中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第41期:李贄

Li Zhi(1527~1602) was a prominent Chinese philosopher, historian and writer in the late Ming Dynasty. Li Zhi was born to a Hui family in Quanzhou, Fujian Province.

李贄(1527~1602)，號卓吾，卓越的中國明朝末期哲學家、歷史學家、作家，出生在福建泉州，回族。

He became the prefect of Yao' an in Yunnan Province, but retired from office in protest at the age of 54 after a 20-odd-year official career.

李贊曾任雲南姚安府知府，但是他在做了20多年的官之後，於54歲時辭官。

After his retirement he wrote and taught in Huang'an in Hubei Province, and was unusual in the fact that he accepted female students.

李費辭官後在湖北黃安著書、教學，並招收女學生。

Li Zhi openly adopted the stance of a heretic and wrote, "I dislike Confucianism, I don't believe in Daoism (Taoism) and I don't believe in Buddhism; so whenever I see Daoist priests I detest them, whenever I see Buddhist monks I detest them, and whenever I see Confucian scholars I detest them even more."

李贄公開採取異端姿態，寫到:“餘自幼倔強難化，不信道，不信仙、釋，故見道人則惡，見僧則惡，見道學先生尤惡。”

At that time, political power in China was in the hands of the Confucian scholars and the Confucian ethical code was regarded as sacred.

當時儒家學說一統天下，儒家倫理原則被認爲是神聖不可侵犯的。

Nevertheless, Li Zhi had the courage to advocate abandoning Confucian ethics. At the same time, Li denounced the Song and Ming schools of Confucian idealist philosophy as hypocritical, proposing a version of utilitarianism instead.

然而，李贊卻敢於提倡放棄儒家倫理，並公開譴責宋明理學太虛僞，提出功利主義哲學。

In the field of literature, Li held that a writer must express his own personal opinions with the "pure, true heart of a child."

在文學領域，李贄提出“童心說”，認爲作家應該用“絕假純真的童心”表達自己的個人觀點。

In 1591, "upright" high officials, annoyed at Li' s exposure of the hypocrisy of Confucian morals, sent their lackeys to Li' s residence at the Yellow Crane Pavilion in Wuchang to expel him from the Province.

1591年，“正直”的高官因李贄揭露了儒家道德的虛僞而大爲光火，派侍從到李贄在武昌黃鶴樓的住處將他驅逐出省。

Li was accused of “having defamed Confucius and of lacking moral principles" and of being an “absolute heretic".

李贄被稱誹謗孔子，毫無道德原則，是絕對的異端。

In his later years, Li moved from place to place trying to avoid persecution, and finally took refuge in Tongzhou (present-dayTongzhou District) in Beijing' s eastern suburbs with an old friend, Ma Jinglun.

李贄晚年四處逃難，最後與老友馬經綸躲在北京東郊的通州(今北京市通州區)。

At the time, the authorities considered Li' s progressive thought to be a serious menace and labeled him as "an advocate of irresponsible and immoral doctrines" and as 'one who seeks to mislead the people".

當時，當權派認爲李贄的進步思想是嚴重的威脅，稱他是“敢倡亂道，惑世誣民”。

In the spring of 1602, during the reign of Emperor Wanli, Li, then 76, was arrested, imprisoned and hounded to death.

1602年春，萬曆帝在位期間，76歲的李贄被捕人獄，迫害致死。

His friend Ma Jinglun later buried his body.

後來，李贄的好友馬經綸爲他治喪。

After Li' s death, an order was issued that all his published and unpublished works be burned, and no further copies made.

李贄去世後，著作被通令燒燬，不再印製。

Despite this order, however great maiority of Li Zhi' s works have survived.

然而儘管下了這道命令，李贄的大部分作品還是流傳了下來。