Text | Xu Zhijie
Mr. Dingshan (1901-1952) is a famous historian, paleographer, and former professor of Shandong University. Reading "Dingshan's Diary" is like stepping into the daily life of a famous scholar in the 1930s and 1940s.
contains the income and expenditure status. For example, the "Income and Expenditure List" record in January 1936: on January 1, the income amount was 50,000 yuan, the expenditure amount was 1,200 yuan, and the balance amount was 3,800 yuan; on January 2, the income amount The amount is 300,000 yuan, the expenditure amount is 0 yuan, and the balance amount is 300,000 yuan. There are a few things I don’t understand: First, the income is 50,000 yuan and the expenditure is 1,200 yuan. How come the balance is 3,800 yuan? It may be that Mr. Dingshan made a mistake in his writing; secondly, he earned 350,000 yuan in two days, which is probably not monthly income such as salary, but royalties; thirdly, what is the ratio between this seemingly large amount of money and now? If it's 1 to 1, it's quite impressive. If it's 10 to 1, it's justifiable. No matter how big the ratio is, it's not worth mentioning. I don’t know much about the situation at that time, and there is no comparison between the past and the present, so I just take it as an understanding. There are many such records in "Dingshan Diary", so I won't list them here.
also has an address book, which is updated several times a year. "Dingshan Diary" begins in 1936 and ends in 1950. In the first half of that period, Chinese society was experiencing a national crisis and the whole people were resisting the Japanese. In the turmoil and chaos, people had no fixed place to live and moved from time to time. In normal living conditions, changes in correspondence addresses are also normal. For example, Dingshan recorded several addresses of the historian Gu Jiegang in his diary: Ping, Xijiao, Chengfu, Jiangjia Hutong; No. 13 Mapo Lane, Hangzhou. Soon after, it was re-recorded as: Rong, Beijiao, Chongzhuang Bridge Laijia New Garden, Institute of Chinese Studies. This should be the address of Gu Jiegang's Institute of Chinese Studies at Qilu University.
After graduating from the Graduate School of Chinese Studies at Peking University, Mr. Ding Shan was recommended by Shen Jianshi and Lu Xun as a teaching assistant at Xiamen University, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, and a full-time researcher at the Institute of History and Language of Academia Sinica. He later taught at Sichuan University and Central University , Northeastern University, Northwest University, Jinan University , Shandong University , among which I have been at Shandong University for the longest time. Therefore, Mr. Dingshan's circle of friends was very broad, and most of them were academic celebrities and leading figures in the intellectual circles at that time. It can be said that "there are great scholars in talking and laughing, and there are no idle friends in contacts." For example, Shu Sheyu (Lao She), Li Jizhi (Li Jizhi), Zhou Yutong, Tong Shuye, Dong Zuobin, Xu Zhongshu, Meng Wentong, Liang Siyong, Shi Zhangru, Shen Congwen, Guo Moruo, etc. are all related to Mr. Dingshan There were frequent letters and many exchanges. The names of these people appear frequently in "Dingshan's Diary". Every time their addresses change, Mr. Dingshan records them in the diary immediately, which shows that the relationship between them is very close and will not change because of one person. Loss of contact due to change of address.
Unexpectedly, as a famous scholar, besides writing books, teaching and educating people, words such as playing cards and drinking often appear in "Dingshan Diary".
Mr. Dingshan is interested in studying ancient Chinese history. He respects tradition but is not limited by tradition. He has systematically sorted out the disciplines related to history, and finally made a comprehensive evaluation based on literature combined with Oracle data. In the 1920s, his research on oracle bone inscriptions began with character recognition, he conducted textual research on oracle bone inscriptions, and wrote works such as "The Interpretation of Dreams" that influenced the academic world. Later, he participated in the excavation of the Yin Ruins in Anyang in the 1930s and 1940s, and had a profound friendship with Dong Zuobin. He edited the "Anyang Excavation Report" and completed "New Yin Chronicles", "Research on Historical Materials of Shang and Zhou Dynasties", "Clans and Their Systems Found in Oracle Bone Inscriptions", etc. , played a leading role in the textual research and research of oracle bone inscriptions and the history of the Shang Dynasty, and it still has important reference value today. He is such a big figure in the academic world and has written so many unfathomable works. He sits at his desk every day reading, reviewing information, and writing furiously. Sometimes he also takes precious time to relax and entertain himself.
On November 1, 1939, Mr. Dingshan's diary: "I got up in the morning to go to class at eight o'clock, and returned at ten o'clock...went to a friend's banquet at Songhe Tower in the afternoon, and in the evening I had a farewell party for Gao Shiqian at home, and played cards for twelve rounds." I don't know what Gao Shiqian is about. The person must be someone who has a close relationship with Dingshan, otherwise he wouldn't have the pleasure of treating guests to a farewell party and playing cards for twelve rounds.
This reminds me of the legendary "Eight Immortals in Wine" of Shandong University in the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, there may be more than eight, probably to make up an interesting and story-telling number. Anyway, they are all famous professors working at Shandong University, like Yang Zhensheng, Wen Yiduo, Fang Lingru, Huang Jiyu, Liang Shiqiu, Zhang Daofan, etc. Every weekend and holiday, people gather together to drink, and they always get drunk before resting. This shows that those who have made outstanding achievements in academic research are by no means "nerds" who are "ignorant of what is happening outside the window" as we think. Instead, they have a wide range of interests in life. They drink when they need to drink and play cards when they need to.
Mr. Dingshan suffered from lung disease in his youth. After the Anti-Japanese War, because he had many children and lived a difficult life, he had to travel far and wide for food and clothing. He was unable to continue treatment and recuperation, and the disease continued to worsen. In his diary, there are often words such as "I didn't eat before I was sick, and I gradually recovered in the evening" and "I recovered, but my spirit was still too weak and I didn't go to class." This shows how bad Mr. Dingshan's health was. Due to the lack of doctors and medicines at that time, Dingshan took it upon himself to read books about traditional Chinese medicine, collect some prescriptions from old traditional Chinese medicine doctors, and conduct self-diagnosis to reduce the pain caused by the disease.
There are many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions in "Dingshan Diary", some of which are used to treat lung diseases, while others are used to treat common symptoms of discomfort, such as "prescription for treating edema," use escargot, garlic, and plantain, grind them into paste, and paste them into large cakes. On the abdomen, water comes out from the stool, and it will heal in a few days." Another example is "Treat the throat with goose prescription, shrimp toad clothes, and phoenix grass. Wash and pound into fine pieces. Add salt and plum meat, boil a little wine, and mix it. Then grind it finely, twist the juice with a cloth, sweep the affected area with goose feathers, then spit it out and it will disappear." There are also simple prescriptions, such as "rubbing with cucumber" to treat prickly heat. Nowadays, many elderly people still use this method to treat prickly heat on their children. It is very effective. There are many similar prescriptions in "Dingshan Diary".
There is a common saying among the people that doctors cannot cure their own diseases, and great scholars like Mr. Kuang Dingshan cannot. The reason why he wrote down so many prescriptions was just for backup when he was in unbearable pain or when his children were feeling unwell, but they could not really cure the root cause of the disease. Around 1950, Mr. Dingshan was in unbearable pain and had to be admitted to Shandong University Hospital. After examination, it was found that only one third of his lungs had ulcerated and could not be cured. Mr. Dingshan passed away in January 1952, when he was not yet 51 years old.
In fact, "Dingshan Diary" records fewer details of life, and more records of his classes, friends, writing, reading experience, etc. The above is just to tell everyone a fuller, more interesting life, and flesh-and-blood Mr. Dingshan. and his yearning and pursuit for a better life. On December 21, 1951, Dingshan's diary: "I haven't had a haircut for a month and a half, and I haven't bathed for a month. I feel itchy from top to toe. Today I ran to Tiande Hall, had a bath, a pedicure, and had a great time. . "
According to Mr. Ding Jing, his descendant, Mr. Ding has an upright personality, an outspoken, kind-hearted, and very humorous person. Mr. Dingshan and Guo Moruo were old friends. Later, when he saw that Guo Moruo had neglected academic research, he directly wrote a letter criticizing him for "not doing his job properly." He is also outspoken about celebrities like Guo Moruo, which shows how straightforward his temperament is. After reading "Dingshan's Diary", I found that Mr. Dingshan was also an accomplished calligrapher. The diary written in small regular script, the month and year inscribed in oracle bone inscriptions, and the poems recorded in running script were all written to , Chen Mengjia, , Gu Jiegang, etc. Liu Dunyuan's letters penetrate the back of the paper, are vigorous and powerful, and are an enjoyment of power and beauty.
Liu Dunyuan, a student of Mr. Dingshan, said: "The fiftieth year, from today's point of view, is the prime of life. Older scholars like Mr. Dingshan often work very diligently and conscientiously due to poor physical fitness, but their living and working conditions are poor. It is very difficult. To die in the prime of life when one is mature in knowledge and is preparing to climb to a higher academic level cannot but be said to be a great loss to the Chinese history and archeology circles. Moreover, this loss will inevitably become more and more serious with the development of time. People feel that it is difficult to make up for it in the short term. "
Thanks to Mr. Dingshan, the diary he leaves behind every day is a rare spiritual and cultural wealth for future generations, which should be cherished and learned from time to time.
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