Questioning Confucius

Wang ChongThe Commercial Press · ChinaJul 2024

4.4

Word count: 8.1K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In the Eastern Han, Confucianism was further divinized, and Confucius was exalted as a sage and a god. The prevailing mood was to trust teachers and revere antiquity, holding that nothing the worthies and sages said was wrong. Wang Chong, though he considered Confucius broadly learned and morally lofty, also held that the words of worthies and sages often contradict each other and that their writings frequently undercut one another, so that they are not beyond reproach. Disregarding the blind veneration of Confucius at court and in the countryside, he posed hard questions to Confucius. "To press Confucius with hard questions—what harm does it do to righteousness?" "To attack Confucius's doctrines—what does it violate in reason?" He advocated a habit of getting to the root of things in study. To clarify a question, he held, one must dare to disagree with one's teacher, dare to "reject the teacher," and dare to say what the sage did not say: "It is not necessary to wait for the sage's instruction before daring to speak." Though some of Wang Chong's examples and criticisms are not entirely apt, his spirit is most valuable. That the sage is a man, not a god—this attitude still has positive significance today and is worth inheriting and carrying forward.

Editor's review

Wen Kong pian is one of the sharpest chapters in Wang Chong's Lunheng. In the Eastern Han, Confucius was progressively divinized, and the view that nothing the worthies and sages said was wrong prevailed; Wang Chong, however, began from places where the sage's words contradicted themselves and undercut one another, and questioned him point by point. He held that in reading one should get to the root of things, dare to disagree with one's teacher, dare to "reject the teacher," and dare to say what the sage never said. His specific examples and arguments are not all apt, but the attitude that "the sage is a man, not a god," together with the scholarly spirit of refusing to follow authority blindly and weighing words by reason, remains instructive today. This facsimile of the original Republican-era Commercial Press imprint preserves the textual appearance of the old edition and is suitable as an introductory text for studying Wang Chong's thought and Han-dynasty scholarly criticism. In reading, grasp the logic of his argument rather than clinging to individual examples, and consult other chapters of the Lunheng and studies of Han Confucianism to see the whole picture.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of literature and history studying Han intellectual history, especially Wang Chong and the Lunheng
Readers interested in the tradition of skepticism and scholarly criticism in ancient China
Teachers and researchers needing material for classroom discussion or paper topics
Advanced readers with some classical Chinese who are willing to read argumentative prose closely

Not a good fit for

Beginners whose classical Chinese is not yet adequate and who need line-by-line vernacular translation and annotation
Introductory readers seeking a systematic and positive presentation of Confucius's thought
General readers seeking light entertainment and impatient with argumentative style

Reading tips

First understand the background of the divinization of Confucianism and the prevalence of apocryphal texts in the Eastern Han, then read the questioning passages, to grasp Wang Chong's target more easily.
Go through Wang Chong's examples and inferences section by section, distinguishing which are logical challenges and which are limited by the materials of his age, and annotate accordingly.
Read against chapters such as "Ci Meng" and "Fei Han" in the Lunheng to observe the consistency and limits of his critical method.
After reading, try restating his core claims in your own words to test whether you truly understand the measure of "rejecting the teacher" and "posing hard questions."

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

"Republic-era Commercial Press Original Editions" refers to original books printed by The Commercial Press during the Republican period, not a separate publishing house. Judging from the 300 titles held in the collection, its publishing focus centers on classical poetry and lyrics, literary appreciation, classic works, military texts, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy. Representative titles include Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua, Zhong Rong's Shipin, the lyric collections of Xin Qiji and Liu Yong, Sun Wu's The Art of War, and Lü Buwei's Xianshi Lan. Its author resources are mainly classical writers, together with modern scholars such as Li Jingbang and Guo Huaruo, whose collations and annotations are also represented, giving the list a character centered on original texts while attending to annotation and appreciation. Public information on the precise Republican-era catalog and printings is limited; this overview is based only on the titles held in the collection.

版权信息
卷九问孔篇第二十八

FAQ

Is Wen Kong pian intended to refute Confucius?

No. Wang Chong acknowledged Confucius as broadly learned and morally lofty; what he opposed was the tendency to treat Confucius as a god and to hold that every word of the sage was without error. He targeted contradictions within specific passages and argued that words should be weighed by reason, rather than wholly repudiating Confucius and his teaching.

Do I need to read the whole Lunheng first?

Not necessarily. This chapter can be read on its own, but understanding is fuller if one knows the Lunheng's overall aim of "attacking falsehood" and the background of the divinization of Confucianism in the Han. It is advisable at least to look over the Lunheng's table of contents and a relevant scholarly introduction before reading this chapter closely.

Is the facsimile of the original imprint difficult to read?

It presents some difficulty. Original imprints generally lack punctuation and annotation and use old-style layout, requiring a foundation in classical Chinese and patience. For a first acquaintance, read a modern collated, annotated, and translated edition first; use the facsimile when you need to check the old text or make textual comparisons.

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About the author

Wang Chong Author · Chinese

Wang Chong (27–c. 97), courtesy name Zhongren, was a native of Shangyu in Kuaiji (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang). A thinker, literary critic, and atheist of the Eastern Han, he entered the Imperial Academy in Luoyang in his youth and studied under Ban Biao; later he left office, stayed at home, and devoted himself to writing. His representative work, the eighty-five-chapter Lunheng (Balanced Inquiries), criticizes Chenwei superstition and the theory of interactions between Heaven and humanity, advocates a naturalist theory of qi, and stands as an important representative of Han-dynasty materialist thought. Wang Chong valued evidence and analysis in his writing, often developing arguments through questions and debates in a plain but sharp style. The collection holds sixty-nine of his works, including such pieces as Shizhi pian, Wenkong pian, Ziran pian, Daoxu pian, Duizuo pian, and Hanwen pian, covering philosophy, social criticism, and literary appreciation. He championed independent thinking and opposed blind submission to authority, exerting a lasting influence on later thought and literary criticism.