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The History of Fuxi

1. There are many ways of writing the name of Fuxi in ancient books. In addition to “Fuxi” (“Zhuangzi·The World”), there are “Fu Xi” (“Zhuangzi·The Great Master”), “Fu Xi” (“Fa Yan· Questions”), “Bao Xi” (“Book of Changes: Xie Xie”), “Mi Lian” (“Han Book of Ancient and Modern People”), “Pao Xi” (“Han Book of Lv Li Zhi Xia”), “Pao Xi” “Sacrifice” (“Shui Jing Note: Wei River”), “Consideration Xi” (“Guan Zi Feng Chan”) and so on.

A noteworthy problem is that, compared with the ancestors of the Chinese nation such as the Yellow Emperor, the Fuxi clan appeared later in the ancient classics. In the classics before the middle of the Warring States period, the “Analects”, “Mozi”, “Zuo Zhuan”, “Guoyu” and “Mencius” did not mention Fuxi. Even in the “Book of Mountains and Seas”, which records mythological figures and ancient emperors, there is still no place for Fuxi.

2. The earliest record of Fuxi is from the “Zhuangzi” in the middle and late Warring States Period. However, Zhuangzi is a master of ancient times. What Fuxi said is both false and real, and also a god and a human being. There are 5 records about Fuxi in Zhuangzi, 2 from the “Inner Chapter” and 3 from the “Outer Chapter”. In the “inner chapter” and “outer chapter”, Fuxi’s ranking among ancient emperors is different. The “Zhuangzi: The Human World”, which belongs to the “Inner Chapter”: “It is where all things change, Yu and Shun respond to things, and what Fuxi and Jiqu are doing, and what is going to be scattered!” Zhuangzi said here. Fuxi ranks after Yu and Shun.

“Zhuangzi: The Great Master”: “Husband Tao, there are feelings and trust, inaction and formlessness… When Wei Wei obtained it, he was able to grasp the world; when Fuxi obtained it, he followed the mother of the earth; when Wei struggled, he would not end up in ancient times; If the moon can get it, it will last forever; if it can be destroyed, it will attack Kunlun; if Feng Yi can get it, it will be used to swim the river; if it is acquired by Jianwu, it will be in the mountains; if it is acquired by the Yellow Emperor, it will climb to the sky; if it is acquired by Zhuanxu, it will be used in the mysterious world. Palace.”

Here it is said that “Dao” is invisible and infinite in function, Fu Wei used “Dao” to rectify the world, and Fuxi used “Dao” to reconcile vitality. In this passage, people and gods are mixed, the stars and the moon appear together, and it is very chaotic. Many commentators of “Zhuangzi” suspect that they were added by later generations. I don’t think it’s necessary to say that it was added to future generations, but at least it means that Fuxi has not yet deviated from the myth and became the ancestor of mankind.

3. The “outer chapter” of “Zhuangzi” has always been considered by the academic circles to be a gain from Zhuangzi’s post-study at the end of the Warring States Period or during the Qin and Han Dynasties. “Zhuangzi,”: “Do you not know the world of the most virtuous? In the past, the Rongcheng clan, the Dating clan, the Bohuang clan, the Zhongyang clan, the Lilu clan, the Lizhu clan, the Xuanyuan clan, the Hexu clan, the Zunlu clan Shi, Zhurong Shi, Fu Yan Shi, Shen Nong Shi, at that time, people tied ropes and used them, enjoying their food, beautifying their clothes, enjoying their customs, living in peace, neighboring countries facing each other, the sound of chickens and dogs. It is heard that the people do not communicate with each other until they grow old and die.”

Fuxi ranked after Xuanyuan Huangdi and before Shennong. “Zhuangzi Shanxing”: “Due to the decline of morality, and Sui Ren, Fuxi began to be the world, so it was smooth and not one; virtue declined again, and Shennong and Huangdi began to be the world, so it was peaceful but not smooth.” “Zhuangzi·Tian Zifang”: “The real person in ancient times, the knower should not speak, the beauty should not be abused, the thief should not steal, and the Fuxi and Huangdi should not be friends.” In these two paragraphs, Fuxi’s ranking among ancient emperors is quite close. listed later.

In the book “Zhuangzi”, there are three ways of writing Fuxi’s name, either as “Fuxi”, or as “Fuxi” or “Fuxi”. The middle sequence is uncertain, or after Yu, Shun, and Huangdi, or before them, their status gradually increased. This shows that in the period of Zhuangzi, Fuxi was still an uncertain and undetermined figure in the period of legend and the process of creation.

4. The classics after “Zhuangzi”, such as “Guanzi”, “Xunzi”, “Shangjunshu” and other books about Fuxi, were either imported from “Zhuangzi” or mixed in by Qin and Han dynasties. The Book of Changes was written under the name of Confucius, but in fact, most of it was written by Qin and Han people. “Xi Ci Xia” records Fuxi’s most outstanding achievements: “In ancient times, the king of the Baoxi clan was the king of the world.

When looking up, he observed images in the sky, and when looking down, he observed the law in the ground. , to take all things from afar, so he began to make gossip, to communicate the virtues of gods, and to share the feelings of all things. Knot the rope and make a net, use the tenant to fish, and cover to take all the li.

The Shennong clan disappeared, the Huangdi Yao and Shun clan did it, and through its changes, the people were tireless, and the gods transformed it so that the people could adapt to it.” This passage has a great influence, but the comprehensive and systematic description of Fuxi’s achievements should have originated in the Qin and Han dynasties. , no earlier than Zhuangzi.

5. The “Historical Records” starts from the Yellow Emperor’s memory, and does not write a biography of Fuxi. There are two places in the records of Fuxi, both of which are quoted from the predecessors. “Self-preface of Taishigong”: “I heard that the ancestors said: ‘Fuxi is pure and thick, and he made eight trigrams in the “Book of Changes”.”

Guan Zhong said in “Fengchan Shu”: “In the past, there was no Huai clan to seal Mount Tai, and Chan said that; Feng Taishan, Chan Yunyun; Shennong Feng Taishan, Chan Yunyun; Huangdi Feng Taishan, Chan Yunyun.” Sima Qian’s history of governance is rigorous, because there were many misunderstandings about the legend of Fuxi at that time, it is difficult to identify, although he does not deny it, but the record is doubtful.

6. Bangu’s “Han Shu” in the Eastern Han Dynasty broke through the boundaries of “Historical Records” and pushed the ancient emperors from the Yellow Emperor to Fuxi. At this point, Fuxi began to enter the official history. “Hanshu·Lvlizhi” quoted Liu Xin’s “Book of the World” as saying: “Paosi succeeded the sky and became king, and he was the first of a hundred kings. The first virtue began with wood, so the emperor was Taihao.” (see the following analysis for details) ”

In the Book of Han, Ancient and Modern People List, Fuxi is first described, followed by Yan and Huang. Taking Fuxi as the source of history, it is believed that Fuxi’s family “succeeded from heaven and became king”, so he was the first of the hundred kings, and the emperors of Yan and Huang succeeded Fuxi and became king. . “White Tiger Tongyi” said: “What are the three emperors, Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong are also.” Fuxi was pushed to the position of the head of the three emperors and the first of the hundred kings.

7. The Century of Emperors, written by Huangfu Mi of the Jin Dynasty, is a history book devoted to the lineage, age and deeds of emperors, from the Three Emperors to the Han and Wei Dynasties. The three emperors first listed Fuxi, and said Fuxi’s achievements: “succeeding the sky and becoming king”, “making gossip”, “making a book contract”, “making thirty-six strings of selves”, “making a wedding ceremony”, “taking sacrifices for the cook” and so on.

We noticed that Huangfu Mi said: “The Nuwa clan… inherits the Paosi system. . , Zun Lu, Hunhun, Haoying, Youchao, Zhuxiang, Ge Tian, ​​Yinkang, Wuhuai, all the fifteenth generation, all took the name of Paosi.” Fuxi is regarded as an ancient emperor. On the other hand, some names mentioned in “Zhuangzi” are all included under Fuxi’s name. “All of them take the name of Paosi”, which is actually to regard Fuxi as an era.

In this way, Fuxi’s illustrious achievements, It is not necessarily created by one person (Note: Since hieroglyphs appeared in the era of copper and stone, the creator of the characters was Cangjie, an assistant of the Huangdi Xuanyuan clan, so Fuxi’s claim that Fuxi “made a book contract” in the early Neolithic Age was insufficiently supported).

8. Later, Tang Gaozu’s “Revision of the Six Dynasties History” and Tang Taizong’s “Xiu Jin Shuo” both took Fuxi as the initiator of Chinese culture. Song, please prepare a pen.” During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, Sima Zhen supplemented “The Chronicle of the Three Emperors” for the “Records of the Grand Historian”, summarizing and supplementing the literature and materials about Fuxi in the previous life, forming a relatively complete historical biography. So far, Fuxi’s historicalization process in the ancient classics has been completed.

As mentioned above, in the handed down literature and classics, the records about Fuxi appeared in the “Zhuangzi” after the middle and late Warring States Period and gradually entered the official history. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, Fuxi was not seen in the classics. From the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the later the era, the more detailed the records of Fuxi, the more outstanding Fuxi’s achievements, and the higher his status in the ancient lineage of emperors.

This shows that in the ancient classics handed down, Fuxi has experienced a process of derivation from nothing, from god to emperor, and the records of Fuxi from disorder to system.