Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

"When you see white, there is no hardness; when you touch, there is no whiteness." This means that the eyes can only see the whiteness of the stone, but cannot see the hardness of the stone. At this time, it is equivalent to the hardness of the stone being hidden, that is, at this time there is only "white stone" instead of "white and hard stone".

You cannot obtain the white but you can obtain the hard, you can obtain the hard and you can obtain the white, you can see and not see the separation, you can not see and not see the separation and you cannot fill each other. "

This means that you can feel the hardness of the stone by touching it, but you cannot feel the white color of the stone. It is equivalent to that the color of the stone is hidden, that is, there is only "hard stone" instead of "white and hard stone".

When one appears, the other leaves and hides automatically. In other words, a stone is not hard because it is white, and vice versa. Similarly, a person's height is not necessarily related to his talent.

Finally, Gongsun Long came to the conclusion of "hard, white and stone are two", which means that the properties of an object exist independently of the object and there is no necessary connection between them. This is the "li hard and white" theory.

Judging from these examples, the School of Names is indeed suspected of confusing people with sophistry. But more than 2000 years later, people found that the School of Names represented by Gongsun Long adhered to the materialist position of the primacy of matter, which belongs to the category of logical philosophy.

The proposition "a white horse is not a horse" proposed by Gongsun Long is similar to the ontological theory of Aristotle, the great ancient Greek thinker. It is a unique contribution to the ontology of ancient Chinese philosophy.

In addition, Gongsun Long's theory of "separating hard and white" is similar to Plato's theory of ideas, one of the three great Greek philosophers of the same period. Zhou Zongchang believes that Gongsun Long has constructed a fairly rich philosophical theory about language itself.

His achievements are no less than Aristotle's, and he is the true founder of the theoretical edifice of Chinese logic.

Unfortunately, Gongsun Long's doctrine was not the art of emperors and did not contribute to the rule of the feudal dynasty. In addition, his philosophical theory was too profound, so it was regarded by the academic masters of the time as sophistry for troubled times and was criticized.

Therefore, after Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, the School of Names began to be marginalized. And after Emperor Wu of Han "respected Confucianism alone", the School of Names disappeared.

[Understand the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Master Zou Zi's historical knowledge of Yin-Yang School in one breath]

He was a super idol in the Warring States Period, and all countries vied to admire him; he was the first Chinese to open his eyes to the world. In this video, let's talk about Zou Yan, the master of Yin-Yang School.

Zou Yan was a native of Qi during the late Warring States Period. Because he was good at talking about heavenly affairs, people at that time called him "Tan Tian Yan", also known as Zou Zi. Zou Yan summarized and carried forward the experience of his predecessors, advocated the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, and became the founder of the Yin-Yang School.

Zou Yan once studied at the Jixia Academy and became famous for his knowledge. When he arrived in Wei, King Hui of Wei welcomed him outside the city. When he arrived in Zhao, Lord Pingyuan treated him with courtesy.

When he arrived in Yan State, King Zhao of Yan personally swept the house for him, listened to his lectures, built the Jieshi Palace for him, and treated him as a disciple. Compared with Confucius, who traveled around the countries, encountered setbacks everywhere, and slept in the open air, Zou Yan could be called a super idol in the Warring States Period.

The Yin-Yang School he founded was not only called the first of all schools of thought by Sima Qian, but also placed first by Sima Qian's father Sima Tan in his "On the Essentials of the Six Schools of Thought". This shows the status and influence of the Yin-Yang School.

Not only that, the Onmyoji that we know of and love in Japan also originated from the Onmyoji School of the Pre-Qin Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, Japan sent envoys to China and brought back the Yin-Yang theory and the Five Elements theory to Japan, and Onmyoji gradually became popular.

Not only did the Japanese people get comfort from the Yin-Yang Master in their hard life, but the Japanese emperor also got spiritual peace and guarantee in decision-making from the Yin-Yang Master. In the period of ignorance in Japan, the Yin-Yang Master was even the spiritual pillar of the entire country.

Therefore, Yin-Yang School has a great influence not only in China but also in Japan and has been passed down to this day.

The reason why the Yin-Yang School headed by Zou Yan was so popular was that its core thought relied on the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, among which the core theories included the "Five Virtues Theory" and the "Great Nine Provinces Theory".

The "Five Virtues Theory" refers to the five virtues represented by the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), which circulate over and over again. The Five Elements are: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth.

The ancients believed that everything in the universe is made up of these five basic substances. The word "Xing" in the Five Elements means movement, which contains the concept of change and operation, that is, mutual generation and mutual restraint.

Zou Yan was the first person to combine the concepts of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, and for the first time in history he proposed a systematic theory of the Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

According to Zou Yan's theory, the emperor's first dynasty was of earth virtue, because wood overcomes earth, so the dynasty that replaced the emperor was of wood virtue; because fire produces earth, the Shang Dynasty that replaced the Xia Dynasty was of metal virtue; because fire overcomes metal, the Zhou Dynasty that replaced the Shang Dynasty was of fire virtue;

Because water overcomes fire, the Qin Dynasty that replaced the Zhou Dynasty was the water virtue. Zou Yan often used this theory to explain historical changes and the rise and fall of dynasties. In the Warring States Period when the princes fought against each other, Zou Yan's theory was widely welcomed by the princes of various countries.

This view of history sees history as cyclical and the rise of a new dynasty as the inevitable result of the interaction of the five elements, which meets the political needs of establishing a new unified dynasty. Later, Qin Shihuang used the "Five Elements Theory" as the theoretical basis for the Qin Dynasty to unify the world.

Dong Zhongshu proposed the idea of ​​"harmony between heaven and man" based on the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, which has influenced later generations for thousands of years. Even traditional Chinese medicine, which is the traditional medicine of China, also includes the theory of the five elements, forming a unique system of Chinese medicine.

The ancients unilaterally believed that the earth was square, with us in the center and the edges all being seas, divided into the four seas of the east, south, west and north. The East Sea, South Sea, West Sea and North Sea not only refer to various parts of the country, but also to the living areas of the surrounding ethnic groups.

However, Zou Yan did not think so. He took the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory as the theoretical basis, and boldly and creatively proposed the "Great Nine Provinces Theory" from the small to the big, from the near to the far.

According to Zou Yan's theory, China is only a part of the world, named "Chixian Shenzhou", which means that Zou Yan believed that China is actually 1/81 of the world and is a piece of land in the ocean.

The name of China is "Chixian Shenzhou". In ancient times, Huangdi was the king of earth, and the area he governed was called "Shenzhou". The area governed by Yan Emperor was called "Chixian". After Huangdi defeated Yan Emperor, the unified land was called "Chixian Shenzhou".

The Red Land of China is one of the nine continents in the world. China is divided into nine small continents, forming the "Nine Continents of China", which is the unified China.

Zou Yan's "Great Nine Provinces Theory" was indeed shocking in the Warring States Period. Zou Yan was also the first to propose that China was a piece of land in the ocean. It can be said that he was the first marine theorist in China and the first scholar to challenge the traditional "China-centrism".

Although Zou Yan had never left China and had never read books on foreign geography, his "Great Nine Provinces Theory" basically coincides with the world we know today.

During the Warring States Period when Zou Yan lived, the area of ​​China (including the Seven Kingdoms and other small vassal states granted by the royal family) was approximately half of the size of China today, or 480 million square kilometers.

China now occupies 1/14 of the world's land area, and land occupies about 1/3 of the earth's surface. By this calculation, the area of ​​China in Zou Yan's time was exactly one-eighty-odds of the total area of ​​the earth.

The Great Nine Continents Theory's "outside China there are nine continents like the Red County of Shenzhou" is very similar to the modern division of seven continents.

Although the historical conditions at that time restricted Zou Yan from exploring the world outside China, he still deserves the title of "the first Chinese to open his eyes to the world" by virtue of his rigorous reasoning and bold imagination.

[Understand the historical knowledge of Wu Qi, the second sage of military strategy, in one breath - the Warring States Period]

He was the most famous general in the Warring States Period, a man of both civil and military talents. Together with the great military sage Sun Wu, he was called "Sun Wu" and was later revered as "the second sage of military sage" and "one of the ten sages of the Temple of Martial Arts". However, this outstanding figure was neglected for a thousand years.

In this video, let us talk about Wu Qi, the second sage of military strategists.

The Military School was a school of thought that studied military theories and engaged in military activities in the pre-Qin period of China. There are many different opinions about the origin of the Military School: some believe that the Military School originated from the Queen Mother of the West, some believe that its ancestor was Jiang Taigong, and some believe that the Military School originated from the Legalists.

However, modern people are more convinced that the origin of military strategists is from the great military sage Sun Wu. Since ancient times, military strategists have always been valued, and the development of military books has a long history, originating in the Western Zhou Dynasty and maturing in the Spring and Autumn Period.

How to grasp war from a macro perspective is the key to the Art of War. The Art of War is not only a guide on how to rule a country and formulate national strategies, but also a book on how to lead troops to fight and formulate war strategies and tactics.

The military school was an important school of thought among the hundreds of schools of thought during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with the main purpose of studying the use of troops in warfare. War is a continuation of politics, and it is related to the life and death of a country or a nation, and is an extremely important event.

The Zuo Zhuan once said: "The most important affairs of a country are sacrifice and war." This means that for a country, sacrifice and war are two extremely important things. The military school is the school that pays the most attention to practical effectiveness, and its purpose is very clear: to win the battle.

Whether it is "conquering the enemy through battle" or "conquering the enemy without fighting", whether it is setting fire or using spies, all means serve the ultimate goal of war - victory.

In life, study or work, we often encounter problems that need to be solved. However, when facing these problems, many people lack a clear understanding of the goals and fail to grasp the key points, resulting in the problems not being solved for a long time.

That is why we need to learn the military's way of solving problems. Although the world is at peace today, the threat of war still exists, and we need to be vigilant against the coming of war.

"Sima Fa" said: "Although a country is big, it will perish if it is warlike; although the world is at peace, it will be in danger if it forgets war." Military strategists tell us that we must be cautious in dealing with war. We should neither be warlike nor forget about war, and we cannot lack war.

Why is Wu Qi called the second sage of military strategy? Wu Qi studied Confucianism and was well versed in the three schools of thought: military strategy, Confucianism and Legalism. He was a man of both civil and military talents. After he went to the State of Wei, he was highly valued by Wei Wenhou.

In the State of Wei, Wu Qi created the earliest special forces in Chinese history, the Wei Wuzu. The Wei Wuzu were well-equipped, mainly heavy infantry, and all members had gone through rigorous examinations and selection.

Xunzi's On Military Affairs records the selection criteria: "Wei's Wuzu were selected based on their appearance. They wore armor of three kinds of materials, held a crossbow of twelve stones, carried fifty arrows, placed a spear on top of it, wore a helmet and a sword, carried three days' worth of food, and could march a hundred miles at noon."

It means: soldiers need to wear full armor, be able to pull a twelve-stone crossbow, carry fifty crossbow arrows, hold long spears and iron halberds, wear sharp swords on their waists, carry three days of combat food and fodder, and walk a hundred miles in half a day.

Even now, it is not something that most people can do. After being admitted, they will be organized into teams based on their individual characteristics.

For example, people who are brave and strong can be organized into a team to serve as the vanguard of a suicide squad; people who are good at short-distance and long-distance running can be organized into a team to serve as scouts or a rapid reaction force.

This way of using people according to their abilities and flexibly matching them can be called a modern version of a tactical squad. Although the selection process is strict, once selected, the treatment is very generous.

The families of the selected soldiers were exempted from taxes and were allocated land and houses. The Wei State would also host banquets for the soldiers and their families, and reward the parents and wives of those who had made contributions.

Every year, envoys were sent to comfort the families of the dead soldiers and reward their parents. With perfect selection standards and generous treatment, the Wei Wuzu was considered the first professional force in the history of ancient Chinese warfare.

Wu Qi relied on the Wei Wuzu to command the Wei army to defeat the Qin State repeatedly, occupy the Hexi area, and become the first governor of Xihe County. In the Battle of Yinjin, Wu Qi led 50,000 Wei troops to fight against 500,000 Qin troops, and finally defeated the Qin army.

This battle became a famous battle in the history of ancient Chinese warfare in which a small force defeated a large one. During Wu Qi's time as a general in Wei, the Wei Wuzu he trained swept across the six kingdoms, fighting 72 battles and winning 64 of them. The rest were won in battle, making Wei the dominant state among the vassal states for a time.

However, later on, because Wei Wuhou was suspicious of Wu Qi, he was forced to defect to Chu. With the support of King Dao of Chu, Wu Qi implemented reforms in Chu, cracking down on the power of the old aristocracy and strengthening the army.

After drastic reforms, the Chu State greatly increased its national strength in a short period of time, and emerged into a powerful situation of "pacifying the Baiyue in the south, annexing Chen and Cai in the north, the Three Jins attacking Qin in the west, and once again defeating its old master, the Wei State."

Wu Qi's reforms were not only much earlier than Shang Yang's reforms, but also achieved great success. However, with the death of King Dao of Chu, the Chu nobles who were offended by the reforms began to fight back, Wu Qi was brutally killed, and the reforms came to an end.

Judging from Wu Qi's military record, he never lost a battle in his life and his resume was extremely brilliant. When he was in Wei, Wei was strong, and when he was in Chu, Chu was the hegemon. Not only that, his military theory was also outstanding.

His book "Wu Zi Bing Fa" was selected into "Seven Military Classics" in the Song Dynasty and was a compulsory subject in the military examination. It was called "Sun Zi Bing Fa" together with "Sun Zi Bing Fa". Guo Moruo commented that Wu Qi was a combination of Sun Wu, a military strategist, and Shang Yang, a legalist.

If Wu Qi's ambition had succeeded in Chu, it might not have been Qin that unified China. Zhao Yi, a historian in the Qing Dynasty, described Wu Qi as "the first of the four famous generals of the Warring States Period."

The Du School of other countries, an authority in the world's military history community, also commented that Wu Qi was not only a genius strategist, but also an outstanding tactician. It can be seen that Wu Qi is well-deserved to be called the first general of the Warring States Period, and he deserves the title of "the second sage of military strategy".