「如愚」與「木雞承蜩」：論王龍溪「莊子儒門」說之思想意蘊

“Slow-wittedness＂ and “Wooden Cocks Catching Cicadas＂: On Wang Longxi's View

本文旨在闡發王龍溪「莊子儒門」說中「如愚」即「木雞承蜩」意蘊。經研究，「木雞」之「木」、「承蜩」之「枯」，就龍溪言，乃與顏回「如愚」同指：學人應「物」，若進行「一念自反」「藏密」的「致知」工夫，良知心體所發生的「靈氣」一念一息收攝於良知心體；該「靈氣」所管攝「耳目肢體」之「身」，將因此收攝而呈「如愚」「朽拙」狀。就在此之際，良知無為發用的靈氣一念，能與「物」之「道」神感應，並循「道」之自然，而使當下感用之物得其理。本文除能補相關研究缺口，亦將有助它日對龍溪影響下的中晚明「拙」技藝觀的心學闡發。

This essay aims to elucidate some implied meanings of the term ru yu 如愚 (appearing slow-witted) which stands for mu ji cheng tiao 木雞承蜩 (wooden cocks catch cicadas) in a passage of Wang Longxi's (1498-1583) “Confucian Theories of Zhuangzi.” I claim that, for Wang, the characters mu 木 (wood) in mu ji (wooden cocks) and ku 枯(withered) in cheng tiao are related to Confucius' disciple Yan Hui's (c. 521-481 BC) idea of ru yu, implying that all learners shall learn how to “respond to objects” (wu 物) when they practice spiritual cultivation and have achieved mental states like “reflecting on one thought” (yi nian zifan 一念自反), “hiding” (zangmi 藏密), and “pursuing knowledge” (zhizhi 致知). Also, I demonstrate how, in the above-mentioned states, one single thought of desireless spiritual energy awakened by non-action can deliver divine responsiveness with the Dao of all things (as described in Daoism). In addition to filling a number of lacunae in existing research, this essay also aims at preparing the ground for future explorations into the aesthetic ideal of clumsiness in the mid- and late-Ming period.