teaching became private and no more official, the word “Jun Zi” became to mean a person who has accepted the education, and in spite of whether he comes from landlord class or common people class. As Mr. Fung says: “with this disintegration, the former official representatives of the various branches of learning became scattered among the common people.”[3]

According to Liu Xin’s theory, each school has its origin in some kind of official service. Liu Xin has a nice and concise description about the origins of those schools, and I have to say that by comparing the statements in ancient Chinese language of Liu Xin and the the translations in English of Mr. Fung, we may almost agree with that just as the German philosophy can only be expressed in German as well as the ancient Greek philosophy can only be expressed in ancient Greek, also, the Chinese philosophy can only be expressed in Chinese language. Following are the statements of Liu Xin in the book of History of the Former Han Dynasty and the translations of Mr. Fung:

The original 1: “儒家者流，蓋出于司徒之言伐厌〕谐瘢……游文于六經(jīng)之中，留意于仁義之際挣轨，祖述堯舜军熏，憲章文武，宗師仲尼卷扮，以重其言荡澎，于道最為高均践。孔子曰：‘如其所譽(yù)摩幔，其有所試彤委。’唐虞之隆或衡，殷商之盛焦影，仲尼之業(yè)，已試之效者也封断∷钩剑”

The translation 1: “The members of the Ju school had their origin in the Ministry of Education…This school delighted in the study of the Liu Yi[the Six Classics or six liberal arts] and paid attention to matters concerning human-heartedness and righteousness. They regarded Yao and Shun[two ancient sage emperors supposed to have lived in the twenty-fourth and twenty-third centuries B.C.] as the ancestors of their school, and King Wen[1120?-1108?B.C. of the Zhou dynasty] and King Wu[son of King Wen] as brilliant exemplars. To give authority to their teaching, they honored Chung-ni[Confucius] as an exalted teacher. Their teaching is the highest truth. ‘That which is admired must be tested.’ The glory of Yao and Shun, the prosperity of dynasties of Yin and Zhou, and the achievements of Chung-ni are the results discovered by testing their teaching.”

The original 2: “道家者流，蓋出于史官坡疼。歷記成敗彬呻、存亡、禍福回梧、古今之道废岂，然后知秉要執(zhí)本祖搓，清虛以自守狱意，卑弱以自持，……此其所長(zhǎng)也拯欧∠甓冢”

The translation 2: “Those of the Taoist school had their origin in the official historians. By studying the historical examples of success and failure, preservation and destruction, and calamity and prosperity, from ancient to recent times, they learned how to hold what is essential and emptiness, and with humbleness and meekness maintained themselves.…Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 3: “陰陽(yáng)家者流，蓋出于羲和之官镐作。敬順昊天藏姐，歷象日月星辰，敬授民時(shí)该贾，此其所長(zhǎng)也羔杨。”

The translation 3: “Those of the Yin-Yang school had their origin in the official astronomers. They respectfully followed luminous heaven, and the successive symbols of the sun and moon, the stars and constellations, and the divisions of times and seasons. Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 4: “法家者流杨蛋，蓋出于理官兜材。信賞必罰，以輔禮制逞力∈锕眩……此其所長(zhǎng)也】苡”

The translation 4: “Those of the Legalist school had their origin in the Ministry of Justice. They emphasized strictness in rewarding and punishing, in order to support a system of correct conduct. Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 5: “名家者流举庶，蓋出于禮官。古者名位不同揩抡，禮亦異數(shù)户侥《屏穑孔子曰：‘必也正名乎!名不正則言不順，言不順則事不成添祸。'此其所長(zhǎng)也滚粟。”

The translation 5: “These of the School of Names had their origin in the Ministry of Ceremonies. For the ancients, where titles and positions differed, the ceremonies accorded to them were also different. Confucius has said: ‘If names be incorrect, speech will not follow its natural sequence. If speech does not follow its natural sequence, nothing can be established.’ Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 6：“墨家者流刃泌，蓋出于清廟之守凡壤。茅屋采椽，是以貴儉耙替；養(yǎng)三老五更亚侠，是以兼愛(ài)；選士大射俗扇，是以上賢硝烂；宗祀嚴(yán)父，是以右鬼铜幽；順?biāo)臅r(shí)而行滞谢，是以非命；以孝視天下除抛，是以尚同：此其所長(zhǎng)也狮杨。”

The translation 6: “Those of the Mohist school had their origin in the Guardians of the Temple. The temple was built with plain wooden rafters and thatched roofs; hence their teaching emphasized frugality. The temple was the place where the Three Elders and Five Experienced Men were honored; hence their teaching emphasized universal love. The ceremony of selecting civil officials and that of military exercises were also held in the temple; hence their teaching emphasized the preferment of virtue and ability. The temple was the place for sacrifice to ancestors and reverence to fathers; hence their teaching was to honor the spirits. They accepted the traditional teaching of following the four seasons in one’s conduct; hence their teaching was against fatalism. They accepted the traditional teaching of exhibiting filial piety throughout the word; hence they taught the doctrine of ‘a(chǎn)greeing with the superior.’ Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 7：“縱橫家者流到忽，蓋出于行人之官橄教。孔子曰：‘誦《詩(shī)》三百喘漏，使于四方护蝶、不能顓對(duì)，雖多亦奚以為?’又曰：‘使乎!使乎!’言其當(dāng)權(quán)事制宜翩迈，受命而不受辭持灰。此其所長(zhǎng)也「核牵”

The translation 7: “Those of the Diplomatist school had their origin in the Ministry of Embassies.…[They taught the art of] following general orders[in diplomacy], instead of following literal instruction. Herein lies the strength of their teaching.”

The original 8：“雜家者流堤魁，蓋出于議官。兼儒墨绽族，合名法姨涡，知國(guó)體之有此，見(jiàn)王治之無(wú)不貫吧慢。此其所長(zhǎng)也涛漂。”

The tradition 8: “Those of the Eclectic school had their origin in the Couneillors. They drew both from the Confucianists and the Mohists, and harmonized the School of Names and the Legalists. They knew that the nation had need of each other, and saw that kingly government should not fail to unite all. Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 9：“農(nóng)家者流，蓋出于農(nóng)稷之官匈仗。播百谷瓢剿，勸耕桑，以足衣食悠轩〖淇瘢……此其所長(zhǎng)也』鸺埽”

The tradition 9: “Those of the Agricultural school had their origin in the Ministry of Soil and Grain. They taught the art of sowing the various kinds of grain and urged people to plow and to cultivate the mulberry so that the clothing and food of the people would be sufficient…Herein lies the strong point of this school.”

The original 10: “小說(shuō)家者流鉴象，蓋出于稗官。街談巷語(yǔ)何鸡、道聽(tīng)途說(shuō)者之所造也纺弊。……如或一言可采骡男，此亦芻堯狂夫之議也淆游。”

The translation 10: “Those of the School of Story Tellers had their origin in the Petty Offices. This school was created by those who picked up the talk of streets and alleys and repeated what they heard wherever they went.…Even if in their teaching but a single word can be chosen, still there is some contribution.”

In the opinion of Mr. Fung, the teachers of different Chia were specialists in varying different branches of learning and of the arts. Therefore he gives a summaries of above words that:

“Members of the Ju school had their origin in the literati.

“Members of? the Monist school had their origin in the knights.

“Members of the Taoist school had their origin in the hermits.

“Members of the School of Names had their origin in the debaters.

“Members of the Yin-Yang school had their origin in the practitioners of occult arts.

“Members of the Legalist school had their origin in the ‘men of methosds.”[4]

[1] Fung Yu-lan. A Short History of Chinese Philosophy. The Free Press, 1948, p.32.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.,P.36.

[4] Ibid.,p.37.