Outline of ghosts and gods

To understand a nation, we must understand its concept of ghosts and gods. After all, isn't life all life and death? I don't need to say more about what happened before his death; After death, because of its mysterious and illusory nature, it strongly attracts the ancestors of every nation. "What a ghost does is what it says" (Erya). The question is, whether the "people" who are alive and kicking can still feel alive and kicking after returning home is really worrying. It is said that when Zigong asked Confucius if the dead knew, Confucius humorously replied, "If you want to know the dead, you must be ignorant first, and it is not too late to die." (Liu Xiang's Shuo Yuan) Unfortunately, there are not many people in the world who are as knowledgeable as Confucius. Ordinary people "have nothing to worry about" insist on arguing about this mystery until their death.

In the eyes of ordinary people, "ghost" and "god" are very different. It harms the world, so fear, escape and drive it out of the country; The latter protects the world, so he respects, worships and prays for his blessing. "Fear" and "respect", "rush" and "seeking" are two psychological genes for human beings to create mysterious foreign objects, but the former is actually a ghost and the latter is externalized as a god. In this way, "ghost" and "god" seem to be very different, and various words derived from it also have obvious emotional tendencies. "Ghost Domain" is different from "Shenzhou"; A gentleman must be a "god" and a villain can only be a "ghost"; Calling yourself "mysterious" and "mysterious" is not the same as calling yourself "ingenious" and "ingenious". Ghosts and gods can only be universal if it is emphasized that they are neither human nor human. For example, "ghost work" is "magic work", and "ghosts" and "ghosts and gods" are not divided into ghosts and gods. As for the most commonly used "ghosts and monsters" in the "Cultural Revolution", ghosts and gods cook the same pot.

There are also philosophers who try to distinguish between ghosts and gods, and their emphasis and ideas are naturally different from those of the general public. In the Han Dynasty, Wang Chong talked about ghosts and gods in terms of Yin and Yang, saying that "Yin Qi is rebellious, so he is called a ghost; Yang Qi caused things, so it is called God "(on balance). In Song Dynasty, Zhu endowed ghosts and gods with new meanings. Ghosts and gods are synonymous with flexion and extension, and have no religious meaning at all: "Qi comes from Yang and is God; The opposite of qi belongs to yin and is a ghost. God is before noon; It is a ghost in the afternoon. After the first day, he is a god; After sixteen, you are a ghost. The occurrence of vegetation is God; Fallen is a ghost. People are gods from small to large; Aging is a ghost. " ("Zhu Ziyu") To say that ghosts and gods have lost their original meaning: everything in the world is ghosts and gods, and ghosts and gods have no value of existence.

I don't want to distinguish between god and ghost, not because the extension of philosophers is too far and the definition of people is vague, but because I think it is easier to say so. Originally, the psychology of artificial ghosts and gods, like two sides of a coin, cannot be completely separated. Anyway, in real life, there are many people who "regard ghosts as gods" or "turn gods into ghosts", and the boundary between ghosts and gods is not insurmountable. From the distance, ghosts and gods are often used together in pre-Qin classics, and there is no distinction between high and low, such as "ghosts and gods are impermanent to enjoy" in Shangshu, "ghosts and gods are not true relatives" in Zuozhuan, "offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods" in the Book of Rites and "staying away from ghosts and gods" in The Analects of Confucius. Ghosts and gods in the pre-Qin era seem to have the same power and enjoy the same awe and sacrifice. Moreover, it is a matter for scholars to analyze the development and changes of the concept of ghosts and gods in detail and define them accurately. As for the literati talking about ghosts and gods, it is not necessary to be too serious and rigid in the application of concepts. Otherwise, the article may have neither "magic power" nor "ghost axe", leaving only a pile of vernacular. In other words, if it is a scientific paper, the first requirement is "the argument is correct". According to the thinking of most modern people who have been baptized by science, it is naturally the best to publicize atheism or tell stories that are not afraid of ghosts. As a literary prose, it doesn't matter whether there is a ghost or not, the key is how to say it, not what to say. As long as the article is beautifully written, it can be said that there are ghosts and that there are no ghosts. Are readable. Interestingly, most talented and interesting essays don't talk about ghosts and non-ghosts, but "those who doubt ghosts and gods kiss them"-in ghost stories, there is a sarcastic tone from time to time. Perhaps, those who insist on the theory of ghosts and gods, those who devote themselves to the theory of ghosts and gods, can't help but be too angry, have a strong sense of preaching, and are rarely comfortable, so they are naturally impetuous when writing essays.

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Zhou Zuoren once said in On Ghosts that he has two hobbies with different positions on ghost stories, one is literature and the other is folklore. For China writers in the 20th century, we should add a third hobby: realistic political struggle. Talking about ghosts from the perspectives of art appreciation, folklore and realistic struggle is of course quite different. It shouldn't be just because its angle is different, but it doesn't mean that it can't be praised or criticized. We just have to remember that there are still differences among sociology, folklore and literature and art. For China writers in the 20th century, life is so tense and serious that they seldom have leisure, as Zhou Zuoren recited, "Listening to ghosts in the street all day". No wonder Zhou's poem "Fifty Years of Life" aroused the anger of so many radical youths. In reality, ghosts and gods are harming people, so I really don't have the heart to appreciate them. So, the writer picked up the pen, hit God when he met God, and drove out ghosts when he met ghosts. Although ghosts and gods can't be extinct, they have fulfilled the writer's social responsibility.

Later generations may not understand why writers of this era are keen to write essays as "popular science books", and even put forward the slogan that "understanding ghosts is destroying ghosts", which is really too elegant compared with Su Dongpo's "listening to his words by mistake" and Zhou Zuoren's "talking about ghosts and saying vulgarity". Chen Duxiu's words partially answered this question: "The theory of ghosts and gods in China is rich, and those who dominate the hearts of the whole country should take this unconscious religious concept as the most powerful." (Questioning the Theory of Ghosts) Modern writers in China, who are committed to social progress, have to ask science to exorcise ghosts-although they know that this is not poetic. Yes, from a distance, the theory of ghosts and gods is quite poetic "With ghosts, the universe is mysterious and meaningful" (Xu's "Beautiful Eating"). However, when the concept of ghosts and gods entangles people's hearts and becomes a huge obstacle to the development of China, it is imperative to pretend to be ghosts, and writers have no right to stand by, let alone protect them. Breaking superstition in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China and liquidating the modern God-making movement in the 1980s were all aimed at liberating people's souls. Whether such a huge social change is quite poetic from the perspective of human development history-of course, it is another matter to implement it in every article.

It goes without saying that literati talk about ghosts and gods. Ancient China literati left too many notes, poems, novels and operas, which made people's fingers itch. Although there are differences between ghosts, taking ghosts as a play and taking ghosts as teachers (Qing Liu's Chang Tan), talking about ghosts can entertain people as well as themselves. I don't think anyone denies this. Li Jinfa lamented: "When I was a child, I was surprised and loved when I heard ghost stories! What a pity, it can't be saved! " The reason why it is "irreversible" is that it has accepted modern science and no longer believes in ghosts and gods. If abandoning ghosts and gods is conducive to social progress, then we should not complain about the lack of "surprise and love" stimulation. This is also the reason why scholars in this century, although many like to talk about ghosts and gods, mostly restrain or even voluntarily give up this hobby.

In the mid-1930s, The Analects of Confucius magazine planned to issue a special issue of ghost stories. It took only fifteen days from the issuance of the essay notice to the official publication of the special issue, and the manuscript fee was actually enough for two issues, which shows that the literati are very interested in ghosts. In addition to Zhou Zuoren, there have been ghost writers before and after, such as Lao She, Feng Zikai, Liang Shiqiu, Li Jinfa, Shi Zhecun, Cao Juren, Lao Xiang, Chen Quan, Xu are not experts in ghost studies, but they are all in disguise. Many people no longer talk about ghosts, perhaps not because they are no longer interested in ghosts, but because the problem of ghosts and gods is basically a political issue in China in the twentieth century, not a cultural issue. If you don't pretend to be a ghost and don't keep your mouth shut, there will rarely be a "sketch mentality" of talking nonsense and letting it go. In the 1930s, there was a wonderful and culturally meaningful discussion about ghosts, and most other people debated it from a political perspective. No matter whether the "ghost-fighting movement" of various names is true or false, even making up a "story not afraid of ghosts" or discussing a ghost play may be a signal or sign of a political struggle. In this way, talking about ghosts and gods has become a major event in governing the country and safeguarding the country, and there is no doubt for simple essayists. You can say it reluctantly, but you can preach with a straight face, which is a bit dull.

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Li Shangyin's poem Jia Sheng made many talented people feel deeply. In the 20th century, those who pretended to be "Jia Sheng's talents are more incoherent" did not dare to expect to "announce their talents and see the ministers". Even so, not talking about ghosts and gods still makes people timid and even instinctively disgusted. There are many ancient literati who like to talk about ghosts, such as Su Shi, Pu Songling, Ji Yun and Yuan Mei. However, it is said that either they have different opinions or they entrust grievances. What about today? In fact, modern people are no exception. It's all about asking people questions. Just when the special issue of Ghost Story was published, someone wrote an article debunking this enough paper, revealing the sadness of talking about ghosts and not talking about state affairs. The conclusion is that "the rogue among the guests talks about ghosts, but he doesn't feel gloomy" (Chen Zizhan's "The Sorrow of the Ghost Talker").

The notice of "don't talk about state affairs" is hung high in the tea shed, but "talking about ghosts in the daytime" is not prohibited; Newspapers and periodicals demand unity of public opinion, but it is also advisable to say "nonsense" occasionally. It is an explanation that you have no right to ask people, so you have to talk about ghosts and gods. I have no right to ask people directly, so I have to pretend to talk about ghosts and gods at leisure. This is another explanation. Modern writers in China have no intention of worldly life, so they often talk about worldly life through ghosts and gods. Lu Xun's Ghosts in Hell (Lost Hell), Lao She's Everywhere Annoying Ghosts (Ghosts and Foxes), Zhou Zuoren's Beasts and Fools Attached to Many Living People (Our Enemies), and Li Boyuan's Sex maniac, gambler, drunkard and opium smoker. Wu Zhao, a Qing Dynasty man, had long said in the title of Ghost Fun Map: "Please try to talk about Yan Fu's world. In the end, there are many people and ghosts? "

Regardless of the author's intention, readers tend to listen to ghost stories as human words and read them as human words, so it is not difficult to taste innuendo, allegory or nonexistent hints and extensions in the text. Even if a purely entertaining ghost story is misunderstood as a meaningful political fable, it is not surprising, because the "ghost world" is an imitation and allegory of "human". As Cao Juren said: "It is also very sad to design the Yamaraja Temple for ghosts, create heaven and hell, and create ghost towns and ghost towns;" Because this is another mirage with human as the manuscript "(Ghost Arrow Stack). Generally speaking, "it's always difficult to talk about things involving' people', and it's relatively safe to say' ghosts'" (Huang Miaozi's Interesting Ghost Map and its Inscription). However, there are exceptions. Speaking of ghosts may be the safest or the most dangerous, because ghost stories are inherently vague and ironic. When political isolation and mass trial prevail in society and the author has no right to interpret, ghost stories may disappear. Who can prove that your creation is not "insinuating reality and venting dissatisfaction"? Can "ghost" prove it?

There is another kind of ghost, which can't be said to have nothing to do with ordinary people, but it is far from real politics, that is, from the perspective of cultural anthropology, using ghosts and gods to spy on a nation's mind. It is different from talking about people with ghosts and gods, but talking about people with ghosts or studying "people" with ghosts. This requires more understanding, more sympathy, more cultural significance and knowledge, not just feelings. Zhou Zuoren put it well: "I don't believe that people die as ghosts, but I believe that there are people behind ghosts." I don't know what Erqi's goodness is. Ghosts are the projection of strangers' fears and fears. " ("The Growth of Ghosts") Although as early as the first century AD, the philosopher Wang Chong said that ghosts originated from people's hearts: "Where there are ghosts between heaven and earth, there are inhuman spirits; All people will miss and think (On Balance). However, Wang Chong focuses on the theory of ghosts, while Zhou Zuoren focuses on the cultural and psychological background of ghosts. There is still a big difference between them. In theory, Zhou Zuoren has made no achievements, and the western anthropologist Lai Ze, whom he repeatedly quoted, has a more detailed analysis of this. However, as a knowledgeable essayist, he realized that "there is someone behind the ghost" and that "listening to people telling stories about ghosts means listening to their heart-to-heart conversations" (The Growth of Ghosts). He found many descriptions about ghosts in China's ancient books, from which he understood the sincerity of the Chinese nation from a specific angle. Many ghost stories compiled and analyzed by Zhou, as well as these essays about ghost stories, are really "extremely interesting and meaningful things" as they say. Regarding the purpose and method of this work, Zhou Zuoren made it clear: "We like to know about ghosts and their lives, and search from all aspects of customs in the literature, so as to know a little about human feelings that are not easy to know, in other words, for people in ghosts. "The brilliant classics handed down from generation to generation certainly contain the soul of a nation; Don't the concepts of ghosts and gods and their related rituals, which can be active in the folk and unpretentious halls, also represent the secret world in the depths of a nation's soul? Scholars have always attached importance to the former, while the significance of the latter in the study of ideological history has not been universally recognized. Of course, we can't expect the essayist to make much academic contribution, but this kind of prose about ghosts and gods has really aroused people's cultural interest in ghosts and gods. To borrow a sentence from Wang Zengqi, "We should understand our nation" (jellyfish), so we can't leave ghosts and gods behind. In this respect, essayists still seem to have much to offer.

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At the beginning of this century, just as new scholars were urging gods to kill ghosts, Lin Shu translated Shakespeare's plays and Haggard's novels with "meaning and words often depend on strange". In order to show that literary works devoted to ghosts and gods still have their value of existence, Lin Shu listed two reasons. First, although the theory of ghosts and gods is barbaric, it can be the opposite of barbarism, that is, civilization. Knowing the barbaric and harmful places, you will know the degree of civilization "(the remainder of the translation of Anatomy of Egyptian Golden Pagoda); One is the separation of church and state, and Qiang Bing, a rich country, "began to entertain his thoughts and articles in leisure. Although Hargreaves and Shakespeare are old-fashioned and entrusted by monsters, civilized people are calm and don't think they are sick (preface to Singing Marginal Dialects). As the old saying goes, the former is cognitive meaning and the latter is literary value.

Thirty years later, Liang Shiqiu talked about ghosts in Shakespeare's works, but he only affirmed that ghosts are very useful techniques in Shakespeare's plays, and said that "if Shakespeare had been born in modern times, he would not have written these ghosts" (On Ghosts in Shakespeare's Works). Perhaps the average reader has not really got rid of the shackles of the concept of ghosts and gods, and it is difficult to objectively examine the emergence and development of ghosts and gods from the perspective of cultural anthropology, so there should not be too many ghosts and gods in literary works. Speaking of ancient ghost poems, ghost paintings, ghost plays and ghost novels, writers generally hold an appreciation attitude, but when it comes to contemporary creation, they are much more cautious and dare not express their opinions casually. "If a good ghost can inspire people's fighting spirit and appear on the stage several times, what harm will it have?" This is very wise. Don't forget, there is a premise: "There are ghosts and gods in previous operas, which are also objective, and there is no way to think about them." In other words, Liao Mosha must be just a ghost in an old play. As for whether ghosts and gods can appear in plays describing modern life, he still dare not answer directly.

We really need to consider the acceptance level of readers in China. Theoretically, ghosts and gods may appear in modern drama, because this is only a dispensable artistic skill, which does not represent the writer's ideological level, let alone "propaganda superstition". But in fact, screenwriters rarely do this, because the scale is really difficult to grasp. When talking about "zombies" in Chinese and foreign literature, Zhou Zuoren said that this kind of elf belief "is actually harmful to cultural development, but from an artistic point of view, we can glimpse human sadness or terror in strange legends, which is not meaningless" (foreign body in literature and art). On the other hand, if we don't appreciate it calmly from an artistic perspective, the legends of ghosts and gods may still be "quite harmful to cultural development". Knowing the overall cultural level of China readers in the 20th century and the enlightenment consciousness of China writers, it is not difficult to understand why writers are indecisive and ambiguous about ghosts and gods in contemporary creation. It was not until the mid-1980s that this situation changed.

As for why ghosts and gods are called one, in this century's prose, ghosts are obviously valued more than gods. I think there are at least two noteworthy reasons: one is the human touch of ghosts, and the other is the chic mentality required by prose. It is no longer "away from ghosts and gods". In fact, people have long worshipped God and exorcised ghosts. Modern people may worship God or criticize God. What * * * has in common is to go to extremes, or to absolutely beautify or vilify God. Therefore, the image of God is very impersonal, and writers are inevitably too serious when they put pen to paper. For ghosts, this is not the case. You may be afraid or laugh at them. However, because of their popularity, you might as well Doby them. It is said that death is a ghost and a "natural change", and there is no need to apply for selection; People who are gods after death may not meet once in a hundred years. It can be seen that ghosts are closer to the world and more human than God. Legend has it that people have ghosts, and there are ghosts among people, sometimes even people and ghosts are indistinguishable; It is human nature and reasonable for writers to tell such ghost stories. It's a little mysterious, but it's much easier after all. This unrestrained and relaxed state of mind is undoubtedly more suitable for the production of prose sketches.

Although writers have repeatedly mentioned the role of ghosts and gods in artistic creation, they have not actually studied it seriously. Lao She only talked about ghosts and gods can "cause a kind of terror, deliberately supply an artificial tremor, so that people with empty hearts have something to tremble at the thought-taking a cold bath of nerves" (Ghost Fox); However, it is ironic to use the "five changes" of ghost stories in Shao's analytical literary works. If there is anything worthy of attention in the study of ghosts in literature and art by essayists in this century, it is many writers' comments on Luo Liangfeng's "The Funny Picture of Ghosts", as well as Lu Xun's description of impermanence and the image of hanging women in Mulian's plays. With the help of Lu Xun's unique feelings and vivid writing style, this spectre-like female pendant, wearing a red shirt, a long black vest, long hair and two paper ingots hanging around her neck, which is ready for revenge, has strongly shocked the hearts of millions of modern readers. The human feelings in this ghost drama are easily understood by "inferior people"; However, Luo Liangfeng's "Ghost Fun Map" and various inscriptions and postscript are more appreciated by literati. Modern writers fail to explain the artistic features of ghost poems, ghost paintings and ghost plays in theory, but it is still worth pondering to introduce and comment on some literary works with ghosts as the object of expression ―― there is a generation of literati who have potential and strong interest in ghosts and gods and "ghost literature and art".