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Tang Yao’s materials and historical allusions about Tang Yao’s renunciation
About Tang Yao
Tang Yao was born to Qingdu, the daughter of Chen Feng, the second concubine of Emperor Ku. His surname was Qi, his name was Fangxun, his name was Tao Tang, and his posthumous name was Yao. Yao has virtuous virtue, like the cultivation of heaven, the subtlety of God, and the light of the sun shining on the world.
The virtuous Yao is deeply loved by people. Legend has it that Yao once set up officials to control the seasons of heaven and earth, observe the celestial phenomena, formulate the calendar, respect the time of the people, consult the four mountains, use the gun to control the water, conquer the Miao people, and implement a fair criminal law. Yao’s implementation of the above-mentioned measures enabled all states to coexist in harmony and have friendly exchanges. Yao chose Shun as his successor, and Shun succeeded him after his death. This is the renunciation of Confucianism in the Warring States period.
Birth of Tang Yao
Yao, the sage king in ancient Chinese legend, surnamed Yi Qi, named Fangxun. Because he was sealed in the Tang Dynasty, he was called “Tang Yao”, and both “Shangshu” and “Historical Records” said his name was Fangxun. Descendants also said that his name was Tao Tang and his surname was Yiqi, so he was also called Tang Yao.
Legend has it that the third wife of the ancient emperor was Qingdu, and she was the daughter of Marquis Yiqi. After Qingdu got married, she still stayed with her mother’s family. At the end of the first month of spring this year, the old couple of Yiqihou took Qingdu on a boat for sightseeing. Above the Three Rivers, at noon, a gust of wind suddenly blew up, and a red cloud rolled into the sky, forming a tornado on the boat, as if a red dragon was flying in the whirlwind. The old couple were terrified, but their daughter, Qingdu, seemed to be nonchalant, smiling at the red dragon.
In the evening, the wind stopped and the clouds dispersed, and the red dragon disappeared. On the way back by boat the next day, a strong wind blew again, and the red cloud appeared again, but the red dragon appeared again, but it was smaller, about ten feet long. Because it did not wreak havoc on others, the old couple was less afraid.
At night, the old couple fell asleep, but Ke Qing couldn’t sleep. She closed her eyes and couldn’t help but pursed her lips and laughed. The hazy yin and wind were all around, and the red dragon rushed on her, and she was confused. When he woke up, there was still stench of saliva foam on his body, and there was a painting full of saliva foam beside him. On it was a red portrait with a sharp face and plump bottom, eight eyebrows, long hair, and a letter: God bless you. .
She hid the picture, and since then, Qingdu has been pregnant. She lived in Danling, and after fourteen months, gave birth to a son. Qingdu took out the pictures and texts left by Chilong and saw that his son was born exactly like the person on the picture. Emperor Ku heard that Qingdu gave birth to a son for him. He should have been happy, but his mother died just when the son was born. Di Ku was a filial son, and he cried to tears for his mother’s death. How could he be happy?
He served his mother filial piety for three consecutive years, but he did not care about Qingdu and his son. Qingdu took his son to live with his parents and raised his son until he was ten years old before letting him return to his father’s side. This child is the later Di Yao. Therefore, when Emperor Yao was young, he first took the surname of his grandfather’s family as Yiqi (Qi), and later was also called Tao Tang.
Tang Yao gave way
The legend of Yao is most praised, because he did not pass on his sons, but passed on sages.
Emperor Yao and Si Yue discussed the issue of succession. Emperor Yao said: “Siyue, I have been on the throne for seventy years. Who among you can inherit the mandate of heaven and succeed the emperor?” The four Yues answered in unison, “We are vulgar and immoral, and cannot humiliate the sacred throne.” Emperor Yao said: “Then, please recommend close relatives and noble relatives and people who are virtuous and talented in hiding!”
Everyone unanimously recommended: “There is a folk widower named Yu Shun.” Emperor Yao said: “Oh , I’ve heard of it. What is this man like?” Si Yue said: “He is the son of a blind man. His father is stubborn, his mother is arrogant, and his younger brother is arrogant, but he can make the family harmonious with filial piety and prevent troubles.” Di Yao said “Then let him try!” So Emperor Yao married his two daughters Ehuang and Nuying to Shun to observe his virtue. Shun asked the second concubine to return to the house of Guirui (the name of the river, present-day Shanxi), to serve her in-laws, and to practice women’s ways.
Emperor Yao was very satisfied, and asked his nine sons to follow Shun to observe his ability to handle social affairs. Emperor Yao dispatched Shun to coordinate the five human relations among the people: father righteousness, mother kindness, brother and friend, brother respect, and son filial piety.
Emperor Yao also sent Shun to take turns to serve in several government offices. Shundu fulfilled his duties and formulated a system to make the administration of the various officials formalized. Emperor Yao also sent Shun to receive tribal chiefs and envoys from all directions. Shun’s attitude was strict and harmonious, and he handled things properly. The envoys admired the Chinese dynasty. Emperor Yao sent Shun to the mountains, forests and rivers, and in the storm, Shun did not lose his way.
Yao felt that if power was passed on to Shun, the people of the world would benefit, but it would be bad for Danzhu; if power was passed on to Danzhu, it would benefit Danzhu, but not the people of the world. He thought, “I can’t let all the people in the world suffer and only benefit one person!”
So he summoned Shun and said, “You plan things in a detailed and thoughtful manner, and your words and opinions have achieved practical results. After three years of probation, you will become God. Take your place!” Shun pretended to decline: “My virtue is not enough, and I still feel that I can’t safely take on the great responsibility.” In the end, Shun accepted Yao’s concession and ascended to the position of co-lord.
There are also records in some ancient books that Emperor Yao was instigated by Shun and thought that his son Dan Zhu was not good enough and could not hand over the world to him. Shun asked people to recommend himself in front of Yao, making Yao feel that Shun was very wise, and finally Yao decided to hand over power to Shun.
In addition, Yao had planned to give the world to Xu You, but Xu You did not accept it, and Yao wanted to give the world to the father of Zizhou, but the father of Zizhou did not accept it.
Yao’s legend
“Historical Records” says: “His benevolence is like the sky, his knowledge is like a god, he is like the sun, and he looks like a cloud.” Approaching him is like the sun, and looking at him from a distance is as brilliant as clouds. Rich but not arrogant, noble but not arrogant. Yellow hat, black clothes, red car and white horse.
“To be able to tame virtue, to be close to the nine clans”. He ordered Xi and He to determine and calculate the calendar, formulate the four-season age, and issue farming seasons to the people. The vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice were determined. When Yao was in power, the world flooded with soup, and he used Gun to control the water. After nine years of failure, he used Yu to control the flood.
Yao set up a drum of remonstrance, and let the people of the world do what they said; set up a wood of slander, and let the people of the world attack his faults. He ruled the world for fifty years, and asked whether the world ruled or not? Do the people love themselves or not? I don’t know about left and right, and I don’t know about the court and the wild. So he visited the people in a low profile, and an old man was holding food, his stomach was full, and he tapped the ground and sang: “I work at the sunrise, I breathe when the sun rises, I dig a well to drink, and I plow the fields to eat. What is the power of Dili to me? .” This ancient poem is called “Range Strike”. According to the “Bamboo Book Chronicle”, Shun exiled Yao to Pingyang and imprisoned him. He first established Danzhu as emperor, and then seized the throne.
Regarding Shun’s coercion of Yao’s father and son to abdicate, in ancient times, it was not only the case of the bamboo book, but Xunzi and Han Feizi in the Warring States Period also had similar views successively. Xunzi is right: “Husband said that Yao and Shun conceded conceit, it is a false statement, it is a legend of the shallow, and it is a statement of the poor.” And Han Feizi said doubts: “Shun forced Yao, Yu forced Shun, Tang Fang Jie, Wu Wang attacked Zhou, These four people are the people who kill their monarchs.”
The Shanhaijing, which is about the same period of time when the book was written, is also called Danzhu the emperor (the mountain of Cangwu, Emperor Shun was buried in Yang, and Emperor Danzhu was buried in Yin). ), indirectly denying Yao’s point of view that he directly gave Shun the position of meditation. Therefore, the later Jizhong Suo language was based on the bamboo book chronology, and questioned this: “Shun put Yao in Yang, and the book said that there was a city in a certain place, and the name of the prisoner Yao was known. Based on Siyi’s theory, it is quite Zen Suspected.”
From a practical point of view, even if Yao thought that Dan Zhu was unworthy (“Mencius: Wanzhang Shang”: “Dan Zhu is unworthy, so is the son of Shun.”) and had his own personal idea of letting the country go, but still It must face the opposition of the entire family interest group, because in the case of limited space resources, this move will involve abrupt redistribution of rights and resources, and will inevitably lead to disputes between old and new groups.
Therefore, even if Shun accepted Zen’s point of view, there are records that Sanmiao refused to accept it, and Shun launched a war to solve it. In any case, with the development of Confucianism and the adoption of a single view of history after the Western Han Dynasty, the argument that Shun forced Yao gradually disappeared and was not taken seriously.
“Shi Tong Suspicion of the Ancients” quoted the article “Jizhong Suoyu”: “In the past, Yao’s morality declined, and he was imprisoned by Shun.”
According to legend, Yao ordered Yi to kill him for ten days, and the Xia people united with the still clan and the Yu clan to take revenge, destroy the Ge, destroy the past, kill the water, and the city of King Yao became a ruin.
