'Scholars should be considered the last of the Four Classes': the case of scholar-official Zheng Banqiao

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Zheng Banqiao's Nande hutu and 'the art of being muddled' in contemporary China

In 1751, Zheng Banqiao wrote his famous calligraphy Nande hutu (难得糊涂; “It’s difficult to be muddled”). Inquiries into the calligraphy reveal different dimensions of the saying. Its most popular interpretation can be found in self-improvement books on “the art of being muddled” (hutuxue). What academic, official, and popular discourses on the saying have in common is their dialectical reasoning and frequent references to other popular related sayings, to quotes from the ancient classics, and to ancient heroes and historical figures. This issue will explore a few interpretations of the saying. Some prove to be critical with regard to the application of its underlying wisdom, while others focus on its philosophical (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist), psychological, and/or sociocultural dimension. This issue will also shed light on its pragmatic interpretation as a popular strategy to navigate more positively through life

Selbstbewusstsein und Selbstverleugnung: Umstellung des Individuums in der zeitgenössischen chinesischen Gesellschaft

This article argues that traditional Chinese society was characterized by a “part–whole structure” in which the value of an individual was measured by his value for society. In Europe, starting from the middle of the 15th century, a society that is characterized by a “many–one structure” developed. In such a society, an individual freely chooses with which organizations he or she associates. Man became seen as a creative actor in history, and personal freedom was understood to be the necessary requisite to act creatively. Along with the development of capitalism, contemporary Chinese society witnesses a shift from the traditional “part–whole structure” to the “many–one structure”. Integrating the opinion of personal informants and of online and other popular writers, this article investigates the changing position of the individual in contemporary Chinese society.U članku se tvrdi da je tradicionalno kinesko društvo karakterizirala “struktura dijela i cjeline” u kojoj se vrijednost pojedinca mjerila prema njegovoj vrijednosti za društvo. U Europi, počevši od sredine petnaestog stoljeća, razvilo se društvo kojeg je karakterizirala “struktura jednog i mnogih”. U takvome društvu pojedinac slobodno bira u koje se organizacije uključuje. Čovjek se počeo smatrati kreativnim djelatnikom u povijesti a osobna sloboda shvaćena je kao nužan preduvjet za kreativno djelovanje. Usporedno s razvojem kapitalizma, suvremeno kinesko društvo obilježava pomak od tradicionalne “strukture dijela i cjeline” prema “strukturi jednog i mnogih”. Analizirajući neka osobna stajališta pojedinaca te internetskih autora, u članku se istražuje promjena mjesta pojedinca u suvremenom kineskom društvu.Cet article affirme que la société traditionnelle chinoise a été caractérisée par « la structure de la partie et du tout » dans laquelle la valeur de l’individu se mesurait par rapport à la valeur qu’il attribuait à la société. En Europe, à partir du milieu du XVe siècle, s’est développée une société qui a été caractérisée par la « structure de l’un et du multiple ». Dans une telle société l’individu libre choisit quelles organisations il souhaite intégrer. L’Homme a commencé à être perçu comme un agent créatif, et la liberté individuelle à être comprise comme une condition nécessaire pour une action créative. Parallèlement à l’évolution du capitalisme, la société chinoise contemporaine se distancie de « la structure de la partie et du tout » et se rapproche de « la structure de l’un et du multiple ». Analysant l’opinion personnelle de certains individus, et d’auteurs chinois sur internet, l’article étudie les changements de positions de l’individu dans la société contemporaine chinoise.Dieser Artikel vertritt die Ansicht, dass die traditionelle chinesische Gesellschaft durch die „Teil-Ganzes-Struktur“ gekennzeichnet wurde, in welcher der Wert des Einzelnen an seinem Wert für die Gesellschaft gemessen wurde. Beginnend mit der Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts entwickelte sich in Europa eine Gesellschaft, die durch die „Viele-einer-Struktur“ charakterisiert wird. In einer solchen Gesellschaft wählt der Einzelne freiwillig, welchen Organisationen er oder sie sich anschließt. Der Mensch wurde als kreativer Akteur in der Geschichte angesehen und die persönliche Freiheit wurde als notwendiges Erfordernis für die kreative Tätigkeit aufgefasst. Zusammen mit der Entwicklung des Kapitalismus erlebt die gegenwärtige chinesische Gesellschaft eine Verlagerung von der traditionellen „Teil-Ganzes-Struktur“ hin zur „Viele-einer-Struktur“ mit. Indem er individuelle Meinungen der chinesischen persönlichen Informanten und Internetautoren analysiert, untersucht dieser Artikel die Positionsänderung des Individuums im Rahmen der zeitgenössischen chinesischen Gesellschaft

Zheng Banqiao’s Nande hutu

In 1751, Zheng Banqiao wrote his famous calligraphy Nande hutu (难得糊涂; “It’s difficult to be muddled”). Inquiries into the calligraphy reveal different dimensions of the saying. Its most popular interpretation can be found in self-improvement books on “the art of being muddled” (hutuxue). What academic, official, and popular discourses on the saying have in common is their dialectical reasoning and frequent references to other popular related sayings, to quotes from the ancient classics, and to ancient heroes and historical figures. This issue will explore a few interpretations of the saying. Some prove to be critical with regard to the application of its underlying wisdom, while others focus on its philosophical (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist), psychological, and/or sociocultural dimension. This issue will also shed light on its pragmatic interpretation as a popular strategy to navigate more positively through life