浅议《京华烟云》的“道”-1

浅议《京华烟云》的“道”

Abstract

LinYutangadvocatedthethoughtof“Itoughttobeorder”ofTaoismofMomentinPeking,withConfucianismasfoil.TheoverallstructureofthewholebookwasthephilosophyofChuangtse.ItindicatedtheparticularopinionshowTaoiststhinkofproperty,pleasure-seeking,lifeanddeath,loveandmarriage.ItillustratedclearlyTaoists‘philosophyideasoftheiroptimisticandmagnanimousattitudestowardslifeWhat’smore,theauthor’scharacteristicinintroducingtraditionalChineseculturetothewestisusingtheformofnovel,bywhichhecreatedavarietyoftypicalandlivelycharacters.

Keywords:LinYutang;MomentinPeking;Taoism

中文摘要

林语堂在《京华烟云》中以儒家思想为陪衬，弘扬了“顺应天道”的道家思想。全书以“庄周哲学”为笼络，透露出了道家对待财富、享乐、生死及婚恋的独特观点，阐明并推崇了道家思想达观豁然、心胸宽广的哲学理念。本书采用小说的艺术表现方法，塑造了形象鲜明、性格不一的人物是作者向西方人介绍中国传统文化的独到之处。

关键词：林语堂；《京华烟云》；道

Introduction

LinYutang,borninLongXi,ZhangZhou,southofFujianin1895,wasthesonofPastorLinZhichengHefirststudiedinfreemissionaryschoolsinXiamen,andthenwenttoShanghai‘sUniversitywherehelearnedEnglishbyheartandreadalotofwesternbooks.Whenhegraduatedfrom‘sUniversityin1916,YutangacceptedateachingpostatQingHuaCollegeinBeijing.TherehefoundhimselfsurroundedbyChinesehistoryandrealizedhowsmalltheconfinesofhisChristianeducationhadbeen.Determinedtomakeuptohisinadequacy,hebegantostudytraditionalChinesecultureandbecameinterestedinphilosophyofChuangtseparticularly.

Intheliteraryworld,LinYutangwasoneofthewell-knownwriters,whowaslistedasoneofthe‘wisdomFigure‘in20thcenturyinAmericanLiteratureArea.In1975,inthe41stInternationalassociationofPoets,Editors,Essayists,andNovelists(PEN),hewasselectedasGeneralassistantPresidentoftheassociation.Andwhat‘smore,hewasnominatedforthecandidateofNobelLiteraturePrize.OneofYutang‘sfriendssaidthat,thestrongpointofYutanwastointroduceChineseculturetotheforeignersandinreturn,tointroduceforeignculturetotheChinese.LinYutanghimselfagreedtothiscompletely.Heusedhisownwords:"twofeettocrossovertheeasternandwesternculture;Onehearttocommenttheglobalarticles."before1936,hedevotedmostofhistimeandenergytobringingChineseculturetotheworld.ManyofhisgreatworkswritteninEnglishsuchasMyCountryandMyPeople.TheArtofLiving,MomentinPekingenjoyedgreatpopularityinthewest.Hedidcontributealottotheexchangeofeasternandwesternculture.

Inthelate19thcenturyandthefirst50yearsofthe20thcentury,theeasternandwesternculturesexperiencedagreathistoricconflict.ChenPingYuanpointedoutinhisbookAestheticStandardsofLinYutangandEasternandWesternCulturesthat:"TotheChineseintellectualsofthe20thcentury,thereisnodoubtthathowtobalancetheeasternandwesternculturesisaveryseriousproblem.Oneisthestrongwesternconcept;theotheristhestrongpatrioticfeelingoftheirnation.Thestruggledrivesthemtoroamingbetweentheeasternandwesterncultures.”Duringthisbighit,apartfromWesternlearning,thereisalsoEasternlearning,whichismoreimportantfortheChinesetospreadourcivilization.LinYutangownedaspecialwayofthinkingthatresultedfromhisownspeciallifeexperienceandcultureenvironment,whichmadehimexperiencethedifferentpsychologicalprocessasthewritersofhisday.Histhoughtsabouthumanculturehadbeendividedinto3periodsinhis‘culturalnovels‘:First,afterhedidtheresearchofthetraditionalChineseculture,throughcomparingthetwothoughtsConfucianismand“Tao”,headvocated“Tao”.Second,afterthecomparisonofeasternandwesternculture,LinYutang’sbalanceoffeelingwasinclinedtotheChineseculture.Third,fromtheviewofhumanbeings,hefoundoutthattheeasternandwesternculturehadtheirownweakpointsandstrongpointswhenheobservedtheworldculturefromtheglobalprospect,andfinallyheproposedthecultureconceptioninthefuture----AgoodcombinationofChineseandWesternthisarticleofMomentinPeking,theemphasiswillbeplacedonthefirstperiod----“Tao”,orsayphilosophyofChuangtse.

Chapter1.CorrelativeIntroductionof

MomentinPeking

MomentinPekingwaswrittenin1938,whentheSino-Japanesewarbrokeout.Mr.Lin‘sdaughterLinRusirecalled:"Inthespringof1938,anideatotranslatetheRedchamberDreamdawnedonmyfatheraftercarefulconsideration,hefoundthatTheRedChamberDreamwaswrittenlongagofromnow,sohechangedhismindtowriteanovelwhichreflectthemordentlifeofChina.”Thewesternerscouldunderstandthisnovelmoreeasilybecausethetimeandthebackgroundthisnovelsetonwasclosetotheauthor’sday.InMarchof1938,LinYutangbegantodesignthecharactersandplotofthenovel.Afterfive-monthfermentation,hestartedtowriteon8th,Augustof1939.ItcostLinawholeyeartotally.ThisgreatworkthatLinYutangshedhisheart’sbloodonwasthemostbeautifulandmostfreshflowerinthegardenofLin’snovels.

Thisshiningflowerwasrootedinthesoilofnationalspiritandpatriotism.ItwaswrittenatthebeginningofSino-JapaneseWar,whichdecidedtheimportanceofpatriotism.LinYutangrevealedhismotiveofproductionofthisnovelinthelettertoYuDafu,thatis,torememberthebravesoldiersinthefrontwhodiedforournation.LinYutangbelievedthatanintellectsofChina,duringthevitalmoment,heshouldconnecthisownfatetothatofhismotherland.Healsobelievedthatasawriter,thesharpestweaponwasthepenandtheworks.Inthisbooktheauthorintendedtotellthewesthowchinathebigandoldnation,experiencedthegreatpains,sufferingandstillmadetheprogressbitbybitinacertainparticulartime(fromearlytomidofthe20thcentury).Sointhisnovel,wecanreadmanyChinesehistorystoriessuchasBoxerRebellion,TheMay4thMovementof1919,etc.Theauthorshowedusanespeciallifeattitudeof“Tao”throughthedescriptionofdifferentlifeattitudesandexperienceofdifferentcharactersfromdifferentfamiliesinacertaintime.TheauthorbelievedthatthoughtofTaoschoolwasaveryparticularkindthoughtinthattimebecauseitwasinasensesuperiortoConfucianismwhichhadbeenplayingapredominantroleinChinaoveralongtimeespeciallythefeudalConfucianethicalcodewhichconstrainsandstifleshumannature.What’smore,someofitsviewsembodieddemocracy,freedom,independenceofpersonality,allofwhichthewestpursue.Inthissense,thoughtsofTaoSchoolandthewesternculturehavesomethingincommonwhiletheyhavetheirowncharacteristics.Inaword,MomentinPekingisthevehicleofthoughtsofLinYutan.That‘stosay;thisnovelindicatestheauthor’sthinking.LinYutang’sdaughterLinRusisaidinherbookOnMomentInPeking:“Lifeislikeadream”wasthegistofMomentInPeking.Butasamatteroffact,theopinionofLinYutang’sownwasnotcompletelysimilartothatofhisdaughter.HebecamegreatlyawareofthechangeablenatureofthingsandhumanbeingsonthebasisoftheobjectivesofTaoism,awareofthebrevityoflife,andofultimatenihility,withoutnegatingtherelativemeaningoflife.Meanwhile,onthebasisoftheviewoftakingthingsphilosophicallyandnaturalism,ontheconditionoflookingintotherealsideoflife,headvocatedtofollowthebigWay,toliberatespirit,andtoliveahappylife,whichshouldbepointedoutasanimportantthoughtofLinYutang’sphilosophyoflife.Theactor,YaoSi‘an,theTaoistandhiselderdaughter,YaoMilanareofLinYutang‘sfavorite.Theauthoroncesaid:"IfIwereawoman,IwouldbeMuLan."YaoMulanthereforebecomestheperfectwomanimageinhiseyes.Andthiskindofperfectionisnotonlyduetoherappearance.Themoreimportantfactorishercharacterofmagnanimity,openmind,optimism,humorsense,innocenceandfullofimagination,whichformundertheinfluenceofhisfather’sTaoistthought.ThesethoughtsandpersonalitiesaregreaterandmoreglamorousinthesocietyinwhichtheConfucianismpredominates.

Chapter2.Theembodimentof“Tao”in

MomentInPeking

ThoughtofTaoSchoolisnotonlyanimportantpartofChinesethoughtbutalsobecomesaninternationalone"TaoismaccountsforasideoftheChineseCharacterwhichConfucianismcannotsatisfy.”Thereisanaturalromanticismandanaturalclassicisminanation,asinanindividual.TaoismistheromanticschoolofChinesethought,asConfucianismistheclassicschool.Actually,Taoismisromanticthroughout.Firstly,itstandsforthereturntonatureandtheromanticescapefromtheworld,andrevoltagainsttheartificialityandresponsibilitiesConfucianculture.Secondly,itstandsfortheruralidealoflife,artandliterature,andtheworshipofprimitivesimplicity.Andthirdly,itstandsfortheworldoffancyandwonder,coupledwithachildishlynaivecosmogony."InthecultureofTaoSchool,“Tao”istheoriginofeverything,isexistingandlong-lasting.LaoTzusaidinhisTaoTeChing:"Taogavebirthtotheone,theonegavebirthsuccessivelytotwothings,threethings,uptotenthousand(,everything)."ThatiswhyTaoistsinsistonalwaysbeingnatural.Theybelievethateverythingisdecidedbynature,bytheirfate,butnotbythemselves.So-called‘goodfortune‘and‘badfortune‘arethesameintheireyes.Becausetheyknowthat"Itisuponbadfortunethatgoodfortuneleans,upongoodfortunethatbadfortunerests"Therefore,"todonothing""tolovebyquietude"."toactonlybyi

nactivity"."tohavenowants"becometheirmotto.ThroughthisnovelwecanseeclearlythatthoughtofTaoSchoolreallyaffectTaoists‘viewsofmaterialandproperty,pleasure-seeking,lifeanddeath,loveandmarriage.Belowitwillbeanalyzedfromthesefouraspects.

I.Viewofmaterialandproperty

"Scornwealthandrank,deridefameandgain"istheconcreteportraitureofChuangtseintermsofviewofmaterialproperty.Allthesethoughtsreachamongthepeople;theychangeintoanideologicalleveloftakingalightviewtoeverything.ThecommonpeopledonotknowmuchhowsandwhysofTaoSchool,butwhentheyencounterdifficultyindailylife,theirfriendsandrelativescomfortthem:“Don’ttakethemattertoheart.”Asforproperty,Taoiststakealightviewofwealth.“Moneyismereworldlypossessions.Wearenotbornwithit,andcannotbringitwithuswhenwedie.”“Goldisnotsoexpensive,peaceandpleasureworthmore.”Peaceandleisurecanbeexperienceddirectly.It’sbetterforustoenjoytheready-madepeaceandhappiness,toenjoylifethantogotopursuetheuselessgold.YutangcreatesthecharacterYaoSi‘aninordertofindabodyforthesoulofthoughtsofTaoSchool.Atthebeginningofthenovel,asYaoSi‘anappears,heshowsadifferentspecialphilosophyoflife.Hethinksthat:"Ifyouareright,nothinghappenstoyouwilleverbewrong."Healsobelievesthat:‘Menpropose,andthegooddecides."WecanseehisphilosophyofChuangtsefromhisattitudetowardsmoney,fameandgain,socialposition.ThefirstchapterinthenovelrefersthattheYaofamilyintendtomovebacktoHangZhouhometownsoastotaketheshelterofthewarandsuffering.Atthetimeofdeparture,toldthegeneralhousekeeperwhostayedtoguardthehouse:"Ifanylooterscome,donotriskyouroldlifeforthesetrashandrubbish!Theyarenotworthit!"[10]considerswhatotherpeoplethinksasextremelyprecioustreasures"trashandrubbish",whichindicatesthat,theviewaboutmoneyandmaterialresultingfromthoughtofTaoschoolistobecomeindifferenttofameandgain.Thiskindofindifferenceofmoneyalsoappearsatthetimeofhisdaughter‘smarriageceremony.Whenitrefersthat"MuLan‘sweddingwastobeoneofthegrandestPekinghasseen."Therearefourreasons;thefourthoneisthat"becauseMuLan‘sfatherhadbeguntotakeaverylightviewofhiswealth."[11]"Wealthwastohimlikeafireworksdisplaytracinglinesoffireinthedarksky--withplentyofsplutterandbrilliance,andendinginsmoke,ashes,andthechantedendsontheground."[12]Totakealightviewofwealth,fameandgainisjustthephilosophyofChuangtse.InthebackgroundinwhichtheConfucianismoccupiedtheleadingposition,atthetimewhenthenation‘ssituationwascharacterizedbytroublousandintranquilty,manymenandwomenfightoneanotherorevenbetraytheinterestsofthenation,onlyformoney,fameandgain.Forexample,thesonofNewfamilyNewHuaiyucalled"godofwealth"isinsatiablyavaricious.HeevenbecomeslackeyofJapanesejustformoney.Inthesepeople‘seyes,"Moneycandriveghostturningamillstone."sotheypreferwealthtoremainingindifferentto"externalthings".Whatsaid"Amanshouldnotbeexcitedmeans"havingnowants",whichresultsinquietinthestateofmind."Havingnowants"cangofurthertogainthefreedomofheart.ThisisakindofleadingmindnomatterinthewesternsocietyfullofmaterialdesiresorinancientChinaatthattime.Inaword,thoughtofTaoSchoolsuppliesthepeopleacorrectviewtowardsmaterialandpropertyinthepresentsociety.Wemustn’tneglecttopursuethementalpropertyandmustn’tpayallattentiontothepursuitofmaterialenjoyment.

II.Viewofpleasure-seeking

Ononehand,TaoSchoolconsidersconsumptionofmaterialashumanbeing’sessentialandnaturalpursuit.Inscientificsense,limitedandsimpleconsumptioncanmaintainhuman’slifeactivity,whichisnormalconditionoflife."Ontheotherhand,TaoSchoolconsidersreturningtoNaturetobethezenithoftheoreticinterest,soNatureislogicallycontainedintheprocessoflifefor“Tao”,whichgeneratesinextricablytheirapprovingandadvocatingpleasureoflife."[13]AndenoughsatisfactionwithNature‘formstheviewofpleasure.Chuangtsealwayspraisesthat:“Befullfirst,andthengoonapleasuretour.”Pursuingenjoymentofmaterialisanessentialandcorrecthumanneed.However,thehealthofbodyisnotcontrarytothequietsofheart.Inthebalanceofstructureofbodyandheart,thetwoelementsareofthesameimportance.“Thepeopleshouldbecontentedwiththeirfood,pleasedwiththeirclothing,satisfiedwiththeirhomes,shouldtakepleasureintheirrustictasks.”[14]What’smore,simplicityandfewnessofdesiresareraisedtoanearlevelofontology.Inthissense,limitationofdesiresbecomesapursuitofone’sown.Laotzuadvocates“knowledgelessanddesireless”life,hethinks:“Onlybyknowingwhenitistimetostopcandangerbeavoided.”Hesaid:“Tobecontentwithwhatonehasare,andnoonecandespoilyou;whostopsintimenothingcanharm.Heisforeversafeandsecure.”“Nolureisgreaterthandisastergreaterthannottobecontentwithwhatonehas,nopresageofevilgreaterthanthatmenshouldbewantingtogetmore.”Sotruly:“Hewhohasonceknownthecontentmentthatcomessimplythroughbeingcontent,willneveragainbeotherwisethancontented.”Inthebook,therearemanydetailsdescriptionshowingsuchanopinion.Forinstance,atthebeginningofthebookmentioningtheoriginalpresenceofthetwoYao’sdaughters."Thebeautifulyoungwomanappearedagainwithtwogirls,bothdressedverysimplyinwhitecottonjackets,onewithgreen,andtheotherwithvoidtrousers."[15]Generallyspeaking,thedaughtersoftherichfamilyareall"goldenbranchesandjadeleaves".Sotheywillprobablydressupthemselveswithjewels.However,wecanseeobviouslythedressingdifferenceofthetwosistersfromothersthroughtheword"simply".What‘smore,Mr.Laodoesn‘tadvocate,"bindingfeet",either.Hethinksthat"bindingfeet"isacorruptcustomwhichdestroyseverelytheChinesewomen‘shealth.Therefore,hisdaughtersdidn‘tbindfeetsincechildhood;instead,theylettheirfeetdevelopnaturally.ThisviewistotallydifferentfromConfucianviewofthinking"bindingfeet"tobe"women‘scharacter".AsforYaoSi’an,helikescollectingantiques,andsoon.Tosumup,theTaoists‘viewofpleasureseekingistobenatural.

III.Viewoflifeanddeath

InChuangtse‘sopinion,human‘slifeanddeathdependonfate,thatistosay"Deathandlifeisfate."(FromChuangtse.Master).Aman’sbirthdoesn’tactforhimself,becausehehimselfdoesn’texistatallatthattime.Selfcomesfromnothing,afterone’sbirth,therehasbeenan“I”,“I”cometothisworldbeingstarknaked.Whatam“I”,“I”’arrivaldoesn’tgetthepermissionofself.Thiskindofpurepassiveexistenceisfateitself.Attheendoflife,differentfromthetimeofbirth,wehavetheabilitytodecide.Butwhenweeachfaceone’sdeath,doesDeathoncetalkitoverwithyouandgetyourpermission?No!Itseemsthatwecanchooseasmallamountofwaysofdeath,butwecannotchoosetolivepermanently,this,isfate,too.Allthescientificrulespointoutthetruth,theunchangeabletruth.Facingthetremendousunknownfieldthatisbeforebirthandafterdeath,akindofdriftingsensetowardslifecannotbeavoided.ThatisthereasonwhyTaoSchoolsetshumanbeingson“fate”.WhenLaoTzutalkedabout“fate”,hesaid,“Returntotherootfromwhichtheygrew.Thisreturntotherootiscalledquietness;

QuietnessiscalledsubmissiontoFate;whathassubmittedtoFatehasbecamepartofthealwaysso.Toknowthealways-soistobeillumined.”[16]Here,man’sFateistheexistingoforigin.Thewesternpeoplesaymanlikesacandlewhichshinesoverthisworldactively;whileinChinesepeople’sopinion,manlikesamirror,reflectonthisworldpassively.Duringtheprocessofshiningovertheworld,humanbeingsfightwithFate,likeFaustus,struggleintheunchangeableexistingcondition.Struggletotheendbecomeshuman’sfate.ThetraditionalChineseculture,TaoSchooltellspeople“todonothing”.Inthebackgroundofthiskindofculturewedonotmakeadetailedinquiryanymore.Wedonotthinkdeeplyandstruggleanylonger.WejustconformtothearrangementofFate.Weknowthatlifeisnotalwayshappyandcloudy.Butthesunwillalwaysrise;tomorrowwillbeabetterday.Thatisafaith.Whenweencounterthedifficultyweshouldseethehope.Wewaitforspringinthecoldwinter.Weawaitforflowerstocomeoutagain.Wewaitthesunshinedayinthelongdark.TheChineselivewiththisfaith.ThisnoveladvocatesthoughtofTaoSchoolthroughdifferentattitudesofdifferentcharacterstowardslifeanddeathaswell.Lifeanddeathiseventuallyanaturalphenomenon.Butthereareanimmensevarietyofattitudestowardslifeanddeathbecauseofdifferentmodesofthought.ThoughdeathsofandTsengfamily,wecanseethatConfucianstakelifeanddeathtooserious.Theyconsiderdeathisofendlesspain,bitterandsorrow.Nevertheless,Towschoolbelievesthatlifeanddeathisgatheringanddistributingofbreathes(,stateofatmosphere),gatheringislifeanddistributingisdeath.Lifeanddeathdifferfromonetotheother.Therottenandthemagicchangewitheachotheristhelawofnaturecirculation.YakSi’anbelievesthatlifeanddeathistheverylawofexistence.AtrueTaoistmerelytriumphsoverdeath.Hediesmorecheerfullythanothers.Heisnotafraidofitbecause

deathis"returningtotheTao".WhenMuLanaskshim:"father,doyoubelieveinbecominganimmortal?Taoistsalwaysbelieveinit.”answers:‘thatispopularTaoism.Lifeanddeatharetheverylawofexistence.Idobelieveinimmortality.IamimmortalthroughyouandyoursisterandAfeiandallthechildrenbornofmychildren.I‘mlivingalloveragainyou,asyouarelivingalloveragaininAtungandAmei.Thereisnodeath.Youcannotdefeatnature.Lifegoesonforever."[17]‘sviewoflifeshowsusthat,lifeisraisedtoahigherlevelincirculations.People,ononehand,mustvalueone‘slife;ontheotherhand,thereisnoneedtofeeldepressedanddisappointedtothebrevityoflife.

IV.Viewofloveandmarriage

Taoistsbelievethat”Ithappenedofitsownaccord”evenintheviewofloveandmarriage.Atalltimesandinalllands,lovehasbeenapermanenttopic.RedChamberDream,thegreatTraditionalChinesenovels,islinedwiththelovestorybetweenJiaBaoyuandLinDaiyu.FromthebeginningtotheendofthebookMomentinPekingthatowns700,000characters,therearemainlyfourmarriagesworthofmentioning.Arethesemarriagessuccessfulorcompletefailing?Whataretheirresults?Theoriginalreasonsofsuccessandfailureareworthofexploring.Amongthesemarriages,theseareseveralwomenimagesthathavelivelypersonalityandqueerwayofthinking.Theirviewsoflovevary.Someofthemsacrificealltheirtimefor“love”,somedieforlove,andsomeoneconcealherlovedeeplyintheirheart.Loveisthesame,butthewayoflovedifferfromonetoanother.Now,let’stracetheiroriginsinfact,theyaredeterminedbydifferentthoughts,ConfucianismorthoughtofTaoschool.Accordingtotheauthor’sdescription,ManniawasatrueproductofConfucianism.HerparentswerebothConfucians.Shewasbroughtupbyherfather,gotafulloldeducationofwomen.ManniaacceptedwhatthefeudalConfucianethicalcodehadgivenher:“Women’scharacter”,”Women’sspeech”,”Women’sappearance”,“Women’saccomplishment”.What’smore,sheboundasmallpairoffeet.MastersofTsengfamilies’werecrazyaboutsuperstitiousbelief.Whentheireldersonwasdying,theybelievedthat“Tsunghsi”couldmakePingYarecover.That’swhytheyletPingYamarryyoungMannia.AfterPingYadied,ManniawentintoanotherConfucianfamilyfromthepreviousone.Duringthewholeprocess,noonecameouttopretestforher.Therewasanopinioninhermind,whichwas:Iliveasdaughter-in–lawofTsengfamily,Idieasdaughter-in–lawofTsengfamily,too.Manniaremainedunmarried.Shewasalone;sheneverwenttothebackgardensurroundedbyhighwalls,becausehisfathertoldherthatinoperaofnovelsalmostallthedegenerationofgirlsandamorousencounterstookplaceinthebackgarden.Oneday,ManniawaspersuadedbyMuLanandSunyatogotoseetheforeignfilmtogether.Sheenjoyedherselfverymuchthatdaybecauseshehadneverseensuchaninterestingnewthing.Butherfather-in-lawgotfurious.Hethoughtshehaddonewhatawidowshouldnotdo.Manniadidnotbreatheawordtoprotest.Instead,shethoughtitwrongallherfaultindeed.ShespentrestofherlifewithheradoptedsonandfinallyendedherlifebyherselfbecausetheJapaneseintruders’baseconducts.Thehappinessofsuchabeautiful,pure,kind-hearted,gentlewomanwas"eaten"byso-called“feudalConfucianethicalcode”.IsManiaisonlytragicgirlproducedbyfeudalConfucianethicalcode.Theanswerisabsolutely“No”.Theauthorregards“theclassicalbeauty”astheweaponofcriticism.Hecriticizesthoseridiculousanddeep-rootedethicalcodesofConfucianism.

Anothertragedyoflovehappenedtoayoungmasterandhismaid.Tiren,theelderyoungmasterofYaofamily,hadbeenspoiledsinceachildandformedasuperciliousandarrogantpersonalityofdoingthingsaswhatheliked.Silversreen,whowasbroughttoYaofamilyasamaidbyMulan’sunclewhoshewasonlythree,servedTirensinceachild.Shewasthreeyearsolderthanhim.Shewasclever,capableandbeautiful,too.Theyfellinlovewitheachotherwhentheygrewup.TirenmeanedtomarrySilverscreen.ButTiren’smotherwhowasstronglyaffectedbytheconceptiondidn’tagree.Shethoughttherewasgreatdifferencebetweenmasterandmaid,andmarriageshouldbeaccordingtothecustomof“well-matched”insocialandeconomicstatus.SheconsideredSilverscreen’behaviortobe"Aposytoadtickingofeatingswanflesh!"Shewasinexorabletohindertheirdevelopment.Atlasting,owingtothereasonthatrobbedSilverscreen’schild,whichforcedhertosuicide.Itshouldhadbeenagoodmatch,ifhadn’tpreventthem,andthetragedywouldhadnothappened.AnotherproductofConfucianschoolthatLincreatedwas,whoselaterhalf-lifewasmiserable.Shehadtotaketheresponsibilityofwhatshedid.What’smore,TirenandSilverscreenlovedeachsincerely.Tirenhadhisownadvantage,thatis,hewaskindandtookloveseriously.HewasabletotryhisbesttogetaheadtoperusehisrealloveoveralltheobstacleoffeudalConfucianethicalcode,whichisadmirable.ThecharacterSilverscreenalsoaccordswithhedemandsofperusingtheequalityofpersonalityandfreedomofmarriageduringtheperiodoftheMay4thMovementof1919.

SupposethatthetwomarriagesabovewerecausedbyfeudalethicalcodeofConfucianism,thefollowingtwomarriages,onthecontrary,followedtheadviceof“Tao”.Inthisnovel,LinYutangcharacterizesaperfectwomenimage----YaoMulan,whoiscalled“thedaughteroftheTaoist”.FromMulan,wecanseewhatisperfectwomanintheauthor’seye.Therefore,theauthorusesmorewordsonher.Sinceachild,educatedandinfluencedbyherfather,MulanfreedherselffromkindsoffeudalethicalConfuciancodeandoldcustoms.Shemightbeawomanoutoftheordinaryatthattime.Shelearnedembroiderfromhermother.Shehadalotofotherskillstowhistle,tosingBeijingOpera,tocollectandappreciateantique.ShewasdeeplyaffectedbythoughtofTaoSchool.Herfathertoldher:"Whenyouyourselfareright,nothingthathappenstoyoucaneverbewrong."ItbecameMuLan’slifetimemotto.Shederivedoptimismandcouragefromthissentence.Shebelievedthattherewassuchabeautifulworld.Wemustfightandendureit.Shewasoptimisticandopen-mindedbecauseshewasimperceptiblyinfluencedbythoughtofTaoschool.Facingupsanddownsoflife,shecouldalwayskeepsuchastateofmind:bebrownsoflife,unrestrainedandnatural,Thoughtshedidn’tmarrythemansheloved,shestillbelievedthat"Ithappenedofitsownaccord"andthataperson’sfatehadbeenarrangedaheadoftime.Thoughthereadersmayconsiderthisasaregrettableimperfection,butimperfectionisasortofbeauty.Soshetookthe“regrettableimperfection”asakindof“beauty”concealingitintheheart,enjoyingitquietlyandsecretly.AlthoughSunYaandshemightnotbeaperfectcouple,theycouldbeasuitableone.Shealwayslookedforwardtothepeacefulidylliclifeembracedbyhillandwater.What‘smore,