Yang Chu's Fundamental Ideas
The MencillS says: "The principle of Yang Chu is: 'Each one for
himself: Though he might have profited the whole world by pluck·
ing out a single hair, he would not have done it." (VITa, 26,) The
Lil-shih Ch'un-ch'iu (third century B.C.) says: "Yang Sheng valued
self." (XVII, 7.) The Han-fei-tzu (also third century) says: "There
is a man whose policy it is not to enter a city which is in danger,
nor to remain in the army. Even for the great profit of the whole
world, he would not exchange one hair of his shank.... He is one
who despises things and values life." (Ch. 50.) And the Huai-Mn·tzu
(second century B.C.) says: "Preserving life and maintaining what
is genuine in it, not anowing things to entangle one's person: this is
what Yang Chu established." (Ch. 13.)
• See Anton Forke, Yang Chu's Garden of PleCISUre, and James Legge, Th"
Chinese Classics, VallI, Prolegonuma, pp. 92'9.62 A SHORT HISTORY OF CIIIN1:SE PHILOSOPHY
In the above qnotations, the Yang Sheng of the Ui·shih Ch'unch'iu has been proved by recent scholars to be Y,lllg Chn, while the
man who "for the great profit of the whole worlel, would not ex,
change one hair of his shank" must also be Yang Chu or one of his
followers, becausc no other man of that time is known to have held
such a principle. Putting these sources together, we can deduce that
Yang Chn's two fundamental ideas were: "Each onc for himself,"
and "the despising of things and valuing of life." Such ideas arc precisely the opposite of those of Mo Tzu, who held the principle of an
all-embracing love.
The statement of Han Fei Tzu that Yang Chu would not give up
a hair from his shank even to gain the entire world, differs somewhat
from what Mencius says, which is that Yang Chu would not sacrifice a single hair even in order to profit the whole world. Both statements, however, are consistent with Yang Chu's fundamental ideas.
The latter harmonizes with his doctrine of "each one for himself";
the former with that of "despising things and valuing life." Both may
be said to be but two aspects of a single theory
杨朱的基本观念
《孟子》说:“杨子取为我,拔一毛而利天下,不为也。”(《尽心上》)《吕氏春秋》(公示前三世纪)说:“陌生贵己。”(《审分览·不二》)《韩非子》(公元前三世纪)说:“今有人于此,义不入危城,不处军旅,不以天下大利易其胫一毛,……轻物重生之士也。”(《显学》)《淮南子》(公元前二世纪)说:“全性保真,不以物累形:杨子之所立也。”(《汜论训》)
在以上引文中,《吕氏春秋》说的阳生,近来学者们已经证明就是杨朱。《韩非子》说的“不以天下大利易其胫一毛”的人,也一定是杨朱或其门徒,因为在那个时代再没有别人有此主张。把这些资料合在一起,就可以得出杨朱的两个基本观念:“为我”,“轻物重生”。这些观念显然是反对墨子的,墨子是主张兼爱的。
《韩非子》说的杨朱不以天下大利易其胫一毛,与《孟子》说的杨朱拔一毛而利天下不为也,有些不同。可是这两种说法与杨朱的基本观念是一致的。后者与“为我”一致,前者与“轻物重生”一致。两者可以说是一个学说的两个方面。