
[清]钟毓龙/著
《上古神话演义》是钟毓龙考据五百余部古籍而成的传记体小说。书中核心围绕阳神与阴神的千年纷争展开,阳神一派以救世安人为任,阴神一派则意图毁天灭地,两派的持续冲突串联起整部上古史。它几乎囊括所有经典上古传说,既有女娲造人、羿射九日等家喻户晓的故事,也详尽记载了相柳之祸、三苗之乱等少为人知的传说,同时兼具神话奇幻与历史厚重,既描绘了神祇异兽、秘境奇观,也展现了上古礼仪确立、部族迁徙融合、鲧禹治水艰辛等文明演进细节,堪称“上古神话的百科全书”。
这本3000多页的书我竟然坚持多了18天,读了40个小时。读它的初衷是看到希腊神话有系统的故事,而中国神话相对零散。这本书虽不算完美,但也能填补这份遗憾,让我了解了中国上古神话的全貌。它基本上是以治水为主线展开的,也有不少山海经的故事,受益良多。
从神话到文明:尧舜禹留给我们的生命答案 ——读《上古神话演义》有感五个月前,我用了很长一段时间读完钟毓龙的《上古神话演义》,全书160回,近百万字。Five months ago, I spent a long period reading Zhong Yulong’s Ancient Mythological Romance, a monumental work of 160 chapters and nearly one million Chinese characters. 那不是一次普通的阅读,而像是沿着一条漫长的文明之河,从天地初开一路走到尧、舜、禹,再走到中华早期文明的形成。It was more than an ordinary reading experience; it felt like following a long river of civilization from the creation of heaven and earth through Yao, Shun, and Yu toward the emergence of early Chinese civilization. 当时读完,我更多沉浸在宏大的神话世界里;五个月后重新回望,我才逐渐发现,这部书真正值得我们今天阅读的,并不是神话有多么奇异,而是神话背后隐藏着一个人类永恒的问题:我们究竟如何从混沌走向文明?When I first finished it, I was immersed mainly in its magnificent mythological world; five months later, I began to see that its deepest value today lies not in the strangeness of its myths, but in the eternal human question beneath them: How do we move from chaos toward civilization? 一、神话,是人类最早的世界模型I. Myth as Humanity’s Earliest Model of the World《上古神话演义》从盘古开天地、女娲造人等远古传说写起,把一个充满神灵、巨兽、奇山异水和未知世界的宇宙呈现在读者面前。Ancient Mythological Romance begins with primordial creation myths such as Pangu separating heaven and earth and Nüwa creating humanity, presenting a universe filled with gods, mythical creatures, strange mountains, rivers, and unknown lands. 今天看来,其中许多故事显然不能作为科学意义上的事实理解。From a modern perspective, many of these stories clearly cannot be understood as scientific fact. 但这并不意味着它们没有价值。That does not mean they lack value. 恰恰相反,神话是远古人类面对未知世界时最早建立的“认知模型”。On the contrary, mythology was one of humanity’s earliest cognitive models for confronting the unknown. 太阳为什么升起?Why does the sun rise? 雷电从哪里来?Where does thunder come from? 人从哪里来?Where did humanity come from? 洪水为什么发生?Why do floods occur? 死亡以后又去了哪里?Where do we go after death? 在科学尚未诞生的时代,人类只能用想象、象征和故事回答这些问题。Before science emerged, humanity answered such questions through imagination, symbolism, and stories. 因此,神话虽然不一定是真实的历史,却是真实的人类心灵史。Myths may not always be literal history, but they are genuine records of the human imagination. 从这个角度看,《上古神话演义》不仅是在讲故事,也是在保存中华民族最早的宇宙想象。From this perspective, Ancient Mythological Romance is not merely telling stories; it is preserving some of the earliest Chinese visions of the universe. 二、女娲补天:文明始于修复世界II. Nüwa Repairing Heaven: Civilization Begins by Repairing the World书中的女娲补天,是我重新回顾全书时最喜欢的一个象征。Nüwa repairing the heavens is one of the symbols I appreciate most when looking back on the entire work. 天地破裂,秩序崩坏,女娲没有只是哀叹世界出了问题,而是亲自炼石补天。When heaven and earth are broken and order collapses, Nüwa does not merely lament the disaster; she takes responsibility for repairing the heavens. 如果把这个故事从神话中抽离出来,它其实揭示了文明的一个基本结构:If we strip the story of its mythology, it reveals a fundamental structure of civilization: 发现问题,然后承担修复问题的责任。See the problem, then take responsibility for repairing it. 文明从来不是一个天然完美的系统。Civilization is never a naturally perfect system. 它是在一次次灾难、冲突和混乱中,不断修补、调整和重建出来的。It is built through repeated cycles of disaster, conflict, disorder, repair, adjustment, and reconstruction. 女娲补天如此。So is Nüwa repairing the heavens. 尧舜治天下如此。So is Yao and Shun governing the world. 大禹治水同样如此。And so is Yu controlling the floods. 这条线索贯穿全书,也贯穿整个人类文明史。 This thread runs through the entire book and, in a broader sense, through the history of human civilization. 三、从黄帝到尧:文明开始超越单纯的力量III. From the Yellow Emperor to Yao: Civilization Moves Beyond Force黄帝与蚩尤的故事,让我们看到上古世界中力量、战争、部落和秩序之间的复杂关系。The story of the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou reveals the complex relationship among force, warfare, tribes, and order in the ancient world. 在人类文明早期,力量往往决定秩序。In early human societies, force often determined order. 谁更强大,谁就拥有更多资源和更大的话语权。Whoever was stronger possessed greater resources and influence. 但仅仅依靠力量,无法建立持久的文明。Yet force alone cannot create lasting civilization. 当社会不断发展,一个更深的问题开始出现:As society develops, a deeper question emerges: 除了力量,人类还能靠什么建立秩序?Besides force, what else can human beings use to create order? 答案逐渐从“武力”走向“德”。The answer gradually moves from force toward virtue. 而尧的出现,使这一主题变得更加清晰。 The emergence of Yao makes this transformation especially clear. 四、尧:权力最大的考验,是能不能放下权力IV. Yao: The Greatest Test of Power Is the Ability to Let It Go《上古神话演义》中的尧,并不只是一个古代帝王。Yao in Ancient Mythological Romance is more than an ancient ruler. 他代表了中国文化对于“理想领导者”的一种早期想象。He represents an early Chinese vision of the ideal leader. 一个真正的领导者,不是拥有权力以后可以随心所欲,而是权力越大,越能够克制自己。A true leader is not someone who can do whatever he wishes after gaining power, but someone who exercises greater restraint as power increases. 尧最值得后人思考的地方,正是他的“让贤”。One of the most thought-provoking aspects of Yao is his willingness to entrust authority to others. 站在权力顶峰的人,为什么愿意让出位置?Why would someone at the summit of power willingly give up that position? 因为真正的领导力,不是永远抓住权力,而是知道什么时候应该把权力交给更合适的人。Because true leadership is not holding power forever, but knowing when to entrust it to someone more suitable. 这对今天仍然有意义。This remains meaningful today. 一个人的能力越大,责任应该越大;一个人的影响力越大,自我约束也应该越强。The greater one’s ability, the greater one’s responsibility; the greater one’s influence, the stronger one’s self-restraint should become. 这也是“仁”的重要内涵。This is an important dimension of benevolence. 五、舜:真正的强大,是受到伤害之后仍然保持善意V. Shun: True Strength Is Remaining Kind After Being Hurt如果说尧体现了理想的政治人格,那么舜体现的则是一种更加贴近普通人的人格力量。If Yao embodies an ideal political character, Shun embodies a form of moral strength closer to ordinary human life. 舜出身并不显赫,甚至长期遭受家庭中的排斥和伤害。Shun was not born into privilege and suffered rejection and mistreatment within his family. 但他没有让这些经历把自己变成一个充满怨恨的人。Yet he did not allow these experiences to turn him into a resentful person. 这让我重新理解了一个非常重要的道理:This led me to reconsider an important truth: 别人如何对待你,是别人的选择;你最终成为什么样的人,是自己的选择。How others treat you is their choice; what you ultimately become is your choice. 这并不是说我们应该否认伤害,也不是说面对不公要一味忍让。This does not mean denying harm or passively accepting injustice. 它真正强调的是:不要让别人的恶,自动复制到自己身上。It means not allowing another person’s wrongdoing to automatically reproduce itself through us. 如果一个人受到伤害之后,仍然能够保持清醒、善良和尊严,那么他实际上已经完成了一种非常深的自我超越。If a person can remain clear-minded, kind, and dignified after being hurt, that person has achieved a profound form of self-transcendence. 所以我越来越喜欢一句话:This is why I increasingly value one sentence: 看清现实之后,心仍然柔软。See reality clearly while keeping the heart gentle. 六、大禹治水:从神话英雄到系统思维VI. Yu Controlling the Floods: From Mythical Hero to Systems Thinking如果说尧、舜更多解决的是“人”的问题,那么禹面对的就是天地之间最巨大的现实问题之一:洪水。If Yao and Shun primarily deal with the problem of human beings, Yu faces one of the greatest practical challenges of the natural world: the floods. 鲧治水失败,禹继承父亲未完成的事业。Gun fails to control the floods, and Yu inherits the unfinished task. 于是,中国文化中最著名的治水故事之一展开了。Thus begins one of the most famous flood-control stories in Chinese culture. 禹跋山涉水,考察地形,疏导水势,开山凿岭。Yu travels through mountains and rivers, studies the terrain, redirects water, and cuts through mountains. 如果抛开神话外衣,这实际上是一种非常现代的思维:Beneath its mythological form, this reflects a remarkably modern way of thinking: 不要只和问题对抗,要先理解问题的结构。Do not merely fight a problem; first understand its structure. 水势有自己的规律。Water has its own dynamics. 治理洪水不能只靠蛮力堵塞,而要理解水往哪里流、为什么流,以及如何顺势而为。Flood control cannot rely solely on forceful obstruction; one must understand where water flows, why it flows, and how to work with its natural dynamics. 这其实已经非常接近今天的系统科学、工程学和算法思维。This is remarkably close to modern systems science, engineering, and algorithmic thinking. 面对复杂系统,我们首先应该研究它,而不是急着征服它。When facing a complex system, we should first study it rather than rush to conquer it. 找到结构。Find the structure. 找到规律。Find the pattern. 然后顺着规律解决问题。Then solve the problem by working with the pattern. 七、“三过家门而不入”:责任需要行动来证明VII. “Passing Three Times Without Entering His Home”: Responsibility Requires Action大禹治水最著名的故事,是“三过家门而不入”。One of the most famous episodes in Yu’s story is his passing his own home three times without entering. 这个故事之所以流传数千年,是因为它把“责任”从一个抽象词变成了具体行动。The story has survived for thousands of years because it turns the abstract concept of responsibility into concrete action. 禹不是没有家庭,也不是没有感情。Yu had a family and human emotions. 而是在巨大的公共责任面前,他选择把更大的事情放在眼前。But in the face of enormous public responsibility, he chose to place the larger task first. 今天我们当然没有必要机械地复制“三过家门而不入”。Today, we do not need to mechanically imitate this sacrifice. 但这个故事仍然值得我们问自己:Yet it still asks us: 当个人利益和更大的责任发生冲突时,我愿意承担什么?When personal interest conflicts with a larger responsibility, what am I willing to take on? 文明之所以能够不断向前,很大程度上就是因为总有人愿意承担那些别人不愿意承担的事情。Civilization advances in large part because some people are willing to undertake responsibilities that others are unwilling to carry. 八、从尧舜禹看“仁”:不是口号,而是一种行动结构VIII. Benevolence in Yao, Shun, and Yu: Not a Slogan but a Structure of Action如果把尧、舜、禹放在一起看,就会发现三个人其实形成了一条非常清晰的精神线索。Seen together, Yao, Shun, and Yu form a remarkably clear spiritual trajectory. 尧代表的是责任与让贤。Yao represents responsibility and the willingness to yield authority. 舜代表的是逆境中的德性。Shun represents virtue under adversity. 禹代表的是面对现实问题的行动力。Yu represents action in the face of real-world problems. 三者共同构成了中国传统文化中“仁”的一个重要形象。Together, they form an important image of benevolence in traditional Chinese culture. 仁不是软弱。Benevolence is not weakness. 仁是有能力,却不滥用能力。It means having power without abusing it. 仁是受到伤害,却不继续制造伤害。It means being hurt without passing the harm onward. 仁是看见问题,就愿意承担解决问题的责任。It means seeing a problem and accepting responsibility for solving it. 所以真正的仁,最终一定会进入行动。True benevolence must ultimately enter action. 九、从神话到文明:人开始承担改变世界的责任IX. From Myth to Civilization: Humanity Takes Responsibility for Changing the World《上古神话演义》还有一个非常值得注意的变化:故事越往后,人类自身的作用越来越重要。Another important transformation in the book is that as the story progresses, human agency becomes increasingly important. 早期世界充满神灵和超自然力量。The early world is filled with gods and supernatural forces. 到了尧舜禹,人开始越来越主动地治理天下。By the time of Yao, Shun, and Yu, human beings increasingly take responsibility for governing the world. 这意味着一种重要的文明成熟:This represents an important stage of civilizational maturity: 人不再只是等待神来拯救世界,而开始自己承担改变世界的责任。Human beings no longer merely wait for gods to save the world; they begin taking responsibility for changing it themselves. 今天回头看,这种精神仍然非常重要。Looking back today, this spirit remains deeply relevant. 面对环境问题,我们需要行动。Facing environmental problems, we need action. 面对教育问题,我们需要创造。Facing educational problems, we need creation. 面对信息洪流,我们需要建立新的秩序。Facing the flood of information, we need new forms of order. 面对AI带来的巨大变化,我们需要重新思考人类应该把自己的能力用在哪里。Facing the enormous changes brought by AI, we need to reconsider where humanity should direct its abilities. 真正的文明,不是等待救世主,而是让更多普通人拥有解决问题的能力。True civilization is not about waiting for saviors, but about enabling more people to develop the ability to solve problems. 十、古代的洪水与今天的信息洪流X. The Ancient Floods and Today’s Flood of Information读到禹治水的时候,我常常会想到今天的人类社会。When I read about Yu controlling the floods, I often think of modern society. 古人面对的是自然界的洪水。The ancients faced floods in nature. 今天我们面对的,却是一场前所未有的信息洪水。Today we face an unprecedented flood of information. 每天都有海量新闻、短视频、社交媒体、广告和各种算法推荐进入我们的意识。Every day, enormous amounts of news, short videos, social media, advertising, and algorithmic recommendations enter our minds. 信息越来越多,智慧却不一定越来越多。More information does not necessarily mean more wisdom. 相反,如果没有筛选能力,信息越多,心越容易混乱。Without the ability to filter, more information can produce more inner disorder. 所以现代人同样需要“治水”。Modern people therefore need their own form of flood control. 不是消灭信息,而是建立自己的河道。Not eliminating information, but building channels through which information can flow. 知道什么值得读。Know what is worth reading. 知道什么值得思考。Know what is worth thinking about. 知道什么应该放下。Know what should be left alone. 把信息变成知识。Turn information into knowledge. 把知识变成理解。Turn knowledge into understanding. 把理解变成行动。Turn understanding into action. 再把行动变成创造。Then turn action into creation. 这也许就是今天的大禹治水。Perhaps this is the modern equivalent of Yu controlling the floods. 十一、为什么五个月后,我还会重新想起这本书XI. Why I Returned to This Book Five Months Later一本书读完以后,真正重要的并不是记住了多少人物和情节。After finishing a book, what matters most is not how many characters or episodes we remember. 真正重要的是,它有没有改变我们看世界的方式。What matters is whether it changes the way we see the world. 五个月以前,我读《上古神话演义》,看到的是神话。Five months ago, I saw mythology. 五个月以后,我重新看到的是文明。Five months later, I see civilization. 女娲补天,让我看到修复。Nüwa repairing heaven makes me see repair. 尧让我看到责任和权力的克制。Yao makes me see responsibility and restraint in the use of power. 舜让我看到逆境中的人格。Shun makes me see character under adversity. 禹让我看到行动、工程和系统思维。Yu makes me see action, engineering, and systems thinking. 而整部书让我看到的,是人类文明从混沌走向秩序的漫长过程。And the entire book makes me see humanity’s long journey from chaos toward order. 这也是经典真正奇妙的地方。This is what makes a classic so remarkable. 书没有变。The book has not changed. 变的是读书的人。The reader has changed. 十二、今天重新读上古,我们究竟应该继承什么XII. What Should We Inherit from Antiquity Today?我们当然不可能回到上古时代。We cannot return to the ancient world. 也没有必要把神话中的每一个细节都当作历史事实。Nor do we need to treat every detail of mythology as literal history. 真正值得继承的,是古人面对世界时的精神。What is worth inheriting is the spirit with which ancient people confronted the world. 面对未知,保持想象。In the face of the unknown, preserve imagination. 面对混乱,寻找秩序。In the face of chaos, seek order. 面对权力,保持克制。In the face of power, practice restraint. 面对伤害,保持人格。In the face of harm, preserve character. 面对困难,承担责任。In the face of difficulty, accept responsibility. 面对未知世界,勇于探索。In the face of the unknown, explore courageously. 面对现实问题,寻找规律。In the face of real problems, search for underlying patterns. 这些精神,放到今天仍然有效。These principles remain relevant today. 甚至在AI时代,它们可能更加重要。They may be even more important in the age of AI. 因为技术可以越来越强大,但技术不会自动告诉我们“应该把力量用在哪里”。Technology can become increasingly powerful, but technology does not automatically tell us where that power ought to be used. 能力越强,越需要价值。The greater the ability, the greater the need for values. 工具越强,越需要方向。The more powerful the tool, the more important the direction. 知识越多,越需要智慧。The more knowledge we possess, the more wisdom we need. 结语:从上古流到今天的那条河 Conclusion: The River That Flows from Antiquity to Us五个月前,我合上《上古神话演义》的最后一页,以为自己读完了一本古老的神话小说。Five months ago, I closed the final page of Ancient Mythological Romance thinking that I had finished an ancient mythological novel. 今天重新回望,我才发现,我读到的其实是一部关于“人如何成为人”的漫长寓言。Looking back today, I realize that I had actually read a long allegory about how human beings become fully human. 从盘古开天地,到女娲补天;From Pangu creating the world to Nüwa repairing heaven; 从黄帝征战,到尧舜治世;From the Yellow Emperor’s wars to the governance of Yao and Shun; 从舜在逆境中守住德性,到禹跋山涉水治理洪水;From Shun preserving virtue amid adversity to Yu crossing mountains and rivers to control the floods; 整部书其实一直在讲同一件事情:The entire book is ultimately telling one story: 人类如何把混沌变成秩序,把力量变成责任,把知识变成文明。How humanity transforms chaos into order, power into responsibility, and knowledge into civilization. 而这条道路,并没有在上古时代结束。And this journey did not end in antiquity. 它一直延续到今天。It continues today. 我们仍然需要治理自己的生命。We still need to bring order to our own lives. 治理自己的欲望。We need to govern our desires. 治理自己的注意力。We need to govern our attention. 治理信息洪流。We need to navigate the flood of information. 学习新的知识。We need to learn new knowledge. 理解新的技术。We need to understand new technologies. 并且不断追问:And continually ask: 我们究竟希望把这个世界带向哪里?Where do we want to take this world? 也许,这正是五个月后重新回望《上古神话演义》时,我得到的最大收获。 Perhaps this is the greatest lesson I take from revisiting Ancient Mythological Romance five months later. 上古神话讲的是天地初开。Ancient mythology tells of the opening of heaven and earth. 而今天的人类,正在参与另一场“开天辟地”。Humanity today is participating in another kind of creation of worlds. AI正在改变知识的生产方式。AI is transforming the production of knowledge. 数学正在帮助我们理解宇宙更深层的结构。Mathematics is helping us understand deeper structures of the universe. 科学正在不断拓展人类的边界。Science continues to expand the boundaries of human possibility. 而我们真正需要继承的,不是古人的神力,而是古人的精神。What we need to inherit is not the supernatural power of the ancients, but their spirit. 有愿心,所以能够出发;With aspiration, we can begin; 有仁心,所以不忘众生;With benevolence, we do not forget others; 有智慧,所以能够看见规律;With wisdom, we can perceive patterns; 有行动,所以能够改变现实。With action, we can transform reality. 从盘古、女娲,到尧、舜、禹,再到今天的我们,这条文明之河仍在向前流。From Pangu and Nüwa to Yao, Shun, and Yu, and finally to us today, the river of civilization continues to flow. 我们每一个人,都在河流之中。Each of us is within that river. 而我们每天的选择,也许都在决定它下一段将流向哪里。And our choices each day may help determine where its next course will lead. 所以,读完这部近百万字的《上古神话演义》,我最后留下的并不是一个关于上古世界的答案。So after reading this nearly million-character work, I am left not with a final answer about the ancient world. 而是一个关于今天的问题:I am left with a question about today: 当我们拥有比古人强大得多的知识、工具和技术之后,我们有没有变得更加有智慧、更加有责任感,也更加懂得如何善待这个世界?Now that we possess knowledge, tools, and technologies far more powerful than those of the ancients, have we also become wiser, more responsible, and more capable of caring for this world? 也许,这才是上古神话真正照耀今天的地方。Perhaps this is where ancient mythology truly illuminates the present. 天地很大,人生很短。The universe is vast, and life is short. 愿我们继承古人的仁心与智慧,又拥有现代人的科学与创造力。May we inherit the benevolence and wisdom of the ancients while embracing the science and creativity of the modern world. 让混沌少一点,让秩序多一点;让痛苦少一点,让智慧多一点;让自己这一生,成为文明长河中一股向善、向真、向美的力量。May there be a little less chaos and a little more order, a little less suffering and a little more wisdom; may our lives become a force moving toward goodness, truth, and beauty within the long river of civilization.
以前在网上看到过这样一个问题: “三国时期有炮吗,为什么《三国演义》里总出现“一声炮响”的描写?” 有网友这样回答: “三国时期当然没有。 至于《三国演义》会出现此类描写的原因也很简单:等到小说创作的时代(元明时期),炮和火药都已经出现了。 严格来说,肯定算穿帮了。 但没办法,古典小说基本都出现过这方面的问题。 比如《西游记》,虽然讲的唐朝之事,不少官职和机构可都明显是明代才开始有的,像总兵、锦衣卫、司礼监、东城兵马司等。 《水浒传》也差不多,提到的地名好几个都是北宋灭亡后才有的,例如泰安州、东昌府等。 PS: 另外有些版本的马麟会被称为“南京建康人氏”,也明显穿帮了,因为宋朝的“南京”其实在如今的河南省商丘市。 不过这些穿帮现象也并非毫无价值,很多时候可以通过他们来判断小说的成书年代呢” —————————— 为什么我要提起这个回答呢?因为这本《上古神话演义》,虽然已经不完全算是古代人写的(作者钟毓龙出生于清末,逝世时已经是1970年),但它在文体上依然是古典演义小说,它也同样有着上述回答里古典小说常见的问题。比如说,书里的帝喾、帝尧等人居然会自称“朕”(朕一开始指的是船缝,直到秦始皇时期才被定为皇帝自称),又比如书中动不动一句“古人云”,然后跟着的居然是《诗经》、乃至《孟子》、《逍遥游》这些相较小说背景年代几千年后的书籍里面的句子…… 需要明确的是,古代作家写小说穿帮多半是客观条件导致的。他们写作的年代,一方面查找资料不方便,一方面他们的目标读者也是不在乎历史考据的古典市民,那些读者往往会认为自从古人摆脱了茹毛饮血以后,几千年来他们的生活方式就一直没有变过,是故既然他们有馒头吃,那秦汉时期的古人也一定可以做出发酵食品来。也就是说,对古典小说而言,考据历史细节是费力不讨好的行为。但这本《上古神话演义》成书年代已经是20世纪30年代,而且作者本人也绝非短闻少识之人,他的小说里很多“不合时代”的内容明显不是疏忽而是刻意为之,比如女娲和伏羲讨论男女平等问题,又或者大禹一行人在治水途中遇到“鹦鹉螺号”等等。同时,作者既然在书中加入了那么多民国时期的流行元素,他的目标读者必然也是走在时代潮头的人,换句话说,接受过新式教育的学生们。他们的历史素养相比古代的市井人士要更高,至少绝对应该知道五帝时代的统治者不应该自称“朕”。因此,书中的很多穿帮之处,除了能明确是作者在“玩梗”的部分,其他的都只能归咎于作者的大意了。 不过,就像我引述的回答里的最后一句一样,“这些穿帮现象也并非毫无价值,很多时候可以通过他们来判断小说的成书年代”。自然,不用考据,我们也知道这本书写在民国时期。不过,通过这本书,我们也可以看出一个在封建社会成长的旧式知识分子在社会剧变中一面试图跟上时代、一面又食古不化的矛盾心态。比如,作者让女娲肯定男女平等的理念,却又用各种情节来表现男女自由恋爱会败坏社会风气。又比如作者信奉长幼尊卑有序,父子之间、师生之间应当等级森严,绝不可能平等,因此在书中借角色之口对子女要求独立、学生批评老师的现象大加挞伐,但又悲哀地表示这些他心目中的歪理“几千年后会占据上风也尤未可知”。再比如作者成书时期正是中国积贫积弱的年代,天朝上国的幻景彻底破灭,但书中反而频繁出现外国因为倾慕中华上国而入朝进贡、甚至某个外国人一听说对面的人来自中国就肃然起敬的情节。还比如大禹治水时动辄作法请神,却会认为野人对疟疾的解释是“迷信之谈”,仿佛突然讲起科学来了,而且之前大禹请来的神仙连蜚兽制造的灾疫都可以化解,面对疟疾反而没法救人了,大概作者见识过现实中的疟疾有多可怕吧。 说了这么多,还没有讲到这本小说本身的质量。其实,虽然我对作者因为不细心导致了种种穿帮、以及他借小说这个平台频繁输出个人观点的行为感到不满。但只要剧情足够流畅、角色足够出彩,换句话说就是小说本身足够好看,这些问题对我来说都不是什么致命缺陷。遗憾的是,在剧情和人物这两个关键重大的问题上,《上古神话演义》依然没有交出让我足够满意的答卷。首先是剧情方面,可以看出,作者是想以治水为主线,将所有中国上古神话故事通通囊括在内。这个想法很好,但超出了作者的剧情设计能力,以至于小说中经常性的出现这类情节:角色们旅行到某处,看到某个奇观/某种异兽,于是其中一名角色“有感而发”,突然开始讲某个神话故事,读者也不得不把视角由他们正在做的事情转移到他们讲的故事上。这种剧情连角色本身的回忆杀都算不上,却把主线剧情拆的七零八落。这甚至还不是最严重的剧情问题,到了本书中后期,作者干脆将《山海经》里的内容成章成章地塞进大禹治水的故事里,读者要看十几章大禹来到一个国家、领略一番风情、发表一通见解的流水账情节,至少对我而言,这一大段剧情实在是很难挨了。 前面提到了流水线剧情,但假如经历这些剧情的人物形象足够鲜明,读者还能有些看“日常互动”的兴趣。可惜,作者塑造人物并非没有水平,但到了最需要人物出彩的情节,他却拉胯了。作者塑造主角差强人意,帝喾、帝尧、帝舜三人是大同小异的至圣仁君。同时舜作为“亲憎我,孝方贤”式的封建孝道恪守者,他的很多情节符合旧社会的道德规范,但在现代读者看来,反而会哀其不幸、怒其不争,看得非常不愉快。夏禹倒是一个不同于上述三人的明君形象。他“不尚德而尚功”,在性格上有像其父鲧一样的暴烈一面,却依然成为了一个贤人,他是“公天下”的尾声,也是“家天下”的序幕。这个角色本来可以写成一个复杂的正面人物,可惜作者写到后面似乎把握不好平衡,一会似乎要让大禹在继位以后以极快的速度堕落下去,比如写他恢复肉刑、施行徭役、饮酒过度、劳民伤财,一会又大量描写大禹知错能改、礼贤下士、扶助黎民百姓,并且直接在旁白里定性禹是大圣人。就这样禹的形象在“公者”和“私者”之间反复倾倒,直到走完了诛杀防风氏的流程,马上就弃世升仙了。 至于作者对配角的塑造,就更是乏善可陈。小说前期,作者尚能塑造出司衡羿这样刚烈正直的正面配角,三凶、逢蒙等反派也是有血有肉。但从舜的个人章节开始,作者的配角描写水平可以说迅速回落到了古典小说的一般水平,他写了一堆仿佛复制粘贴出来的人物,让他们经常性地扎堆出现,然后像报菜名一样把他们的名字报一遍。比如舜的七友、禹的随从如横革真窥之交国哀、八元八恺等等。读者对于他们,除了知道他们都是好人以外,似乎很难拥有什么深刻印象。再比如云华夫人、天地十四将等神仙,除了黄魔这个莽夫的形象稍微突出一点,其他的基本也就是帮助大禹克服困难的工具人。而反派也变成了各种恶神凶兽,除了展现神通然后被大禹一行人破解并打败以外,基本没有什么塑造可言。于是,本就剧情流水账的“大禹游海外”情节,摊上这一堆人物,就变成了:一堆看不出什么差别的角色,在一个又一个表面上千奇百怪的国家,进行一场场流程相近的冒险。作者的人物塑造不但没能掩盖剧情上的乏力,反而把剧情问题放大了。
《上古神话演义》(清•钟毓龙)是作者考据五百余部古籍之后,就中国上古时期的历史演变过程,进行了较为完整的推导,写成的一部传记体小说。全书内容浩瀚,故事驳杂,且有诸多神话故事的叙事逻辑凌乱,读来令人茫然;所幸“女娲造人”、“嫦娥奔月”、“羿射九日”、“大禹治水”和尧舜禹谦和“禅让”等等,中国传统文化中传承的神话故事精品,叙述生动有趣,令人耳目一新,尚堪阅读。
透过神话觅初心 ---读《上古神话演义》有感 【读者:雄安·强哥】 翻开清代钟毓龙先生所著的《上古神话演义》,仿若推开一扇穿越千年的大门,踏入华夏民族混沌初开的远古洪荒。 这部作品以严谨的文史考据、细腻生动的文学笔触,将散落在古籍里的上古神话串联成篇,把盘古开天、女娲造人、三皇五帝、大禹治水等流传千古的传说,演绎成一部波澜壮阔、脉络清晰的文明长卷,让我们在光怪陆离的神话世界里,探寻华夏民族的起源根脉,感悟先祖的智慧风骨,更对中华优秀传统文化有了直击心底的深刻认知。 身为清代饱学之士,钟毓龙先生并未简单堆砌神话传说,而是博采经史典籍、梳理文脉脉络,将碎片化的远古故事熔铸为逻辑严谨、情节鲜活的演义篇章。从混沌无极到天地剖分,从人类肇始到部族繁衍,从蛮荒求生到文明初兴,从天下纷乱到圣王治世,一段段远古传奇、一个个鲜活人物,在书中徐徐铺展、跃然纸上。这里有盘古开天辟地、以身躯化育万物的雄浑气魄,有女娲抟土造人、炼石补天的悲悯大爱;有伏羲画八卦、教民渔猎的文明启蒙,有神农尝百草、播植五谷的民生担当;更有尧舜禅让的贤明仁德、大禹治水的坚毅执着。这些跨越千年的神话故事,早已超脱虚构的传说范畴,成为中华民族精神谱系的最初源头。 品读全书,我由衷叹服于上古先民天马行空、根植生活的非凡想象力。在生产力极度落后、对自然万物充满未知与敬畏的远古岁月,先祖们以质朴的认知、浪漫的想象,解读天地起源、日月更迭、风雨雷电,将对自然的敬畏、对生存的渴望、对美好的向往,尽数寄托于神话之中。 书中塑造的神祇与英雄,从不似虚无缥缈的天外之灵,而是兼具神性光辉与人性温度:他们直面洪水滔天、猛兽肆虐的绝境,为族群存续奋勇抗争;他们穷尽智慧破解危难,用坚韧与勇气对抗蛮荒艰险。这份扎根现实、源于生活的神话创作,让远古传说饱含人间烟火,更让我们看见先民们在艰难困苦中,始终不灭的求生信念与对光明的执着追求。 而最触动我心的,是书中流淌千年、融入民族血脉的精神基因与文化根魂。大禹治水十三载,三过家门而不入,以公而忘私的担当、坚韧不拔的意志平定水患、拯救苍生,镌刻下中华民族不畏艰险、心系天下的精神底色;尧舜以德化人、选贤与能,彰显着以民为本、天下大同的质朴理想;神农舍身尝百草、解民疾苦,承载着无私奉献、护佑苍生的博大情怀。这些熠熠生辉的精神品质,经由神话代代传承,早已深深融入华夏儿女的血脉,成为中华民族历经磨难而生生不息、薪火相传的精神动力,即便历经千年岁月洗礼,在当下依旧能给予我们直面困境、勇担使命的精神力量。 《上古神话演义》从来不止是一部神话故事集,更是一部承载华夏早期文明、镌刻民族初心的文化典籍。它让我们清晰看见,华夏文明从蛮荒洪荒中一路走来,历经无数风雨劫难却始终绵延不绝,凭借的正是先祖传承下来的坚韧、智慧、善良与担当。这些古老的神话,不是虚无缥缈的空谈,而是中华民族的文化根基,是我们回望历史、认知自我、传承文脉的精神纽带。 掩卷沉思,心中满是震撼与感悟。在步履匆匆的现代社会,静下心来品读这部经典,既是一场奔赴远古的文化之旅,更是一次重拾民族初心、坚定文化自信的精神修行。 身为华夏儿女,我们理应铭记这些远古传奇,传承其中蕴含的民族精神,在回望历史、敬畏传统中汲取力量,以先祖的智慧与勇气立足当下,用心守护、全力传承、奋力弘扬中华优秀传统文化,让千年华夏文明在新时代绽放出更加璀璨夺目的光芒。 2026年5月8日于学校
20260715 《上古神话演义》是钟毓龙考据五百余部古籍而成的传记体小说。书中核心围绕阳神与阴神的千年纷争展开,阳神一派以救世安人为任,阴神一派则意图毁天灭地,两派的持续冲突串联起整部上古史。它几乎囊括所有经典上古传说,既有女娲造人、羿射九日等家喻户晓的故事,也详尽记载了相柳之祸、三苗之乱等少为人知的传说,同时兼具神话奇幻与历史厚重,既描绘了神祇异兽、秘境奇观,也展现了上古礼仪确立、部族迁徙融合、鲧禹治水艰辛等文明演进细节,堪称“上古神话的百科全书”。
没看完,看到开头,再看后来就看不下去了。前人很辛苦,搬经据典,整理成册,带着自己的见解,挺好。能够了解到一百年前老祖宗的对人对事的态度,挺好。但是也因为全是传说,没有实际佐证,也就不是那么能看的下去了。尽管如此,还是推荐,作为对老祖宗的爱。
挂上古神话羊头,卖儒家思想狗肉。
写得不错,跟封神榜属性差不多。 其中提到夏朝造九鼎,五阳四阴,秦朝以后再无九鼎,也许这就是天意,九鼎至秦朝已经存在两千多年了,一直象征着王权,秦始皇作为历史上第一位始皇帝开创了诸多先河,实现神州同意,九鼎见证了历史,或许一切都是天意吧…
最早是在初中校图书馆看的。一看就入迷了。五卷看完,对中国上古神话和历史传说有了最初的认识。这对于培养中华传统文化意识有极好的作用。