Shaonian Zhongguo shuo / On Young China
{"WorkMasterId":6572,"WpPageId":283269,"ParentWpPageId":193930,"Slug":"young-china","Url":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/philosophers/liang-qichao/young-china/","RelativeUrl":"theos/humanities/philosophy/philosophers/liang-qichao/young-china/","HasFullText":true,"RawHtmlLength":75444,"CleanHtmlLength":20693,"Kicker":"Philosophy Work","Title":"Shaonian Zhongguo shuo / On Young China","Deck":"Liang links youth, civic energy, renewal, and national becoming in a moral-political program for China.","BackLink":{"Text":"Back to Liang Qichao","Url":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/philosophers/liang-qichao/"},"AuthorCard":{"Label":"Author","Title":"Liang Qichao","Url":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/philosophers/liang-qichao/","MediaHref":"","ImageSrc":"https://chrisdeasy.com/wp-content/uploads/liang-qichao-01-liang-in-1910.jpg","ImageAlt":"Liang Qichao portrait, 1910","FilterTerra":"China (East Asia)","ClickText":"Liang Qichao","ClickHref":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/philosophers/liang-qichao/","Copies":["1873 CE – 1929 CE","Xinhui, Guangdong","Cistercian monk, abbot of late Qing and early Republican reformism, and medieval Christian philosopher-theologian whose theology of love, humility, grace, free choice, mystical ascent, monastic ethics, scriptural exegesis, and ecclesial counsel shaped scholastic, monastic, and political theology."]},"ContextCards":[{"Label":"Period","Key":"Period:4","Title":"Modern History","DateText":"1800 CE – 1944 CE","Url":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/eras-of-thought/philosophers-of-modern-history/"},{"Label":"Era","Key":"Era:11","Title":"Long 19th Century","DateText":"1870 CE – 1913 CE","Url":"https://chrisdeasy.com/theos/humanities/philosophy/eras-of-thought/philosophers-of-modern-history/philosophers-of-the-long-19th-century/"},{"Label":"Composition","Title":"1900 CE","Url":"","DateText":""}],"DateNote":"Displayed as 1900, the standard publication year for the essay.","GeoCards":[{"Label":"Region","Key":"Region:2"},{"Label":"Terra Avita","Key":"TerraAvita:10"},{"Label":"Terra Avita Region","Key":"TerraAvitaRegion:42"},{"Label":"Modern Country","Key":"Country:CHN:10"}],"OriginalTitle":"少年中國說","Language":"Classical Chinese; modern written Chinese","DisciplineCards":[{"Label":"Primary Discipline","Key":"Discipline:ethics"},{"Label":"Secondary Discipline","Key":"Discipline:political-philosophy"}],"Tradition":"Late Qing and early Republican reformism; New Citizen political thought; civic nationalism; constitutionalism; modern Chinese historiography; journalism; Confucian reform background","FullText":{"Title":"Full Text","Copy":"Full text from Chinese Wikisource: 少年中國說 .","Url":"","Label":"","Kicker":"","Cards":[]},"CoreThesis":["Liang links youth, civic energy, renewal, and national becoming in a moral-political program for China."],"Classification":{"AlternateTitles":"Shaonian Zhongguo shuo; The Young China; On Young China","KeyConcepts":"youth; nation; renewal; civic virtue; China; modernization; future","Methodology":"Direct Liang Qichao work-cluster record based on Britannica, Commons work/source images, CText/Wikisource surfaces, catalog records, scholarship searches, and late Qing / early Republican intellectual-history evidence. No full text is imported.","Structure":"One work-cluster page with Chinese, transliterated, and English title forms, explicit integer display year, date note, evidence note, source linkage, and strict no-full-text handling."},"Arguments":["Liang links youth, civic energy, renewal, and national becoming in a moral-political program for China."],"Influence":{"InfluencedBy":"Kang Youwei, New Text Confucianism, Gongyang learning, Meiji Japan, Western political thought, constitutional monarchy debates, Qing evidential scholarship, and crisis-era journalism.","InfluenceOn":""},"Significance":["Accepted as a direct Liang work from Wikisource, catalog/search rows, and scholarship on Liang\u0027s nationalism.","The work remains relevant to political philosophy, nationalism, civic education, public reason, historiography, journalism, modernization theory, constitutional reform, and comparative Chinese philosophy."],"EvidenceNote":["Accepted as a direct Liang work from Wikisource, catalog/search rows, and scholarship on Liang\u0027s nationalism."],"MainSections":[{"Kind":"RawSection","Title":"Full Text","BodyHtml":"\u003cp class=\"dz-philo__section-copy dz-philo__full-text-source\"\u003eFull text from \u003ca href=\"https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E8%AA%AA\"\u003eChinese Wikisource: 少年中國說\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003carticle class=\"dz-philo__full-text-body\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e日本人之稱我中國也，一則曰老大帝國，再則曰老大帝國。是語也，盖襲譯歐西人之言也。嗚呼！我中國其果老大矣乎？任公曰：惡！是何言！是何言！吾心目中有一少年中國在！\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e欲言國之老少，請先言人之老少。老年人常思既往，少年人常思將來；惟思既往也故生留戀心，惟思將來也故生希望心；惟留戀也故保守，惟希望也故進取；惟保守也故永舊，惟進取也故日新。惟思既往也，事事皆其所已經者，故惟知照例；惟思將來也，事事皆其所未經者，故常敢破格。老年人常多憂慮，少年人常好行樂；惟多憂也故灰心，惟行樂也故盛氣；惟灰心也故怯懦，惟盛氣也故豪壯；惟怯懦也故苟且，惟豪壯也故冒險；惟苟且也故能滅世界，惟冒險也故能造世界。老年人常厭事，少年人常喜事；惟厭事也故常覺一切事無可爲者，惟好事也故常覺一切事無不可爲者。老年人如夕照，少年人如朝陽；老年人如瘠牛，少年人如乳虎；老年人如僧，少年人如俠；老年人如字典，少年人如戲文；老年人如鴉片烟，少年人如潑蘭地酒；老年人如別行星之隕石，少年人如大洋海之珊瑚島；老年人如埃及沙漠之金字塔，少年人如西伯利亞之鐵路；老年人如秋後之柳，少年人如春前之草；老年人如死海之瀦爲澤，少年人如長江之初發源：此老年與少年性格不同之大略也。任公曰：人固有之，國亦宜然。\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e任公曰：傷哉，老大也！潯陽江頭琵琶婦，當明月繞船，楓葉瑟瑟，衾寒於鐵，似夢非夢之時，追想洛陽塵中春花秋月之佳趣；西宮南內，白髮宮娥，一燈如穗，三五對坐，談開元、天寳間遺事，譜《霓裳羽衣曲》；青門種瓜人，左對孺人，顧弄孺子，憶侯門似海珠履雜遝之盛事；拿破侖之流於厄蔑，阿剌飛之幽于錫蘭，與三兩監守吏或過訪之好事者，道當年短刀匹馬馳騁中原，席捲歐洲，血戰海樓，一聲叱吒、萬國震恐之豐功偉烈，初而拍案，繼而撫髀，終而攬鏡。嗚呼，面皴齒盡，白髮盈把，頹然老矣！若是者，舍幽鬱之外無心事，舍悲慘之外無天地，舍頹唐之外無日月，舍歎息之外無音聲，舍待死之外無事業。美人豪傑且然，而況於尋常碌碌者耶？生平親友，皆在墟墓；起居飲食，待命於人。今日且過，遑知他日；今年且過，遑恤明年：普天下灰心短氣之事，未有甚于老大者。於此人也，而欲望以拏雲之手段，回天之事功，挾山超海之意氣，能乎不能？\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e嗚呼！我中國其果老大矣乎？立乎今日以指疇昔：唐虞三代，若何之郅治；秦皇漢武，若何之雄傑；漢唐來之文學，若何之隆盛；康乾間之武功，若何之烜赫。歷史家所鋪叙，詞章家所謳歌，何一非我國民少年時代良辰美景、賞心樂事之陳跡哉！而今頹然老矣！昨日割五城，明日割十城；處處雀鼠盡，夜夜雞犬驚。十八省之土地財產，已爲人懷中之肉；四百兆之父兄子弟，已爲人注籍之奴，豈所謂「老大嫁作商人婦」者耶？嗚呼！憑君莫話當年事，蕉萃韶光不忍看！楚囚相對，岌岌顧影，人命危淺，朝不慮夕。國爲待死之國，一國之民爲待死之民。萬事付之奈何，一切憑人作弄，亦何足怪！\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e任公曰：我中國其果老大矣乎？是今日全地球之一大問題也。如其老大也，則是中國爲過去之國，即地球上昔本有此國，而今漸澌滅，他日之命運殆將盡也。如其非老大也，則是中國爲未來之國，即地球上昔未現此國，而今漸發達，他日之前程且方長也。欲斷今日之中國爲老大耶？爲少年耶？則不可不先明「國」字之意義。夫國也者，何物也？有土地，有人民，以居於其土地之人民，而治其所居之土地之事，自制法律而自守之；有主權，有服從，人人皆主權者，人人皆服從者。夫如是，斯謂之完全成立之國，地球上之有完全成立之國也，自百年以來也。完全成立者，壯年之事也；未能完全成立而漸進于完全成立者，少年之事也。故吾得一言以斷之曰：歐洲列邦在今日爲壯年國，而我中國在今日爲少年國。\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e夫古昔之中國者，雖有國之名，而未成國之形也。或爲家族之國，或爲酋長之國，或爲諸侯封建之國，或爲一王專制之國。雖種類不一，要之，其於國家之體質也，有其一部而缺其一部。正如嬰兒自胚胎以迄成童，其身體之一二官支，先行長成，此外則全體雖粗具，然未能得其用也。故唐虞以前爲胚胎時代，殷周之際爲乳哺時代，由孔子而來至於今爲童子時代。逐漸發達，而今乃始將入成童以上少年之界焉。其長成所以若是之遲者，則歷代之民賊有窒其生機者也。譬猶童年多病，轉類老態，或且疑其死期之將至焉，而不知皆由未完全未成立也。非過去之謂，而未來之謂也。\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e且我中國疇昔，豈甞有國家哉？不過有朝廷耳！我黃帝子孫，聚族而居，立於此地球之上者既數千年，而問其國之爲何名，則無有也。夫所謂唐、虞、夏、商、周、秦、漢、魏、晉、宋、齊、梁、陳、隋、唐、宋、元、明、清者，則皆朝名耳。朝也者，一家之私產也。國也者，人民之公產也。朝有朝之老少，國有國之老少。朝與國既異物，則不能以朝之老少而指爲國之老少明矣。文、武、成、康，周朝之少年時代也。幽、厲、桓、赧，則其老年時代也。高、文、景、武，漢朝之少年時代也。元、平、桓、靈，則其老年時代也。自餘歷朝，莫不有之。凡此者謂爲一朝廷之老也則可，謂爲一國之老也則不可。一朝廷之老且死，猶一人之老且死也，於吾所謂中國者何與焉。然則吾中國者，前此尚未出現於世界，而今乃始萌芽云爾。天地大矣，前途遼矣。美哉我少年中國乎！\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e瑪志尼者，意大利三傑之魁也。以國事被罪，逃竄異邦。乃創立一會，名曰「少年意大利」。擧國志士，雲湧霧集以應之。卒乃光復舊物，使意大利爲歐洲之一雄邦。夫意大利者，歐洲第一之老大國也。自羅馬亡後，土地隸于教皇，政權歸於奧國，殆所謂老而瀕於死者矣。而得一瑪志尼，且能擧全國而少年之，況我中國之實爲少年時代者耶！堂堂四百餘州之國土，凛凛四百餘兆之國民，豈遂無一瑪志尼其人者！\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e龔自珍氏之集有詩一章，題曰《能令公少年行》。吾甞愛讀之，而有味乎其用意之所存。我國民而自謂其國之老大也，斯果老大矣；我國民而自知其國之少年也，斯乃少年矣。西諺有之曰：「有三歲之翁，有百歲之童。」然則國之老少，又無定形，而實隨國民之心力以爲消長者也。吾見乎瑪志尼之能令國少年也，吾又見乎我國之官吏士民能令國老大也。吾爲此懼！夫以如此壯麗濃郁翩翩絕世之少年中國，而使歐西日本人謂我爲老大者，何也？則以握國權者皆老朽之人也。非哦幾十年八股，非寫幾十年白摺，非當幾十年差，非捱幾十年俸，非遞幾十年手本，非唱幾十年諾，非磕幾十年頭，非請幾十年安，則必不能得一官、進一職。其內任卿貳以上，外任監司以上者，百人之中，其五官不備者，殆九十六七人也。非眼盲，則耳聾；非手顫，則足跛，否則半身不遂也。彼其一身飲食步履視聽言語，尚且不能自了，須三四人在左右扶之捉之，乃能度日，於此而乃欲責之以國事，是何異立無數木偶而使之治天下也！且彼輩者，自其少壯之時，既已不知亞細歐羅爲何處地方，漢祖唐宗是那朝皇帝，猶嫌其頑鈍腐敗之未臻其極，又必搓磨之，陶冶之，待其腦髓已涸，血管已塞，氣息奄奄，與鬼爲鄰之時，然後將我二萬里山河，四萬萬人命，一擧而畀於其手。嗚呼！老大帝國，誠哉其老大也！而彼輩者，積其數十年之八股、白摺、當差、捱俸、手本、唱諾、磕頭、請安，千辛萬苦，千苦萬辛，乃始得此紅頂花翎之服色，中堂大人之名號，乃出其全副精神，竭其畢生力量，以保持之。如彼乞兒，拾金一錠，雖轟雷盤旋其頂上，而兩手猶緊抱其荷包，他事非所顧也，非所知也，非所聞也。於此而告之以亡國也，瓜分也，彼烏從而聽之，烏從而信之！即使果亡矣，果分矣，而吾今年既七十矣八十矣，但求其一兩年內，洋人不來，强盜不起，我已快活過了一世矣！若不得已，則割三頭兩省之土地奉申賀敬，以換我幾箇衙門；賣三幾百萬之人民作僕爲奴，以贖我一條老命，有何不可？有何難辦？嗚呼！今以所謂老后、老臣、老將、老吏者，其修身齊家治國平天下之手段，皆具於是矣。西風一夜催人老，凋盡朱顏白盡頭。使走無常當醫生，携催命符以祝壽，嗟乎痛哉！以此爲國，是安得不老且死，且吾恐其未及歲而殤也。\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e任公曰：造成今日之老大中國者，則中國老朽之寃業也；製出將來之少年中國者，則中國少年之責任也。彼老朽者何足道，彼與此世界作別之日不遠矣，而我少年乃新來而與世界爲緣。如僦屋者然，彼明日將遷居地方，而我今日始入此室處。將遷居者，不愛護其窓櫳，不潔治其庭廡，俗人恒情，亦何足怪！若我少年者，前程浩浩，後顧茫茫。中國而爲牛爲馬爲奴爲隸，則烹臠鞭箠之慘酷，惟我少年當之。中國如稱霸宇內，主盟地球，則指揮顧盼之尊榮，惟我少年享之。於彼氣息奄奄與鬼爲鄰者何與焉？彼而漠然置之，猶可言也。我而漠然置之，不可言也。使擧國之少年而果爲少年也，則吾中國爲未來之國，其進步未可量也。使擧國之少年而亦爲老大也，則吾中國爲過去之國，其澌亡可翹足而待也。故今日之責任，不在他人，而全在我少年。少年智則國智，少年富則國富；少年强則國强，少年獨立則國獨立；少年自由則國自由；少年進步則國進步；少年勝於歐洲，則國勝於歐洲；少年雄于地球，則國雄於地球。紅日初升，其道大光。河出伏流，一瀉汪洋。潜龍騰淵，鱗爪飛揚。乳虎嘯谷，百獸震惶。鷹隼試翼，風塵吸張。奇花初胎，矞矞皇皇。干將發硎，有作其芒。天戴其蒼，地履其黃。縱有千古，橫有八荒。前途似海，來日方長。美哉我少年中國，與天不老；壯哉我中國少年，與國無疆！\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e「三十功名塵與土，八千里外雲和月。莫等閒，白了少年頭，空悲切。」此\u003ca href=\"/wiki/Author:%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9B\" title=\"Author:岳飛\"\u003e岳武穆\u003c/a\u003e《\u003ca href=\"https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%BB%BF%E6%B1%9F%E7%B4%85\" title=\"滿江紅\"\u003e滿江紅\u003c/a\u003e》詞句也，作者自六歲時即口受記憶，至今喜誦之不衰。自今以往，棄「哀時客」之名，更自名曰「少年中國之少年」。——作者附識。\n\u003c/p\u003e\n \n\n\u003cp\u003e1996年1月1日，这部作品在原著作國家或地區屬於\u003cb\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%AC%E6%9C%89%E9%A0%98%E5%9F%9F\" title=\"w:公有領域\"\u003e公有領域\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/b\u003e，之前在美國從未出版，其作者1929年逝世，在\u003cb\u003e美國\u003c/b\u003e以及版權期限是\u003cb\u003e作者終身加80年\u003c/b\u003e以下的國家以及地区，屬於\u003cb\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%AC%E6%9C%89%E9%A0%98%E5%9F%9F\" title=\"w:公有領域\"\u003e公有領域\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/b\u003e。\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e这部作品也可能在本國本地版權期限更長，但對外國外地作品應用較短期限規則的國家以及地区，屬於\u003cb\u003e公有領域\u003c/b\u003e。\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\n \u003c/article\u003e"},{"Kind":"TextSection","Title":"Core Thesis","Paragraphs":["Liang links youth, civic energy, renewal, and national becoming in a moral-political program for China."]},{"Kind":"FieldSection","Title":"Classification","Fields":[{"Label":"Alternate Titles","Value":"Shaonian Zhongguo shuo; The Young China; On Young China"},{"Label":"Key Concepts","Value":"youth; nation; renewal; civic virtue; China; modernization; future"},{"Label":"Methodology","Value":"Direct Liang Qichao work-cluster record based on Britannica, Commons work/source images, CText/Wikisource surfaces, catalog records, scholarship searches, and late Qing / early Republican intellectual-history evidence. No full text is imported."},{"Label":"Structure","Value":"One work-cluster page with Chinese, transliterated, and English title forms, explicit integer display year, date note, evidence note, source linkage, and strict no-full-text handling."}]},{"Kind":"TextSection","Title":"Arguments","Paragraphs":["Liang links youth, civic energy, renewal, and national becoming in a moral-political program for China."]},{"Kind":"FieldSection","Title":"Influence","Fields":[{"Label":"Influenced By","Value":"Kang Youwei, New Text Confucianism, Gongyang learning, Meiji Japan, Western political thought, constitutional monarchy debates, Qing evidential scholarship, and crisis-era journalism."},{"Label":"Influence On","Value":"Late Qing reformism, Hundred Days Reform memory, New Culture debates, modern Chinese nationalism, civic education, journalism, historiography, constitutionalism, and twentieth-century Chinese political thought."}]},{"Kind":"TextSection","Title":"Significance","Paragraphs":["Accepted as a direct Liang work from Wikisource, catalog/search rows, and scholarship on Liang\u0027s nationalism.","The work remains relevant to political philosophy, nationalism, civic education, public reason, historiography, journalism, modernization theory, constitutional reform, and comparative Chinese philosophy."]},{"Kind":"TextSection","Title":"Evidence Note","Paragraphs":["Accepted as a direct Liang work from Wikisource, catalog/search rows, and scholarship on Liang\u0027s nationalism."]}],"SectionSequence":["Back Link","Work Title","Deck","Author","Period","Era","Composition","Date Note","Region","Terra Avita","Terra Avita Region","Modern Country","Original Title","Language","Primary Discipline","Secondary Discipline","Tradition","Full Text","Core Thesis","Classification","Arguments","Influence","Significance","Evidence Note"],"Counts":{"ContextCards":3,"GeoCards":4,"DisciplineCards":2,"Links":11,"Sections":24,"Styles":2,"Scripts":1}}