And the I Ching. This is one of the greatest books in human history, with Zhou Yi as its predecessor. It is the oldest book of Zheng Zhan in China, which was written in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Originally, the purpose of compiling this book was to make it easier to search for good and bad results when calculating.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, some people attached themselves to its hexagram form to exert philosophical ideas.

During the Warring States Period, some Confucian scholars systematically compiled a number of works that explained the "Zhou Yi" and compiled them into books. In the Han Dynasty, when Confucianism was "respected", "Zhou Yi" was regarded as a Confucian classic and became a specialized study studied by scholars, which was Yi Xue.

The classics, biography and learning of Zhou Yi have always been at the core of Chinese scholarship in the feudal era, and have become the theoretical basis for people to observe life in the universe, exercise their thinking ability, and construct a philosophical system, which plays an irreplaceable and important role in forming the characteristics of Chinese culture and enhancing the connotation of Chinese culture.

In the long history of Chinese civilization in China, "Zhou Yi" is the book with the most far-reaching influence on Chinese culture, but it is also the book with the most mysteries. ”

Further aback, Chen Ya wrote: "We are not wrong to say that A Brief History of Time is one of the greatest books in the process of human exploration of the universe. However, many of us classify the Book of Changes as the dregs of history and culture, and the 64 hexagrams of Zhou Yi as feudal superstition. This is absolutely wrong.

Because the 64 hexagrams of Zhou Yi are realistic and true demonstrations of the existence and development of the universe. It's just that in the long history of the past few thousand years, the centralized rule of the monarchy has changed the fate of the I Ching, and the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhou Yi are only the lowest and do not belong to it.

Because under the political structure of the monarchy, the universe and science are not needed. ”

Chen Ya thinks so: the centralization of monarchy deprives our nation of all possibilities in the past, and covers up the most glorious part of the universe in the once glorious culture of the nation, or picks it out. Only cultural beliefs remain, leading the world to believe that the monarch is ruling the eight seas of Kyushu on behalf of the gods.

As long as the world believes that God really exists, the lord of the county who rules the world on behalf of God can do whatever he wants. Even if they are mediocre, the world will dare not speak out of fear of God.

However, before the centralization and deification of the county lords, our nation had a glorious history. It is no exaggeration to say that even if we look at the entire history of mankind, there has never been a more glorious time than that time.

It's a pity that the glory was so short-lived, like a popular sliding across the sky and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye, and even the existence was changed into a mess.

The original exploration of the universe and the contemplation of life became the basis of theology. Great philosophical ideas became the cornerstone of theological domination.

The Tao Te Ching is a great philosophical work of many dreams, but the centralization of monarchy limits this development. The Tao Te Ching did not arouse the nation's thinking about philosophy, but only made it a tool for the ruler to enslave people's hearts.

The 64 hexagrams of Zhou Yi demonstrated all the principles of natural development, but Zhou Yi did not arouse the slightest interest in the universe of the monarchs who ruled Kyushu and the eight seas, and still did not escape the fate of becoming the cornerstone of theological rule.

When a hundred schools of thought contended, many great ideas were born, but in the end, only one or two people's doctrines were circulated, and they were the result of several changes.

Abandoning the real classics, but attaching something that doesn't exist to it, is the saddest thing under the centralized power of the county lord.

However, none of us can say whether this is right or wrong, because none of us, including the people of the present, the people of the past, and the monarchs, know what history will be like if it is.

And what we see today is that this ethnic group is not badly discriminatory, and even very powerful.

Therefore, the centralization of power by the monarch should not be considered a wrong approach, because none of us have evidence of another option, and it would be better if the situation was better.

What Chen Ya really thinks about is what there are similarities and differences between "A Brief History of Time" and "I Ching", and how to restore the glory of national treasures.

If you want to say why you want to do this, Chen Ya will probably answer: "This is youth, if you don't do something deviant, how can you be considered youth?" ”

Of course, she didn't really want to answer, but she really didn't know how to answer other than that.

The world, for us, for the people of this world, is not good. Even bad. Between people, it is more about getting along with interests than anything else.

Man is bad to himself, bad to others, and bad to the world. So man also gets the revenge of this world, which squandered everything of humanity with its own means, including life.

Chen Ya once thought very seriously: Why should we be so bad to ourselves, to be so bad to this endurable world?

She figured out one thing, that is, people actually treat themselves badly because they don't know how to be good to themselves, because if they are bad to themselves, a little good will become good, and other people's not so bad will be other good.

The centralization of power by the monarchy is to take advantage of this character of man. Let people live in a society where they can only eat and wear, and in the case of only food and clothing, everyone is busy solving the problem of eating, not being forced into desperation, and no one will think about the 'why'.

Of course, these are not what Chen Ya really wants to think about, Chen Ya only needs to know about the centralization of power by the county lord:

The centralized decision-making system of the monarchy refers to the decision-making system in which the emperor has the overall military and political power, is the supreme ruler of the country, and has unlimited supreme political status, political power and authority.

Except for the hereditary emperor, officials below the prime minister are evaluated, appointed and dismissed by the emperor, and the appointment system is implemented. All officials were accountable to the emperor and obeyed the emperor's orders. The appointment and dismissal of central officials and local governors was entirely at the discretion of the emperor.

All officials are absolutely subordinate to the emperor. The emperor held absolute command of the army, and the major policies of the entire country were decided by the emperor alone.

These are the definitions of monarchical centralization in history books, and Chen Ya only needs to know these. Because there are more things that no longer belong to the category of folklore and culture.

She was not interested in the rights and wrongs of history, and she did not want to think too much about it. Because what has already passed by then, no matter how you think about it, it doesn't make sense.

When they were in school, Shi Youliang and Chen Ya had such a conversation.

It was not long after they got acquainted, and one Sunday, when Chen Ya had a difficult problem to ask for advice, they made an appointment to meet in the park.

On the bench in the park, Chen Ya waited for about five or six minutes.

When Shi Youliang appeared, he was holding a wildflower picked from nowhere, and he handed it to Chen Ya: "I heard that beauty and flowers are very compatible." ”

That is, Chen Ya was very happy, thinking that Shi You's eyes had finally moved to her, but such an idea quickly fell through, Shi Youliang said: "I have read the question you sent me, but I don't think you need to put too much thought into it, after all, the average score of this question is six points, and you are nine points." It's already amazing. ”

Of course, Chen Ya knew that she was already one of the tallest people in the school for this question about folklore, and there were only one or two people taller than her.

Shi Liang is one of them, and he has eleven points.

The 12-point question got 11 points, and the average score was only 6 points, which is very powerful.

When she first got the volume, Chen Ya thought that Shi Youliang liked folklore like her, but this idea was quickly rejected, because Shi Youliang had already said that he didn't like folklore, but liked books, for Shi Youliang, reading books is boundless fun, as for what kind of book, as long as he hasn't read most of them, he will be interested. If Shi Youliang wasn't interested, few people would have read this book.

However, nine points is not the result that Chen Ya wants, and eleven points is not the result that Chen Ya wants.

When answering the question, she felt that she had answered it perfectly, and if it was eleven points, she might feel that it was deducted from the paper. But with only nine points, she couldn't comfort herself like that.

Chen Ya said to Shi Youyou: "I want to hear you talk about this question, from the most detailed and deep place, and completely understand." ”

Shi Youliang has no reason to refuse, and he will not refuse.

told Chen Ya: "First of all, let's define folk customs: 'Folk customs are cultures that depend on people's lives, habits, emotions and beliefs.

Due to the collective nature of folk culture, in the final analysis, folklore cultivates social consistency. Folk culture strengthens the national identity, strengthens the national spirit, shapes the national character, and collectively complies with it, repeatedly demonstrates, and continuously implements it, which is the core element of the formation of folk customs. ’

In this way, the first question of the title, "Defining folklore", becomes clear. ”

Shi Liang paused for a moment, and continued: "But what needs to be noted here is that the definition I just said is the official answer, and you should have found out after so many exams that the grading teacher actually doesn't like the official answer very much, because the official answer is too rigid."

Even if it's not for the marking teacher, you should know that the official definition often carries a lot of paranoia.

So, if I had to define folklore, I would say 'all the daily life that a nation has cultivated over the course of history'. Bringing this definition of mine into the official one, I think that's the best answer to that question. ”

Chen Ya was silent for a moment, nodded to show that she understood, and continued to ask: "You said that folk customs are all the daily life that the nation has cultivated in the long river of history, that is to say, in your opinion, folk customs are equivalent to the life of the nation?" ”

Shi Youliang replied: "That's pretty much what I think, although there are some subtle differences, and there are some things that I haven't figured out very well, but these things are probably said that others won't understand." ”