著者

王 竹

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

人間文化研究 = Journal of humanities research St. Andrew's University (ISSN:21889031)

巻号頁・発行日

no.5, pp.123-144, 2016-10-03

著者

王 竹

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

人間文化研究 (ISSN:21889031)

巻号頁・発行日

no.3, pp.121-145, 2015-10-27

---

In Chapter 21 of the Dream of the Red Chamber, after directly quoting the Quejia-pian section of Zhuangzi 荘子, Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹creates an unconventional scene by having the hero Jia Bao-yu 賈宝玉write a continuation of the section. Though less than 1000 words in length, the sequel keeps the original style of the Quejia-pian. It not only shows us how much the hero loves the Zhuangzi, but also the extent to which Zhuangzi pervades Jia Bao-yu's daily life. Analyzing the sequel section in the light of Jia Bao-yu's `three serious illnesses' in Chapter 21, we can clearly know what the hero thinks in his heart, and that all three `illnesses' come from his love for Zhuangzi. Moreover, reading Chapter 22, we find that Jia Bao-yu continues to write the sequel, a symbol of his long-lasting pursuit of the absolute freedom espoused by the Zhuangzi. By having his hero write a sequel to the Quejia-pian section, Cao Xueqin tells readers more effectively how much the hero longs for the perfect world of Zhuangzi, and how similar their two lifestyles are. This scene may be said to be the most important in the entire novel for understanding how Zhuangzi's ideals provide the basis for the hero's values, his way of thinking, and his world view (and, by extension, for those of Cao Xueqin himself).

著者

王 竹

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

国際文化論集 (ISSN:09170219)

巻号頁・発行日

no.47, pp.297-322, 2013-03-28

---

Looking back over the history of Chinese studies of the philosophy of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅楼夢, we can find Commentary on the Dream of the Red Chamber 紅楼夢評論, written by Wang Guowei 王国維, which treated the novel in the context of Chinese literature and philosophy. Building on from Wang Guowei's study, Hu Shi 胡適established a new research method for approaching the novel, demonstrating not only that the author of Dream of the Red Chamber was Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹, but also that the novel should be considered as Cao's autobiography. After that, many more scholars took up the study of Dream of the Red Chamber, and it is now recognized throughout the world as a reflection of Chinese culture rather than just a novel. Various genres for the study of Dream of the Red Chamber have appeared over the years since research began, but research into the philosophy that underlies the book has lagged far behind even though it has been long been considered important by scholars. Together with basic comprehension of the standard genres for approaching the book, this paper, by making a detailed study of Cao Xueqin's favorite work of philosophy, Zhuangzi 荘子, will seek to gain a better understanding of Dream of the Red Chamber. In the eighty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber, there are at least sixteen situations which refer directly or indirectly to Zhuangzi, and many more situations which reveal Cao Xueqin's Zhuangzi consciousness. Believing that the philosophy of Zhuangzi is the key to understanding Dream of the Red Chamber, the paper undertakes a detailed study of the situations in which Cao Xueqin's debt to Zhuangzi may be identified.