Abstract

From the mid-Ming period on, the idea of becoming a “sage” became an intellectual trend in society. However, the experience of Hebei-based early-Qing scholar Yan Yuan (顏元, 1635–1704) and his peers shows that, unlike the situation described in many studies as “everyone becoming sages,” most people at the time were not interested in being sages, and many with those aspirations were not supported by their social groups. In fact, “education” was not a one-way flow from elites to the masses. The impact of the masses on the elite cannot be ignored. Yan Yuan had to gradually adjust his mode of operation. Furthermore, the folklore surrounding Yan Yuan shows how ordinary people redefined the meaning of “sage” and redrew the relationship between “influencer” and “the influenced.”

摘要

从明代中期开始，成为“圣人”的思想成为社会的一种思潮。然而，河北清初学者颜元（颜元，1635-1704）等人的经验表明，与许多研究中描述的“人人成圣”不同，当时的大多数人对此并不感兴趣。在成为圣人的过程中，许多有这些愿望的人并没有得到他们所在社会群体的支持。事实上，“教育”并不是精英流向大众的单向流。群众对精英的影响不容忽视。颜渊不得不逐渐调整自己的操作方式。此外，围绕颜渊的民间传说，展现了普通人如何重新定义“圣人”的含义，重新定义“影响者”与“受影响者”之间的关系。