The concept of qing or love : a study of Honglou meng's original text and its Zhiyan zhai commentaries

Abstract

Despite its indispensability for deciphering the novel, Honglou meng, the concept of qing (love, feeling, or emotion) remains somewhat recondite. Among the scholarly attempts to unravel the treatment of the concept, little consensus has been reached. It is believed that the ambiguity of the concept lies in part in the evolution of its connotations, particularly in late Ming and Qing; in part in the personal emotions and experiences of the author, Cao Xueqin (ca. 1715-1763), his frustration as a failure, his nostalgia for bygone days and his disillusionment with life. The first half of the present study will outline the historical development of the concept of qing - its original relevance to actuality and emotion, its acquisition of negative connotations in Dong Zhongshu's amalgamation of yin and yang elements with Confucianism and how it is later expanded particularly in Neo-Confucianism. Then I will proceed to discuss the prevalent notions of the word in the cult of qing and pay special attention to the commonalities between the philosophy of Li Zhi (1527-1602) and Honglou meng, for Li is the groundbreaker who argues for the legitimatisation of desire and the concept of qing in Honglou meng essentially centres on desires. Finally, I will compare Honglou meng with Mudan ting (Peony Pavilion) and Qing shi (The Anatomy of Love) and show qing's transcendence of the boundary between illusion and reality in the former and its paradoxical ability to spell destruction and redemption in the latter. The second half of the present study examines the Zhiyan zhai commentaries and their relation to the concept of qing. Attempts to understand the novel with the assistance of pingdian never peter out in contemporary China. Among all, the Zhiyan zhai-annotated editions remain the most authoritative, not only because the commentators reveal themselves as close associates of the author, casting precious light on the authorial background and the creative process, but also because the comments themselves, in terms of both content and style, are in close alignment with the deep note of introspection and lyricism which prevails the novel. Through the commentary writing, they create for themselves, as well as for the author, an image as the epitome of qing, provide useful elucidations which facilitate the conceptualisation of qing, and, divulge information about the putative qing-related denouement of the novel, reinforcing its thematic significance. In particular, the present study will delve into the Zhiyan zhai critics' explications of Lin Daiyu's qingqing (to be devoted to the one of qing) and the idea of chi (folly) and Jia Baoyu's qingbuqing (to have feelings for the unfeeling), yiyin (the lust of the mind) and titie (attentiveness); and their revelations of qingbang (the Celestial Roster of Love).