Abstract
Nam Nguyen is presenting a “Vietnamese Reading of the Master’s Classic: Phạm Nguyễn Du’s Humble Comments on the Analects as an Example of Transformative Learning.” Phạm Nguyễn Du’s influential text Humble Comments on the Analects (Luận Ngữ Ngu Án 論語愚按) is an outstanding example of a Vietnamese adaptation and reworking of an East Asian intellectual tradition. In organizing his work, Phạm departed from convention by rearranging the extant chapters of the Analects into four “books”: “Sage” (聖), “Learning” (學), “Official” (仕), and “Politics” (政). Moreover, Phạm placed particular emphasis on the “Learning” book, and thus underscored his contention that the classic text had a distinctive relevance and meaning in eighteenth-century Vietnam. Phạm’s composition of the Humble Comments thus presents a fascinating example of transformative learning in which the author questions his old assumptions about the world and himself, puts forward new propositions, and elaborates these propositions via an original reading of a classic. Through the analysis of Phạm Nguyễn Du’s life and his auto-preface to the Humble Comments, one can also gain a better view of the picture of Vietnamese reception of Zhu Xi’s neo-Confucianism, or more particularly, of the dictum of “learning for the sake of one’s self” (為己之學), read in the light of Chu’s thought in eighteenth-century Vietnam.
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Notes
- 1.
In his preface to the Humble Comments on the Analects, Phạm also indicated that he was reinstated into the Hanlin Academy as commissioner in 1778.
- 2.
- 3.
For the original texts of the four “General Statements,” see Appendix B at the end of the paper.
- 4.
This reminds us of the relationship between Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Song Neo-Confucianism.
- 5.
Zengzi 曾子 said, “Every day I examine myself on three points: whether if I may have been unfaithful when transacting business for others; whether if I may have been insincere when interacting with friends; and whether if I may have not practiced what I have learned.” (Analects, “Xue er”).
- 6.
When Yan Yuan 顏淵 asked about benevolence, the Master said, “To subdue one’s self and return to propriety” (keji fuli 克己復禮). Yan ventured to ask about the steps of the process. The Master responded, “Do not look at what is inappropriate to propriety; do not listen to what is inappropriate to propriety; do not speak what is inappropriate to propriety; and do not take any action that is inappropriate to propriety.” (Analects, “Yan Yuan”).
- 7.
The original reads, 夫「仕」字從「士」從「人」, 蓋非士非人, 誠不足以言仕也。
- 8.
The original reads, 政者, 正也。
- 9.
The original reads, 應無所住而省其心。
- 10.
The entire chapter reads, “The young generation is awesome. How can we know that the coming generation will not be equal to the present one? But if a person at the age of forty or fifty has still not been heard of, he should not be in awe of either.” (後生可畏, 焉知來者之不如今也?四十、五十而無聞焉, 斯亦不足畏也已.)
- 11.
The original reads, 以警人, 使及時勉學也。
- 12.
In “Luzhai xue’an”, the phrase originally reads as 昔者授受,殊孟浪也.
- 13.
The original reads, 孔子曰:「生而知之者, 上也; 學而知之者, 次也; 困而學之, 又其次也; 困而不學, 民斯為下矣。」.James Legge translates this as follows, “Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and so, readily, get possession of knowledge, are the next. Those who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning, are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and yet do not learn––they are the lowest of the people.” (Chinese Text Project 2017)
- 14.
All emphases mine.
- 15.
The original reads, 知仁勇三者, 天下之達德也, 所以行之者一也。或生而知之, 或學而知之, 或困而知之, 及其知之, 一也。Emphasis mine. (Chinese Text Project 2017.)
- 16.
The Humble Comments, Book of “Learning”, vol. 7; the original read, 人有四等氣質, 然均之秉彝好德之民。故困而學可以至於生知。變化氣質非學不能也。困而不學, 乃終於困, 名曰民而實非民矣。
- 17.
The original reads, 君子小人其初皆具天理之性。保其理則上而為君子。失其理則下而為小人。毫釐一分, 天壤自隔。
- 18.
The original reads, 困, 謂有所不通。言人之氣質不同, 大約有此四等。楊氏曰:「生知學知以至困學, 雖其質不同, 然及其知之一也。故君子惟學之為貴。困而不學, 然後為下。」
- 19.
The original reads, 科舉之學與義理之學不同。義理之學必自博而之約, 科舉之學則主於約。故取經傳之全而節之。
- 20.
The original reads, 科舉之學專於理會文字, 往往節而約之以優記誦、備決科。
- 21.
“Yong ye 雍也” (6:13) of the Analects: 子謂子夏曰:「女為君子儒, 無為小人儒。」
- 22.
The original reads, 孔孟之後, 世之學為如者多矣, 惟其立心偽而不真, 故其學只為名譽利祿, 不於自己分上事。蓋為學則同於君子而操心則入於小人, 所爭理欲一毫之間, 遂有君子小人兩樣之別。
- 23.
Tồn Am is the literary name of Bùi Huy Bích. The poem is in the collection called Anthology of Poetry from the Imperial Việt (Hoàng Việt thi tuyển 皇越詩選), also compiled by Bùi.
- 24.
Gao Yao was the legal officer of the legendary emperor Shun, who also appointed Kui as the music master.
- 25.
The original reads, 子曰:「古之學者為己, 今之學者為人。」(“Xianwen 憲問”, Analects, 14:24). Zhu Xi’s original line reads, 其說多矣, 然未有如此言之切而要者 (Collected Commentaries).
- 26.
The original reads, 大抵觀書先須熟讀, 使其言皆若出於吾之口; 繼以精思, 使其意皆若出於吾之心, 然後可以有得爾。
- 27.
The original reads, 而今未說讀得注, 且只熟讀正經. As a breakthrough, the first and direct reading of a text requires great effort, and the consultation of commentaries should only come later. Zhu Xi reminds us that, “You must take the classical text and read it till you’ve become intimately familiar with it. Savor each and every word until you know its taste. If there are passages you don’t understand, ponder them deeply, and if you still don’t get them, then read the commentaries––only then will the commentaries have any significance” (Zhu 1990, 155).
- 28.
Lập Trai 立齋 is the literary name of Phạm Quý Thích 范貴適 (1760–1825), who passed the civil service examination and earned the title “presented scholar,” jinshi 進士, at the age of 19 in 1779. Like Phạm Nguyễn Du, he was uncooperative with the Tây Sơn. The poem can be found in Tồn Am Bùi Huy Bích. (2007). Hoàng Việt Thi Tuyển. Hà Nội: Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Quốc học - Văn học Publisher, pp. 1044–1049.
- 29.
The chapter reads, “The Master was put in fear in Kuang. He said, ‘After the death of King Wen, was not the cause of truth lodged here in me? If Heaven had wished to let this cause of truth perish, then I, a future mortal, should not have got such a relation to that cause. While Heaven does not let the cause of truth perish, what can the people of Kuang do to me?’” (Chinese Text Project 2017)
- 30.
Here is Zhu Xi’s description of what was happening in his time, “But in today’s world what fathers encourage in their sons, what older brothers exhort in their younger brothers, what teachers impart to their students, and what students all study for is nothing more than to prepare for the civil service examinations” (de Bary 1991, 32).
- 31.
There are a number of essays written in the same vein, such as Pang 2010, 8–9.
- 32.
Chapter 19.2 (“Zizhang 子張”) from the Analects reads, “Zi Zhang said, “When a man holds fast to virtue, but without seeking to enlarge it, and believes in right principles, but without firm sincerity (信道不篤), what account can be made of his existence or non-existence?” (Chinese Text Project 2017; emphasis mine).
- 33.
The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) records a conversation between Confucius and Zilu 子路 on energy (qiang 強), in which the Master states, “The superior man cultivates a friendly harmony, without being weak. How firm is he in his energy! He stands erect in the middle, without inclining to either side (中立而不倚). How firm is he in his energy!” (Chinese Text Project 2017; emphasis mine).
- 34.
The original reads, 知學為為己, 則能切實用力, 然後能信道愈篤, 然後能中立不倚, 然後能達權與變。至是已為聖人之事矣。
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Appendices
Appendices
8.1.1 Appendix A
Phạm Nguyễn Du’s
“Preface” to the Humble Comments on the Analects.
(from Luận Ngữ Ngu Án 論語愚案, preserved in the library of the Institute of Han-Nom Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam, VHV.349/1–2)
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8.1.2 Appendix B
8.1.2.1 “General Statements on the Sage”
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8.1.2.2 “General Statements on Learning”
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8.1.2.3 “General Statements on Official”.
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8.1.2.4 “General Statements on Politics”.
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Nguyen, N. (2020). A Vietnamese Reading of the Master’s Classic: Phạm Nguyễn Du’s Humble Comments on the Analects – As an Example of Transformative Learning. In: Reichenbach, R., Kwak, DJ. (eds) Confucian Perspectives on Learning and Self-Transformation. Contemporary Philosophies and Theories in Education, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40078-1_8
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