A Revision of Liu Hsin's Theory

We are not sure just when the disintegration of the feudal system began. Already as early as the seventh century B.C. there were aristocrats who through the wars of the time, or for other reasons, lost their lands and titles, and thus fell to the level of the common people. There were also common people who through skill or favoritism became high officials of the state. This illustrates the real significance of the disintegration of the Chou dynasty. It was not only the disintegration of the political power of a particular royal house, but-and this is more important-of an entire social system.中国早期的政治封建制度，究竟几时开始瓦解，现在还难以断定。但可以说，公元前七世纪时，已经有贵族由于战争或其他原因，失去了土地和封号，降为庶民。另一方面，也有庶民，由于技有专长或其他原因，获得诸侯的宠信，成为高官。这是周朝礼崩乐坏的真正意义，不仅周室的政治权力瓦解了，更重要的是，整个社会制度瓦解了。With this disintegration, the former official representatives of the various branches of learning became scattered among the common people. They had either been actual nobles themselves, or had been specialists holding hereditary offices in the service of the aristocratic ruling families. This is the significance of a quotation made by Liu Hsin from Confucius in the course of the same "Treatise" partially quoted from above: "When ceremonies become lost [at the court], it is necessary to search for them in the countryside."在社会政治瓦解过程之中，各种知识的官方代表散落民间。这些人可能自己就是贵族，或者是以一技之长服侍君王诸侯、获得世袭官职的官吏。在上面援引的刘歆的《艺文志》中，他还援引了孔子在《论语》中所说的一句话：“礼失而求诸野”，也就是这个意思。Thus when these former nobles or officials scattered throughout the country, they maintained a livelihood by carrying on, in a private capacity, their specialized abilities or skills. Those of them who expressed their ideas to other private individuals became professional "teachers", and thus there arose the separation between the teacher and the officer.就是这样，先前的贵族官吏，散落民间后，凭他们的专门知识或技能，开馆招收生徒，以维持生计。这些传授知识、发挥议论的私人教师，就成为“师”。这是“师”与“吏”分离的开始。The word "school" in this chapter is a translation of the Chinese word chia, which at the same time is used to denote a family or home. Hence it suggests something personal or private. There could be no chia of thought before there were persons who taught their own ideas in a private capacity.在中文里，“家”首先是指家庭或住家，它表明是个人的或私人的事情。在有教师以私人身份讲学、发表个人的意见之前，谈不到有思想家。