陈传席 中国人民大学
Chen, Chuanxi, Renmin University of China
原文Original
释《易经》“黄帝尧舜垂衣裳而天下治”——兼说中国绘画的起源
《易经》中有一句话：“黄帝尧舜垂衣裳而天下治”。本文尝试解释这句话并探讨中国绘画之起源。
本文第一部分试图解释黄帝尧舜“垂衣裳”而达到“天下治”的原因。原始人本不穿衣裳，黄帝时部落、部落同盟的形成，要求在人群中区分管理者与被管理者，即官与民。于是人们发明衣裳，绘画于其上，将其“挂”在管理者的身上，以标识其管理人员的身份，“各司其职，不相乱也”，从而天下大治。可以判断，黄帝尧舜“垂衣裳”以表贵贱，显示尊卑已定，以尊治卑，卑服于尊，从而结束了散乱无秩的状态。这就是“黄帝尧舜垂衣裳而天下治”的含义。
第二部分探讨了是中国最早的绘画及其出现的原因。从字义上说，先有“画”，后有“绘”。“画”的本义是“画直线以界之”，后发展为只用线条画轮廓线，勾勒出某物的形状。而“绘”（同“缋”），指用“五色”绘在丝织品上。由此，中国的绘画始于黄帝尧舜的衣裳上。我们看到，中国最早的绘画，是为了“治天下”，而非为审美，但也不可能没有审美。
文章最后一部分考证了中国绘画创始人的身份。文献记载，画的创始人是一位女性，并很有可能是黄帝的正妃嫘。这与考古发现相吻合：在原始社会部落形成之后，男女就有了分工，而最早制陶和在陶器上刻画及制衣画衣者全是妇女。因此古人的对绘画创始人的记载，虽无严格的科学根据，我们却可以用文献和考古二重证明加以追认。
译文Translation
An Attempt to Interpret the Sentence “Huangdi Yao Shun Chui Yishang er TianxiaZhi” from Yijing & its Relation to the Origin of Chinese Painting
In Yijing (Book of Changes), there was one sentence, “Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun managed to take charge of the world through putting on clothes.” This essay is an attempt to interpret this sentence and explore its relation to the origins of Chinese painting.
In the first part of the article, the author tries to explain how the legendary emperors in ancient China, Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun, could “zhi tian xia (manage the world)” though “chui yi shang (by putting on clothes)”. Their primitive peoples did not put on clothes at all. The tribal alliance took shape under the Yellow Emperor’s reign. Then there was a need to differentiate governors from civilians. Thus, clothes were invented, and people put pictures on the clothes, hanging the clothes on the governors so that they might be recognized. “Each takes charge of each department with non-interference in each other’s affairs”. In this way, the world was kept in order. We can infer that Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun “put on clothes” to indicate different social status as it had been defined. The superior was supposed to lead and govern the inferior, and the inferior were supposed to be obedient. Such social and political order helped their society to step out of chaos.
In the second part of the essay, the author explores the earliest painting and the reason for its emergence. Literally speaking, first we had “hua (to draw)” then we had “hui (to paint)”. The original meaning of “hua (to draw)” is “to draw a straight line to set the borders”. Later, it was used to draw the outlines or the shape of things. But “hui” referred to applying “five colors” on a silk product or clothes. Therefore, Chinese painting started from drawing pictures on the clothes of the ancient emperors. We can see that the earliest Chinese painting was invented for the purpose of “governing the world”, not for an aesthetic purpose. However, it did contain some aesthetic elements.
In the final part of the essay, the author investigates the identity of the first Chinese painter. According to some classical records, it was a female figure who invented painting, and she might be one of the concubines of the Yellow Emperor, Lei. This hypothesis actually is identical to archeological evidence. After the primitive tribes took shape, the male and female were given different tasks. Women were the earliest to make clay utensils, to draw pictures on clay pots and potteries. Therefore, the ancient Chinese record of the female inventor of painting, though it cannot be proved in a scientific way, can be confirmed through excavated and classical documents.