Lenh Cam Bao Hanh Trong Nha: Fill & Download for Free

Did Vietnamese emperor and officals use "imperial speech" , as China, Korea, and Japan did ?Yes. They did.Many historians and scholars are still researching on “Châu bản triều Nguyễn”.The "Châu bản triều Nguyễn" (阮朝硃本) is the collection on documents of the Nguyễn\阮Dynasty since the reign of emperor Gia Long/ 嘉隆 (1802) until emperor Bảo Đại 保大 abdicated (1945). This collection includes many forms of texting to impart the orders from the imperial court to local goverment for solving the issues in politic, military, diplomatic, economy, culture and society .Those mentioned forms include :• Tấu/奏•Sớ/ 疏• Phụng thượng dụ/奉上喻• Chiếu詔• Chỉ dụ 旨喻• Tư trình 私呈•Bẩm禀•Truyền傳•Sai差•Phó付•Khiển遣 and many more...( I cannot find any equivalent term for each above in English. So, to sum up: there are many different forms of royal proclaimations or " imperial speechs")They mostly are written in Classical Chinese.What did it sounds like?First of all, Let see what it looks like. A typical "imperial speech" looks like this:(This is another kind of “ imperial speech” called Sắc Phong/ 敕封.Source:Tìm sắc phong trả lại đình thần)These texts were used for proclaiming very important decisions . And they were written in Classical Chinese for being sounded formal and solemn.Through the schooldays, most Vietnamese students had to learn in history and literature about four imperial speechs :• Chiếu dời đô or “Thiên đô chiếu”/ 遷都詔Edict on the Transfer of the Capitalby emperor Lý Thái Tổ/ 李太祖.• “Dụ chư tỳ tướng hịch văn”/ 諭諸裨將檄文Exhortation to the military officersby Hưng Đạo Đại Vương/ 興道大王( the grand prince )Trần Quốc Tuấn 陳國峻.• “Chiếu cầu hiền”/The edict for calling the aid from sages and scholars written by Ngô Thì Nhậm/吳時壬,in the name of emperor Quang Trung光中.• “Lệnh dụ thiên hạ cần vương”/ 令喻 天下勤王/ The edict on calling for aid to the KingWritten in the name of emperor Hàm Nghi/ 咸宜.I would pick up "Lệnh dụ thiên hạ cần vương" above for a particular example.This is the original textIt is written in Classical Chinese and read in âm Hán Việt/ 音漢越/ Sino- Vietnamese pronunciation as followed:咸宜帝詔Hàm Nghi đế chiếu諭 Dụ:自古馭戎之策不出戰守和三者而已戰之則未有其機守之則難期得力和之則所求無厭當此事勢千難萬難不得已而用權太王遷岐玄宗幸蜀古之人亦有行之者Tự cổ ngự nhung chi sách bất xuất chiến, thủ, hòa tam giả nhi dĩ. Chiến chi tắc vị hữu kỳ cơ, thủ chi tắc nan kỳ đắc lực, hòa chi tắc sở cầu vô yếm. Đương thử sự thế thiên nan vạn nan, bất đắc dĩ nhi dụng quyền. Thái Vương thiên Kỳ, Huyền Tông hạnh Thục, cổ chi nhân diệc hữu hành chi giả.我國邇來偶因多故朕以沖齡嗣位其於自強自治不暇為謀Ngã quốc nhĩ lai ngẫu nhân đa cố. Trẫm dĩ xung linh tự vị, kỳ ư tự cường tự trị bất hạ vi mưu.西派横逼日甚一日昨者西兵船增來責以所難照常接一不之受都人震懼危在旦夕謀國大臣深惟安社重朝至計與其俯首聽命坐失先機曷若伺其欲動而先應之縱然事出無奈猶待有此今日之舉以圖善後之宜亦係時勢起見凡預有分憂想亦預知知而預為之切齒衝冠殲仇敵愾誰無是心哉枕戈擎楫奪槊運甓亦豈無其人哉且人臣立朝徇義而己義之所在死生以之晉之狐偃趙衰唐之郭子儀李光弼古何人也Tây phái hoành bức nhật thậm nhất nhật. Tạc giả, Tây binh thuyền tăng lai trách dĩ sở nan, chiếu thường tiếp, nhất bất chi thụ. Đô nhân chấn cụ, nguy tại đán tịch. Mưu quốc đại thần thâm duy an xã trọng triều chí kế, dữ kỳ phủ thủ thính mệnh, tọa thất tiên cơ, hạt nhược tứ kỳ dục động nhi tiên ứng chi. Túng nhiên sự xuất vô nại do đãi hữu thử kim nhật chi cử dĩ đồ thiện hậu chi nghi, diệc hệ thời thế khởi kiến. Phàm dự hữu phân ưu tưởng diệc dự tri. Tri nhi dự vi chi, thiết xỉ xung quan, tiêm cừu địch khái, thùy vô thị tâm tai? Chẩm qua, kình tiếp, đoạt sóc, vận bích, diệc khởi vô kỳ nhân tai? Thả nhân thần lập triều tuẫn nghĩa nhi kỷ, nghĩa chi sở tại, tử sinh dĩ chi. Tấn chi Hồ Yển, Triệu Thôi, Đường chi Quách Tử Nghi, Lý Quang Bật cổ hà nhân dã?朕凉德遭此變故不能竭力斡旋都城淪陷慈駕播遷罪在朕躬慚愧無地惟倫常所係百辟鄉士無大無小必不朕棄智者獻謀勇者獻力富者出貲以助軍需同袍同澤不辭艱險當如何而可扶危持顛亨屯濟蹇者不靳心力庶幾天心助順轉亂為治轉危為安得宇歸疆此一機會尊社之福即臣民之福與同戚者與同休豈不韙歟若夫愛死之心重於愛君謀家之念切於謀國官則托故遠避兵則離伍潛逃民則不知好義急公士則甘於棄明投暗縱能偷生世衣冠而禽犢胡忍為之醲賞重罰朝廷自有典型毋貽後悔其凛遵之Trẫm lương đức, tao thử biến cố, bất năng kiệt lực oán toàn, đô thành luân hãm, từ giá bá thiên, tội tại trẫm cung, tàm quý vô địa. Duy luân thường sở hệ, bách tích hương sĩ vô đại vô tiểu, tất bất trẫm khí, trí giả hiến mưu, dũng giả hiến lực, phú giả xuất ty dĩ trợ quân nhu, đồng bào đồng trạch bất từ gian hiểm, đương như hà? Nhi khả phù nguy trì điên， hanh truân tế kiển giả bất cận tâm lực, thứ kỉ thiên tâm trợ thuận, chuyển loạn vi trị, chuyển nguy vi an, đắc vũ quy cương thử nhất cơ hội, tôn xã chi phúc tức thần dân chi phúc, dữ đồng thích giả dữ đồng hưu khởi, bất vĩ dư? Nhược phù ái tử chi tâm trọng ư ái quân, mưu gia chi niệm thiết ư mưu quốc, quan tắc thác cố viễn tỵ, binh tắc ly ngũ tiềm đào, dân tắc bất tri hiếu nghĩa cấp công, sĩ tắc cam ư khí minh đầu ám, túng năng thâu sinh thế y quan nhi cầm độc, hồ nhẫn vi chi? Nùng thưởng trọng phạt, triều đình tự hữu điển hình, vô di hậu hối! Kỳ lẫm tuân chi!欽此Khâm thử咸宜元年六月初二日Hàm Nghi nguyên niên lục nguyệt sơ nhị nhậtModern Vietnamese translation:Chiếu vua Hàm NghiDụ rằng :Từ xưa sách lược chế ngự giặc không ngoài đánh, giữ, hòa, ba điều mà thôi. Đánh thì chưa chắc có cơ hội, giữ thì khó đạt đủ sức lực, hòa thì đòi hỏi không chán. Đang lúc thế sự muôn khó vạn khăn như vậy, bất đắc dĩ phải dụng quyền. Thái Vương dời sang đất Kỳ, Huyền Tông thăm chơi nẻo Thục, người đời xưa cũng đều có làm cả.Nước ta gần đây bỗng gặp nhiều việc. Trẫm tuổi trẻ nối ngôi, không lúc nào nguôi nghĩ đến tự cường tự trị.Phái viên Tây ngang bức, càng ngày càng quá. Trước đây, chúng tăng thêm binh thuyền, buộc theo những điều không thể được, ta chiếu lệ tiếp đón, không chịu nhận một thứ gì. Người kinh đô náo sợ, nguy biến chỉ trong sớm chiều. Đại thần lo việc quốc gia chỉ nghĩ kế nước được yên, triều đình được trọng ; cứ cúi đầu nghe mệnh, ngồi để mất cơ hội, sao bằng thấy âm mưu biến động của giặc mà đối phó trước ? Ví như việc đến không tránh được thì cũng còn có ngày nay để lo cho tốt cái lợi sau này, ấy là do thời thế xui nên vậy. Phàm đã dự chia mối lo này, tưởng cũng dự biết. Biết thì phải dự vào, nghiến răng dựng tóc, thề giết hết giặc, nào ai không có lòng như thế ? Gối gươm, đánh chèo, cướp giáo, lăn chum, chẳng lẽ không có ai sao ? Vả thần tử đứng ở triều chỉ có theo nghĩa thôi, nghĩa ở đâu thì sự chết sống ở đấy. Hồ Yển, Triệu Thôi nước Tấn, Quách Tử Nghi, Lý Quang Bật nhà Đường là người thế nào đời cổ vậy ?Trẫm đức mỏng, gặp biến cố này, không thể hết sức giữ toàn, đô thành bị hãm, Từ giá phải dời, tội ở mình trẫm, xấu hổ vô cùng. Chỉ duy luân thường quan hệ, trăm quan khanh sĩ không kể lớn nhỏ, tất không bỏ trẫm, kẻ trí hiến mưu, người dũng hiến sức, kẻ giàu bỏ của trợ giúp quân nhu, đồng bào đồng trạch chẳng từ gian hiểm, phải thế chứ ? Đến như cứu nguy chống đỡ, mở chỗ nguy khốn, giúp nơi bức bách, không tiếc tâm lực, ngay sau lòng trời giúp thuận, chuyển loạn thành trị, chuyển nguy thành an, thu lại cõi bờ chỉ cơ hội này, phúc của tôn xã tức là phúc của thần dân, cùng lo với nhau thì cùng nghỉ với nhau, há chẳng tốt sao ? Nhược bằng lòng sợ chết nặng hơn lòng yêu vua, nghĩ lo cho nhà hơn nghĩ lo cho nước, làm quan thì mượn cớ tránh xa, đi lính thì đào ngũ trốn tránh, dân không biết hiếu nghĩa cứu gấp việc công, sĩ cam bỏ chỗ sáng đi vào nơi tối, ví không phải sống thừa ở đời thì áo mũ mà hóa ra cầm thú ngựa trâu, ai nỡ làm thế ? Thưởng cũng hậu mà phạt cũng nặng, triều đình tự có phép tắc, chớ để hối hận sau này ! Phải nghiêm sợ tuân hành !Khâm thử.Ngày 2 tháng 6 niên hiệu Hàm Nghi thứ nhất (1885)English translation:The Can Vuong EdictThe Emperor proclaims: From time immemorial there have been only three strategies for opposing the enemy: attack, defense, negotiation. Opportunities for attack were lacking. It was difficult to gather required strength for defense. And in negotiations the enemy demanded everything. In this situation of infinite trouble we have unwillingly been forced to resort to expedients. Was this not the example set by King T’ai in leaving for the mountains of Ch’I and by Hsuan-tsung when fleeing to Shu?Our country recently has faced many critical events. I came to the throne very young, but have been greatly concerned with self-strengthening and sovereign government. Nevertheless, with every passing day the Western envoys got more and more overbearing. Recently they brought in troops and naval reinforcements, trying to force on Us conditions We could never accept. We received them with normal ceremony, but they refused to accept a single thing. People in the capital became very afraid that trouble was approaching.The high ministers sought ways to retain peace in the country and protect the court. It was decided, rather than bow heads in obedience, sitting around and losing chances, better to appreciate what the enemy was up to and move first. If this did not succeed, then we could still follow the present course to make better plans, acting according to the situation. Surely all those who share care and worry for events in our country already understand, having also gnashed their teeth, made their hair stand on end, swearing to wipe out every last bandit. Is there anyone not moved by such feelings? Are there not plenty of people who will use lance as pillow, thump their oars against the side, grab the enemy’s spears, or heave around water jugs?Court figures had best follow the righteous path, seeking to live and die for righteousness. Were not Ku Yuan and Chao Tsui of Chin, Kuo Tzu-I and Li Kuang-pi of T’ang men who lived by it in antiquity?My virtue being insufficient, amidst these events I did not have the strength to hold out and allowed the royal capital to fall, forcing the Empresses to flee for their lives. The fault is Mine entirely, a matter of great shame. But traditional loyalties are strong. Hundreds of mandarins and commanders of all levels, perhaps not having the heart to abandon Me, unite as never before, those with intellect helping to plan, those with strength willing to fight, those with riches contributing for supplies – all of one mind and body in seeking a way out of danger, a solution to all difficulties. With luck, Heaven will also treat man with kindness, turning chaos into order, danger into peace, and helping thus to restore our land and our frontiersIs not this opportunity fortunate for our country, meaning fortunate for the people, since all who worry and work together will certainly reach peace and happiness together?On the other hand, those who fear death more than they love their king, who put concerns of household above concerns of country, mandarins who find excuses to be far away, soldiers who desert, citizens who do not fulfill public duties eagerly for a righteous cause, officers who take the easy way and leave brightness for darkness – all may continue to live in this world, but they will be like animals disguised in clothes and hats. Who can accept such behavior? With rewards generous, punishments will also be severe. The court retains normal usages, so that repentance should not be postponed. All should follow this Edict strictly.By Imperial Order Second day, sixth month , first year of Ham Nghi era ( 1885).(the texts taken from wikisource and wikipedia with a little bit correction of mine).Hopefully this helps!Anyway, every correction is welcome!

I. Confucianism throughout the time in imperial China:Pre-Qin:Zhou (and Shang): A bunch of unorganized ideologies that have basis in the unorganized Chinese folk religions, which were also the basis of Daoism. You can say that Daoism is the system of beliefs that took care of the immaterial world, while Confucianism (or what became it) took care of the mortal world.Confucius: Emphasized on (Zhou) rites (禮, lễ) as the basis of morality and social stability. The central idea is the concept of junzi (君子, quân tử, gentleman). Originally meant to denote noblemen during the Zhou period and physicians in the Spring and Autumn period, junzi in Confucianism meant a person (male ruler) with superior morality and commanding respect with that superior morality. The core virtue of the junzi is 仁 (ren, nhân, compassion), which he must cultivate throughout his life to become the ideal gentleman. The opposite of junzi is 小人 (xiaoren, tiểu nhân, smaller man), which is basically the morally inferior man who must be instructed and taught by the junzi to become a better man. Also the source of three obedience and 4 virtues of women (三從四德, tam tòng tứ đức), which were limited to noble women at the time.Mencius: Humans are fundamentally good. The relationship between the ruler and the subjects is a two-way street. The 4 roots of the heart are 仁 (ren, nhân, compassion), 義 (yi, nghĩa, justice), 禮 (li, lễ, rites), 智 (zhi, trí, knowledge/intelligence). Emphasized on morality as the basis of rites. Heavily tinted by Daoism. => Rule by ethnic code and morality (徳治, đức trị).Xunzi: Humans are fundamentally bad, and only education and rites can turn the fundamentally bad human into a good member of the stable society. Emphasized on rites and laws as the basis of morality. => Legalism.Qin:Legalism, Rule by Law, and Militarism.Han Fei (韩非) of the state of Han (韓): Chinese Machiavelli, invented Rule by Law (法治, pháp trị).Han and Eastern Han era:Dong Zhongshu (董仲舒): A continuation of Xunzi’s ideology with Mencius (and Daoist) characteristic. Heaven worship over nature worship. The emperors were worshiped as the representative of heaven in, quite similar to the God-King system in India. Basis for the Tianxia system. Expanded Mencius’s 4 virtues into 5 constants (五常, ngũ thường): 仁 (ren, nhân, compassion), 義 (yi, nghĩa, justice), 禮 (li, lễ, rites), 智 (zhi, trí, knowledge/intelligence), 信 (xin, tín, trustworthiness). Emphasized on rites and laws as the basis of morality, with the rules of the heaven bind the rulers on how to act and their relationship with the subjects. => Legalism and Rule of law.Yang Xiong (揚雄): Humans are fundamentally human, both good and bad, but neither inherently good nor bad. Emphasized on morality as the basis of rites, but hated Daoism and severely criticized the shamanic elements in Chu Ci and Dong Zhongshu’s ideology. Had an early retirement because he was dissatisfied with the rulers.Ban Zhao (班昭): Wrote a book to teach daughters in her family on women’s conducts. In her book, she explained and expanded on Confucius’ 3 obedience and 4 virtues. The book accidentally became so popular that the conducts in that book became the standard for all women in society to follow, not just noblewomen.Sui and Tang:Confucianism went into a recession of sort because of the collapse of Eastern Han. Both Sui and Tang heavily favored (Chan) Buddhism. Confucianism had to borrow elements, mostly metaphysics, from Daoism and Buddhism to reinterpret the new order.Li Ao (李翱) and Han Yu (韓愈): Revival of Confucianism, the Mencius school. Attacked Buddhism. Emphasizes on cultivation of the morality in the self and return to nature. Decried militarism. From Li Ao and Han Yu onward, the many schools of Confucianism are all grouped as Neo-Confucianism.Song:Zhou Dunyi (周敦頤), Cheng Hao (程顥), Cheng Yi (程颐), Zhu Xi (朱熹): Mencius school, created the Cheng-Zhu school (also known as lixue, 理學, Lý Học) and a follow-up of Li Ao and Han Yu’s ideology. Hated the influence of Buddhism and Daoism in court and attempted to create a comprehensive version of Confucianism that would allow the royal court to drop Buddhism and Daoism as tools to govern the populace. Cosmology was influenced by Buddhism and Daoism. Emphasizes on cultivating inner morality through the realization of the common principles (li, 理, rational principle, law) of the selves to realize the heaven’s inherent principles, which determines rites and social relationship; people must overcome qi and the hearts to achieve the true li. => Rule by Laws (under the name of “principles”), responsible for most of the social rigidness commonly associated with Confucian societies, also responsible for the emphasis on education in Confucian society, decried militarism, the prominent Confucian school of thought in the Song dynasty, later on inspired the Yi T’oegye Confucianism practiced in Joseon Korea, later on provided the basis for the creation of Edo-Confucianism along with Shintoism and Japanese nationalism.Cheng Yi is widely believed to be responsible for the rise of the cult of widow chastity.[7][8] He argued that it would be improper for a man to marry a widow since she had lost her integrity. On the question of widows who had become impoverished due to the death of their husbands, Cheng stated: "To starve to death is a small matter, but to lose one's chastity is a great matter." (餓死事小，失節事大)[7][8] The practice of widow chastity that became common in the Ming and Qing dynasty would led to hardship and loneliness for many widows,[9] as well as a dramatic increase in suicides by widows during the Ming era.[10][11]Lu Jiuyuan (陸九淵): Mencius school, humanist, focuses on individual hearts and minds. Qi (氣, mental force) is considered to be the common unifying force of all human minds and the heaven instead of Li. Rejection of Cheng-Zhou school’s rationality. Heavily influenced by Daoism and Buddhism.Yuan:Tibetan Buddhism was the de facto state religion. The Yuan dynasty practiced an unofficial caste system in which ex-southern-Song people and Confucian scholars were at the bottom of the social ladder. While Confucianism was still …there, the Yuan dynasty officially recognized a highly abridged version of Zhu Xi's philosophy and made little addition of their own. Also of note is that the Yuan dynasty was the one responsible for spreading Zhu Xi's lixue to Korea (through political power) and to Japan (through Chan Buddhist monks who also knew Zhu Xi's Confucianism on the side).Ming:Wang Yangming (王陽明): Continuation of Lu’s ideology => Lu-Wang school, accept militarism and the military class, the prominent Confucian school of thought among scholars in the Ming dynasty, inspired Nakae Touju’s interpretation of Confucianism, influential among the samurai class in Japan at the end of the Tokugawa period and during the Meiji Restoration, Joseon Korea hated this school and refused to enshrine Confucian scholars of this school.He advocated the precept of uniting thought and action. By focusing on the transformative power of the will, he inspired a generation of Confucian students to return to the moral idealism of Mencius. His own personal example of combining teaching with bureaucratic routine, administrative responsibility, and leadership in military campaigns demonstrated that he was a man of deeds.Despite his competence in practical affairs, Wang’s primary concern was moral education, which he felt had to be grounded in the “original substance” of the mind. This he later identified as liangzhi (“good conscience”), by which he meant innate knowledge or a primordial existential awareness possessed by every human being. He further suggested that good conscience as the heavenly principle is inherent in all beings from the highest spiritual forms to grass, wood, bricks, and stone. Because the universe consists of vital energy informed by good conscience, it is a dynamic process rather than a static structure. Human beings can learn to regard heaven and earth and the myriad things as one body by extending their good conscience to embrace an ever-expanding network of relationships.Wang Yangming’s dynamic idealism, as Wing-tsit Chan, the late dean of Chinese philosophy in North America, characterized it, set the Confucian agenda for several generations in China. His followers, such as the communitarian Wang Ji (1498–1583), who devoted his long life to building a community of the like-minded, and the radical individualist Li Zhi (1527–1602), who proposed to reduce all human relationships to friendship, broadened Confucianism to accommodate a variety of lifestyles.One of the explanations for the Ming’s sea trade ban was that the Ming dynasty thought that trade and wealth would made people loose the compassion/ren.Despite Lu-Wang school’s popularity among the scholars, the Ming state and court still officially endorsed Cheng-Zhu’s lixue school.Qing:Han-Learning school: A return to Han-era Confucianism. The Qing dynasty were extremely conservative and decried Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism (both Cheng-Zhu and Lu-Wang schools) as polluted by Daoism and Buddhism. Nevertheless, like Song, Zhu Xi’s lixue was still the orthodox interpretation of Confucianism. That said, Qing Confucianism was still labelled as Neo-Confucianism.II. Confucianism through the time in imperial Vietnam:Notes:The one constant throughout the time is the worship of national heroes, animism, the Mother Goddess worship among the population, and the role of unorganized Daoism as the hidden binding factor between the many religions. Those practices were almost always backed by the state and celebrated among the population, both peasants and elites, throughout the eras because they fell neatly into the context of nationalism. The rise and fall of Buddhism and Confucianism had little impact on the ubiquitous presences of those beliefs in the Vietnamese society.Confucianism in Vietnam is generally divided into 2 periods: Hán Nho and Tống Nho. What Vietnamese scholars of the past called Hán Nho (汉儒, Han-era Confucianism) was actually a bundle of Classical pre-Qin Confucianism and Dong Zhongshu’s philosophy. Tống Nho ( 宋儒, Song Confucianism) can refer to Cheng-Zhu’s lixue exclusively or the generic label of Neo-Confucianism as a whole. Lý Học (理學) exclusively refers to Cheng-Zhu’s lixue. The generic label of Neo-Confucianism are Tân Nho Học (新儒學) (uncommon name) and Tống Minh Nho (宋明儒) (the more popular name). Tân Nho Học are more used to mean New Confucianism of the last century. Lu-Wang’s school is called Dương Minh học (阳明學). When Vietnamese scholars talk about Neo-Confucianism, 9 times of out 10, they’re talking about Cheng-Zhu school because Lu-Wang school came really, really late, when the Ming dynasty already got replaced by the Qing in China. Occasionally, some papers do distinguish between Cheng-Zhu school and Lu-Wang school under the names Tống Nho (宋儒) and Minh Nho (明儒), but they’re rare.Also, please keep in mind that while the Vietnamese scholars of the past might have touted those ideologies above as the ideals, most of them had very biased, very cherry-picked, very purposely out-of-context, and very diluted-by-the-native-Vietnamese-world-view interpretations of those ideologies and thought those biased interpretations of theirs as the same thing as the orthodoxy versions. As a result, while the Vietnamese text wrote a lot of things, what the Vietnamese actually did in real history and the actual versions of Confucianism they followed were markedly different from what they wrote and from the Chinese schools of thoughts.Actually, it wasn’t just Confucianism but the versions of Buddhism and Daoism in Vietnam as well. Please keep that in mind.Chinese domination era:Buddhism and Daoism ruled. The Confucianism in Vietnam was tempered by Vietnamese native cultural elements, Buddhism, and Daoism. It was unorganized, essentially an eclectic mix, and limited to the Sino-Vietnamese elites. In general, Confucianism in Vietnam during this period followed the Mencius school and leaned heavily toward nhân/ compassion over the other 3 virtues to the point of eclipsing them.Sinic kin-ship terms started to be borrowed and changed by mainland SEA Sprachbund. => An adoption of rites/lễ.Ngô dynasty, Đinh dynasty, Tiền Lê dynasty:Same as the Chinese domination era, but with more militarism and even less Confucianism. All these dynasties were too short and and too frequently interrupted by the constant warfare. Historical records about this era are also too scarce.Ngụ Binh Ư Nông (寓兵於農): Rotating soldiers to farm, giving lands to soldiers as rewards. A military doctrine widely used by all dynasties from the Đinh dynasty onward.Lý dynasty:Buddhism was still the state religion because the founder of the dynasty was raised by a monk and supported into the throne by the pagoda. The emperors practiced semi-vegetarian diet, prayed to the Buddha, and chanted Buddhist chants. The emperors were considered the incarnated Buddha. Just like in Sui and Tang China, monk-scholars and Buddhist doctrine were the most powerful faction in the court, to the point of deciding who would be the next emperor. While the scholar part of the court was divided into 2 branches, Confucian scholars and Buddhist monk-scholars, the Buddhist monk-scholars simply held more political clout. Most Buddhist monk-scholars also researched Confucianism on the side. also The Lý royal court also had a tendency to build up grand constructions dedicated to Buddhism and actively funded several Buddhist sects. Among the populace, the system of Buddhist temples were tasked with educating the populace in the three teachings, teaching them how to read and write, raising orphans, teaching medicines, and acting as the public hospital system. In many ways, the Lý dynasty was more typical of a Southeast Asia dynasty than any other Vietnamese dynasties.Confucianism and Daoism were still considered important part of the 3 pillars of society (tam giáo, three teachings) and included as a part of the non-annual Imperial Exams. The first Temple of Literature, Văn Miếu Quốc Tử Giám, Vietnam's first national university was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông to teach the 3 teachings to elite children.However, Buddhism very clearly dominated both the court and the Vietnamese society.By the end of the Lý dynasty, the Buddhist sects had their own militia.Just like the previous dynasties, the brand of Confucianism practiced was an eclectic mix of Mencius, rule by ethnic code, Han-era schools, Daoism, Buddhism, and Vietnamese native influences. Vietnamese Confucianism during this period heavily favored nhân/compassion over the other 4 virtues.Đáp Pháp Dung sắc không phàm thánh chi vấn (答法融色空凡聖之問), by Khánh Hỷ Zen master:勞生休問色兼空學道無過訪祖宗天外覓心難定體人間植桂起成叢乾坤盡是毛頭上日月包含芥子中大用現前拳在手誰知凡聖與西東Hán Việt transliteration:Lao sinh hưu vấn sắc kiêm khôngHọc đạo vô qua phỏng tổ tôngThiên ngoại mịch tâm nan địch thểNhân gian thực quế khởi thành tùngCàn khôn tận thị mao đầu thượngNhật nguyệt bao hàm giới tử trungĐại dụng hiện tiền quyền tại thủThuỳ tri phàm thánh dữ tây đông.Vietnamese translation:Đừng hỏi về sắc với không chi cho mệt tríHọc đạo chẳng có chi bằng hỏi tổ tôngTìm cái tâm ở ngoài trời thì khó mà định được cái thể của nóNhư ở đời mà trồng quế, sao thành rừng được ("tùng" là bụi, khóm)Tất cả càn khôn đều ở trên đầu một sợi lôngMặt trời, mặt trăng đều nằm gọn trong hột cảiCái "đại dụng" trước mắt thì nằm trong tầm tayAi biết được đâu là phàm thánh, đâu là tây đông.Rough English translation:Don’t ask about temptations and nothingness.Studying the religion cannot surpass asking the ancestors.Seeking the heart among the sky cannot see the true shape of things.The osmanthus grown in life can become a forest?The heaven and earth can be seen on the tip of the needle.The sun and the moon is limited to the mustard seed.The “great usage” is right before the eyes and within the hands’ grasp.Who would know what is sacred, where is east and west.The native Vietnamese influence showed itself in the better recognition of women (queen Ỷ Lan was one of the most prominent Buddha figures from the Lý dynasty and an important actor in a dynastic transition), the almost random “additive" syncretism of a bunch of different schools of thoughts, and the Mencius/nhân leaning.Trần dynasty:The Trần family’s ancestors were originally poor fishermen who accidentally became a part of the elite. Like the Lý dynasty, the Trần dynasty also had Buddhism as the official state religion of both the court and the peasants. The Trần also had the tendency to build grand constructions dedicated to Buddhism and funded Buddhist sects. The Trần rulers also practiced semi-vegetarian diet, prayed to Buddha, and, despite the rationale of the Mandate of Heaven being evoked by Trần Thủ Độ when he took the throne from the Lý, considered themselves Buddha reincarnated. After leaving the throne, the old emperors would become monks and left behind all of their political power for their chosen heirs. A Trần emperor even created his own Buddhist sect, the Trúc Lâm Thiền Viện sect (“Bamboo Forest Zen Monastery”), which actually still exists and is going strong in the modern day. Among the populace, throughout the entire era, Buddhism was still the most popular religion. Like in the Lý dynasty, the system of Buddhist temples were tasked with educating the populace in the three teachings, teaching them how to read and write, raising orphans, teaching medicines, and acting as the public hospital system. Zen master Tuệ Tĩnh, the father of Vietnamese medicine, were one such orphan raised and taught medicine by the temple.However, because of its circumstance (the Yuan were much less peaceful than the Song), different from the Lý dynasty, the Trần dynasty was significantly more militarized and clan-based. All high-ranking posts were reserved for Trần family members or talented people adopted into the family. In the court, the military, the high-ranking generals of which were all Trần, held the most political clout. Ngụ Binh Ư Nông (寓兵於農) from the Đinh dynasty was expanded in scale: With the permission of the emperors, loyal nobles, royal princes and princesses, and sub-clans of the royal Trần clan were allowed to have their fiefs and their own militia to protect their fiefs.At the same time, along with the rise of militarism was the rise of Confucianism and the fall of Buddhism. The more peaceful and suffering nature of Buddhism made it less and less compatible with the circumstance of the country (3 Mongol invasions) and the rising militarism. Filling in the power vacuum among the scholar part of the court was Confucianism, which provided further justification for the rulers through the mandate of Heaven and a more efficient system to both keep the military in line and power the military's growth. Toward the end of the Trần dynasty, with Han Yu as their role models, notable Confucian scholars such as Trương Hán Siêu, Lê Quát, Lê Hữu Trác, etc. openly attacked Buddhism in court in an attempt to push it out of the political scene. The last Trần emperor commented that he only practiced a vegetarian diet and prayed to the Buddha because his ancestors also did it.As a result of the rise of the Confucianism, the government system became more efficient at governing and conducting wars, adding to the rise of militarism. In contrast to the Lý dynasty’s non-annual Imperial Examination, the Trần dynasty organized 1 Imperial Examination every 7 years, creating a steady stream of talents for the governing body to utilize and perfect itself. => The importance of trí/knowledge. However, it was still largely held back by the Buddhist elements in court and the attachment to Mencius' nhân/compassion.The version of Confucianism practiced in Vietnam during the Trần dynasty was actually NOT any Chinese orthodox school. Like the Confucianism of the Lý dynasty, it also emphasized on morality, rules by ethnic codes, Mencius teaching, and nhân/compassion over the 4 other virtues. Essentially an eclectic mix of pre-Qin and Han-era Confucianism that just so happened to also have the emphasis on “nhân” like the later Lu-Wang school. The version of Confucianism practiced was also highly abridged, cherry-picked, and biased toward the Vietnamese interpretation, with the national textbook being the abridged 4 books (Tứ thư thuyết ước, 四書說約 of Chu Văn An instead of the classical text.Thứ vận tặng Thuỷ Vân đạo nhân (次韻贈水雲道人), by Chu Văn An:平生膽氣鶚橫秋，翰墨場中一戰收。茅屋玉堂皆有命，濁涇清渭不同流。老逢昭代知何補，身落窮山笑拙謀。檢點年年貧活計，茶甌詩卷伴湯休。Hán Việt transliteration:Bình sinh đảm khí ngạc hoành thu,Hàn mặc trường trung nhất chiến thu.Mao ốc ngọc đường giai hữu mệnh,Trọc Kinh thanh Vị bất đồng lưu.Lão phùng chiêu đại tri hà bổ,Thân lạc cùng sơn tiếu chuyết mưu.Kiểm điểm niên niên bần hoạt kế,Trà âu, thi quyển bạn Thang Hưu.Vietnamese translation:Chí khí dũng cảm thuở bình sinh như chim ngạc bay ngang trời thu,Trong trường bút mực, chỉ một trận là được.Nhà tranh hay nhà ngọc, đều có số mệnh,Sông Kinh đục, sông Vị trong, vốn không chảy cùng dòngGià gặp thời sáng sủa, biết chẳng ích gì,Thân rơi vào núi thẳm, cười mình mưu vụng.Hàng năm kiểm điểm lại cái sinh kế nghèo,Vẫn âu trà, cuốn thơ, làm bạn với Thang Hưu.Rough English translation:When in life, as brave as the ngạc bird spreading its wings across the autumn sky.When at school, with the ink of the brush, only one debate is enough.Both the straw thatching and the jade building have their fates.The polluted Kinh river and the clear Vị river had never shared the same path.Meeting the bright prospect in old age, I know that it’s all useless.My fate fell into the deep mountain. I laughed at my clumsy ploy.Year by year, I review my poor life plan.The tea cup and the books of poems are friends of Thang Hưu.The Trần royal family also practiced incest as a rule to prevent other families from stealing their throne like they way they took the throne from the Lý, both practices in clear violation of lễ/rites and nghĩa/justice.Because Vietnam was never successfully invaded by the Mongol-Yuan dynasty, Cheng-Zhu's school of thought had limited influence on Vietnamese Confucianism in the Trần dynasty, which was still in the Classical phase. While the Vietnamese Confucian scholars such as Chu Văn An (aka the fore-teacher of Vietnamese Confucianism) were aware of it, they hated it and openly denounced it as “inhumane" and “the northern way" because they were ardent supporters of Mencius's good humanity and Buddhist compassion, which they took to be “the southern way". Unlike Zhu Xi, they also tolerated and even supported militarism as long as that militarism functioned within their Confucian world view. These scholars' view has had lasting impact on the Vietnamese ideal of how (Vietnamese) Confucianism should be throughout the ages, including in the modern day.Despite all of its decentralization, the Trần dynasty was a very stable and flexible system of governance, with all of the different factions in society neatly tied up together under the clan's rules with nationalism. It was capable of adapting to sudden changes and allowed a certain degree of flexibility when all the parts were gotten from different sources and didn’t align perfectly. This is a stark contrast to the Neo-Confucian system of the later eras.Dụ chư tỳ tướng hịch văn (諭諸裨將檄文), by Trần Hưng Đạo:余常聞之紀信以身代死而脫高帝由于以背受戈而蔽招王蓣讓吞炭而復主讎申蒯断臂而赴國難敬德一小生也身翼太宗而得免世充之圍杲卿一遠臣也口罵禄山而不從逆賊之計自古忠臣義士以身死國何代無之設使數子區區為兒女子之態徒死牖下烏能名垂竹白與天地相為不朽哉汝等世為將種不曉文義其聞其說疑信相半古先之事姑置勿論今余以宋韃之事言之王公堅何人也其裨將阮文立又何人也以釣魚鎖鎖斗大之城當蒙哥堂堂百萬之鋒使宋之生靈至今受賜骨待兀郎何人也其裨將赤脩思又何人也冒瘴厲於萬里之途獗南詔於數旬之頃使韃之君長至今留名況余與汝等生於擾攘之秋長於艱難之勢竊見偽使往來道途旁午掉鴞烏之寸舌而陵辱朝廷委犬羊之尺軀而倨傲宰祔托忽必列之令而索玉帛以事無已之誅求假雲南王之號而揫金銀以竭有限之傥庫譬猶以肉投餒虎寧能免遺後患也哉余常臨餐忘食中夜撫枕涕泗交痍心腹如搗常以未能食肉寢皮絮肝飲血為恨也雖余之百身高於草野余之千屍裹於馬革亦願為之汝等久居門下掌握兵權無衣者則衣之以衣無食者則食之以食官卑者則遷其爵祿薄者則給其俸水行給舟陸行給馬委之以兵則生死同其所為進之在寢則笑語同其所樂其是公堅之為偏裨兀郎之為副貳亦未下爾汝等坐視主辱曾不為憂身當國恥曾不為愧為邦國之將侍立夷宿而無忿心聽太常之樂宴饗偽使而無怒色或鬥雞以為樂或賭博以為娛或事田園以養其家或戀妻子以私於己修生產之業而忘軍國之務恣田獵之遊而怠攻守之習或甘美酒或嗜淫聲脱有蒙韃之寇來雄雞之距不足以穿虜甲賭博之術不足以施軍謀田園之富不足以贖千金之軀妻拏之累不足以充軍國之用生產之多不足以購虜首獵犬之力不足以驅賊眾美酒不足以沈虜軍淫聲不足以聾虜耳當此之時我家臣主就縛甚可痛哉不唯余之采邑被削而汝等之俸祿亦為他人之所有不唯余之家小被驅而汝等之妻拏亦為他人之所虜不唯余之祖宗社稷為他人之所踐侵而汝等之父母墳墓亦為他人之所發掘不唯余之今生受辱雖百世之下臭名難洗惡謚長存而汝等之家清亦不免名為敗將矣當此之時汝等雖欲肆其娛樂得乎今余明告汝等當以措火積薪為危當以懲羹吹虀為戒訓練士卒習爾弓矢使人人逄蒙家家后羿購必烈之頭於闕下朽雲南之肉於杲街不唯余之采邑永為青氈而汝等之俸祿亦終身之受賜不唯余之家小安床褥而汝等之妻拏亦百年之佳老不唯余之宗廟萬世享祀而汝等之祖父亦春秋之血食不唯余之今生得志而汝等百世之下芳名不朽不唯余之美謚永垂而汝等之姓名亦遺芳於青史矣當此之時汝等雖欲不為娛樂得乎今余歷選諸家兵法為一書名曰兵書要略汝等或能專習是書受余教誨是夙世之臣主也或暴棄是書違余教誨是夙世之仇讎也何則蒙韃乃不共戴天之讎汝等記恬然不以雪恥為念不以除凶為心而又不教士卒是倒戈迎降空拳受敵使平虜之後萬世遺羞上有何面目立於天地覆載之間耶故欲汝等明知余心因筆以檄云Hán Việt transliteration:Dư thường văn chi:Kỷ Tín dĩ thân đại tử nhi thoát Cao Đế;Do Vu dĩ bối thụ qua nhi tế Chiêu Vương.Dự Nhượng thốn thán nhi phục chủ thù;Thân Khoái đoạn tí nhi phó quốc nạn.Kính Đức nhất tiểu sinh dã, thân dực Thái Tông nhi đắc miễn Thế Sung chi vi;Cảo Khanh nhất viễn thần dã, khẩu mạ Lộc Sơn nhi bất tòng nghịch tặc chi kế.Tự cổ trung thần nghĩa sĩ, dĩ thân tử quốc hà đại vô chi?Thiết sử sổ tử khu khu vi nhi nữ tử chi thái,Đồ tử dũ hạ, ô năng danh thuỳ trúc bạch,Dữ thiên địa tương vi bất hủ tai!Nhữ đẳngThế vi tướng chủng, bất hiểu văn nghĩa,Kỳ văn kỳ thuyết, nghi tín tương bán.Cổ tiên chi sự cô trí vật luận.Kim dư dĩ Tống, Thát chi sự ngôn chi:Vương Công Kiên hà nhân dã?Kỳ tỳ tướng Nguyễn Văn Lập hựu hà nhân dã?Dĩ Điếu Ngư toả toả đẩu đại chi thành,Đương Mông Kha đường đường bách vạn chi phong,Sử Tống chi sinh linh chí kim thụ tứ!Cốt Đãi Ngột Lang hà nhân dã?Kỳ tỳ tướng Xích Tu Tư hựu hà nhân dã?Mạo chướng lệ ư vạn lý chi đồ,Quệ Nam Chiếu ư sổ tuần chi khoảnh,Sử Thát chi quân trưởng chí kim lưu danh!Huống dư dữ nhữ đẳng, Sinh ư nhiễu nhương chi thu;Trưởng ư gian nan chi thế.Thiết kiến nguỵ sứ vãng lai, đạo đồ bàng ngọ.Trạo hào ô chi thốn thiệt nhi lăng nhục triều đình;Uỷ khuyển dương chi xích khu nhi cứ ngạo tể phụ.Thác Hốt Tất Liệt chi lệnh nhi sách ngọc bạch, dĩ sự vô dĩ chi tru cầu;Giả Vân Nam Vương chi hiệu nhi khu kim ngân, dĩ kiệt hữu hạn chi thảng hố.Thí do dĩ nhục đầu nỗi hổ, ninh năng miễn di hậu hoạn dã tai?Dư thườngLâm xan vong thực, Trung dạ phủ chẩm,Thế tứ giao di, Tâm phúc như đảo.Thường dĩ vị năng thực nhục tẩm bì, nhứ can ẩm huyết vi hận dã.TuyDư chi bách thân, cao ư thảo dã;Dư chi thiên thi, khoả ư mã cách,Diệc nguyện vi chi.Nhữ đẳngCửu cư môn hạ, Chưởng ác binh quyền.Vô y giả tắc ý chi dĩ y;Vô thực giả tắc tự chi dĩ thực.Quan ti giả tắc thiên kỳ tước;Lộc bạc giả tắc cấp kỳ bổng.Thuỷ hành cấp chu; Lục hành cấp mã.Uỷ chi dĩ binh, tắc sinh tử đồng kỳ sở vi;Tiến chi tại tẩm, tắc tiếu ngữ đồng kỳ sở lạc.Kỳ thịCông Kiên chi vi thiên tì, Ngột Lang chi vi phó nhị, Diệc vị hạ nhĩ.Nhữ đẳngToạ thị chủ nhục, tằng bất vi ưu;Thân đương quốc sỉ, tằng bất vi quý.Vi bang quốc chi tướng, thị lập di tú nhi vô phẫn tâm;Thính thái thường chi nhạc, yến hưởng nguỵ sứ nhi vô nộ sắc.Hoặc đấu kê dĩ vi lạc; Hoặc đổ bác dĩ vi ngu.Hoặc sự điền viên dĩ dưỡng kỳ gia;Hoặc luyến thê tử dĩ tư ư kỷ.Tu sinh sản chi nghiệp, nhi vong quân quốc chi vụ;Tứ điền liệp chi du, nhi đãi công thủ chi tập.Hoặc cam mỹ tửu; Hoặc thị dâm thanh.Thoát hữu Mông Thát chi khấu lai,Hùng kê chi cự, bất túc dĩ xuyên lỗ giáp;Đổ bác chi thuật, bất túc dĩ thi quân mưu.Ðiền viên chi phú, bất túc dĩ thục thiên kim chi khu;Thê noa chi luỵ, bất túc dĩ sung quân quốc chi dụng.Sinh sản chi đa, bất túc dĩ cấu lỗ thủ;Liệp khuyển chi lực, bất túc dĩ khu tặc chúng.Mỹ tửu bất túc dĩ trấm lỗ quân;Dâm thanh bất túc dĩ lung lỗ nhĩ.Ðương thử chi thời, Ngã gia thần chủ tựu phọc, Thậm khả thống tai!Bất duy dư chi thái ấp bị tước,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi bổng lộc diệc vi tha nhân chi sở hữu;Bất duy dư chi gia tiểu bị khu,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi thê noa diệc vi tha nhân chi sở lỗ;Bất duy dư chi tổ tông xã tắc, vi tha nhân chi sở tiễn xâm,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi phụ mẫu phần mộ, diệc vi tha nhân chi sở phát quật;Bất duy dư chi kim sinh thụ nhục, tuy bách thế chi hạ, xú danh nan tẩy, ác thuỵ trường tồn,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi gia thanh, diệc bất miễn danh vi bại tướng hĩ!Ðương thử chi thời, Nhữ đẳng tuy dục tứ kỳ ngu lạc,Đắc hồ?Kim dư minh cáo nhữ đẳng,Đương dĩ thố hoả tích tân vi nguy;Đương dĩ trừng canh xuy tê vi giới.Huấn luyện sĩ tốt; Tập nhĩ cung thỉ.SửNhân nhân Bàng Mông; Gia gia Hậu Nghệ.Cưu Tất Liệt chi đầu ư Khuyết hạ;Hủ Vân Nam chi nhục ư Cảo nhai.Bất duy dư chi thái ấp vĩnh vi thanh chiên,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi bổng lộc diệc chung thân chi thụ tứ;Bất duy dư chi gia tiểu đắc an sàng nhục,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi thê noa diệc bách niên chi giai lão;Bất duy dư chi tông miếu vạn thế hưởng tự,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi tổ phụ diệc xuân thu chi huyết thực;Bất duy dư chi kim sinh đắc chí,Nhi nhữ đẳng bách thế chi hạ, phương danh bất hủ;Bất duy dư chi mỹ thuỵ vĩnh thuỳ,Nhi nhữ đẳng chi tính danh diệc di phương ư thanh sử hĩ.Ðương thử chi thời, Nhữ đẳng tuy dục bất vi ngu lạc,Đắc hồ!Kim dư lịch tuyển chư gia binh pháp vi nhất thư, danh viết Binh thư yếu lược.Nhữ đẳngHoặc năng chuyên tập thị thư, thụ dư giáo hối, thị túc thế chi thần chủ dã;Hoặc bạo khí thị thư, vi dư giáo hối, thị túc thế chi cừu thù dã.Hà tắc?Mông Thát nãi bất cộng đái thiên chi thù,Nhữ đẳng ký điềm nhiên, bất dĩ tuyết sỉ vi niệm, bất dĩ trừ hung vi tâm,Nhi hựu bất giáo sĩ tốt, thị đảo qua nghênh hàng, không quyền thụ địch;Sử bình lỗ chi hậu, vạn thế di tu,Thượng hữu hà diện mục lập ư thiên địa phú tái chi gian da?Cố dục nhữ đẳng minh tri dư tâm, Nhân bút dĩ hịch vân.English translation is here.In many ways, the Trần dynasty had a lot in common with its contemporary, the Yuan dynasty, just minus the caste system and the ethnic discrimination.Hồ dynasty:Hồ Quý Ly himself was one of those Confucian scholars who openly condemned Zhu Xi as “unrealistic and a faker” at the end of the Trần dynasty.Despite being a part of the attack-on-Buddhism movement at the end of the Trần dynasty, Hồ Quý Ly himself also hated Han Yu and his philosophy.While his reign was too short for us to conclude anything about it, seeing as he also took the throne from the Trần the exact same way the Trần took the throne from the Lý, needless to say, he probably didn't think much of “rites".The Lê dynasty:The Later Lê dynasty was generally divided into 2 periods: The Lê sơ period (100 years) and the Lê Trung Hưng period (some 260 years). The Lê emperors only actually ruled in the Lê Sơ period. During the Lê Trung Hưng period, the country was caught in a series of civil wars, with the Lê emperors propped up and controlled by the warring clans.After 20 years of Ming invasion, the Vietnamese royal court who kicked the Ming out became the people with the most contact with the Ming-era Neo-Confucianism. The Lê dynasty’s founder was a wealthy landowner who later became the military leader of the Lam Sơn uprising. The other leader of the Lam Sơn uprising was Nguyễn Trãi, who came from a traditional Confucian scholar family and heavily supported a Confucian government and Cheng-Zhu’s lixue school. The Lam Sơn uprising itself was a military movement based on, in addition to nationalism, the Tianxia Mandate of Heaven rationale, which was very clearly expressed in the Excalibur-style propaganda of the movement. This practice’s in clear contrast with the Buddha emperor system of the Lý and Trần dynasties. During the campaign, the strategic and propaganda department of the uprising headed by Nguyễn Trãi heavily promoted nhân/compassion and nghĩa/justice to the troops and the populace. So you can see how Nguyễn Trãi’s interpretation of Lý Học (or lixue) was already kinda different from the orthodoxy lixue of Cheng-Zhu.From Bình Ngô Đại Cáo (平吳大告) of Nguyễn Trãi:蓋聞：仁義之舉，要在安民，弔伐之師莫先去暴。[…]卒能：以大義而勝兇殘，以至仁而易彊暴。Hán Việt transliteration:Cái văn:Nhân nghĩa chi cử, yếu tại an dân,Điếu phạt chi sư mạc tiên khử bạo.[…]Tốt năng:Dĩ đại nghĩa nhi thắng hung tàn,Dĩ chí nhân nhi dị cường bạo.Vietnamese translation:Từng nghe:Việc nhân nghĩa cốt ở yên dân,Quân điếu phạt trước lo trừ bạo;[…]Trọn hay:Đem đại nghĩa để thắng hung tàn,Lấy chí nhân để thay cường bạo.Rough English translation:Have heard:Under the banner of compassion and justice, the crucial thing is making a peaceful society for the people.The army of punishing wrongs because of compassion for the people must first destroy evil.[…]Completely talented:With the great justice, win over the destructive cruelty.With the greater compassion, replace the violent abusers.As a result of the organization of the uprising itself, the first court of the Lê dynasty was made of mainly 4 types of people: military leaders, ex-military leaders, Confucian scholars who might or might not have also been military leader, and a Confucian-military ruler.The reigns of the first 3 emperors were a tad more militarized than the Trần rule and even less Buddhism. The original Lê code written during this period can be seen as the first seed of Rule of Law and Principles in Vietnam. In court, Buddhist monk-scholars had largely been pushed out of the political scene, with Confucian scholars dominating the scholar part of the court, which was headed by Nguyễn Trãi.However, the military still had the most political clout and repressed the influence of Confucian scholars because the country was fresh out of war and the ranking of officials were based on their accomplishments during the war, a decision that Nguyễn Trãi hated. Nguyễn Trãi’s faction frequently got into clashes against the military faction(s), even on the topic of how the royal music should be played. And he was loosing at that. As a result, Nguyễn Trãi grew tired of court politics and had an early (Daoist) retirement.The military faction, initially headed by an ex-military leader of the uprising by the name of Lê Sát, growing unchecked led to instability of the dynasty, with nasty Game of Thrones happening every time the previous emperor died. Lê Sát was forced to commit suicide by Lê Thái Tông emperor, who resented his influence in court. Lê Thái Tông mysteriously died in the garden of Nguyễn Trãi, directly leading to the death of the Nguyễn Trãi’s entire family (and the political clout of the Confucian scholars’ faction with them). Lê Nhân Tông, a gentle Confucian scholar emperor (probably Mencius-style like the emperors of the previous dynasties), took over. He was backed by another military faction of Lê Thụ, Nguyễn Xí, and Trịnh Khả. Lê Nghi Dân allied himself with another faction of the military, killed Lê Nhân Tông, and gained the throne. Lê Nghi Dân himself was also killed and dethroned by another another faction of the military. The old military faction that backed Lê Nhân Tông now backed Lê Thánh Tông, another Confucian scholar emperor. Now, it’s not that the military factions of Lê Sát and Nguyễn Xí weren’t loyal to the emperors. They totally were because they were also constrained by the demand of loyalty from Confucianism and nationalism. They, too, purposely backed 2 Confucian emperors, Lê Nhân Tông and Lê Thánh Tông because they thought Confucian emperors were the ideal rulers. It’s just that without the constraints of the Confucian scholars, they were just so terrible at governing and so militaristic that their actions inadvertently destabilized the government. Up until this point in time, the populace was still mostly Buddhist.On Lê Thánh Tông’s part, his mother and he were saved by Nguyễn Trãi’s family. He practically grew up hidden from the court by them until their demise. As a result, Lê Thánh Tông also heavily favored Nguyễn Trãi’s interpretation of Lý Học. Lê Thánh Tông was a Confucian-scholar-military-leader emperor who introduced, implemented, and enforced Neo-Confucianism to both the court and the populace. He was the first emperor to have successfully done so in Vietnam’s history.Strictly speaking, despite him leaning toward lixue, like most Vietnamese, he just adopted whichever he felt was most compatible with his own ideology and used different aspects to deal with different groups of people. In a way, we can say that his attitude toward the orthodox minutia divisions of Confucian schools was a lot like his contemporary Yang Wangming. Both were essentially individualistic and pragmatic military leaders who just so happened to have adopted lixue as a part of their own ideologies.The Hồng Đức code he wrote was the first and longest-standing piece of law enforcing Rule of Law/Principle to the entire populace, not just the elite. It basically brought legalism into everything in the society, including interpersonal relationship. With Lý Học and Rule of Law, he pacified the military factions and brought them under his control. => an expression of nghĩa/justice and lễ/rites.Of note, however, is that the Hồng Đức code still took into account the difference between the Chinese orthodoxy tradition and the native Vietnamese cultural tradition, such as the larger role of women in society. Continuing the Trần and Lý traditions, the Hồng Đức code did not force women into a submissive trophy wife role like the Confucian orthodoxy did but allowed women a surprising amount of rights (for its time), such as the rights to divorce, the rights to veto marriage, the rights to veto divorces, the rights to inherit the family altars, and the rights to take part in the Imperial Exam. Unlike the Chinese orthodoxy, he also never objected to the power of the military (as long as it was him who led the movement).At the same time, like Vietnamese Confucian scholars of the previous eras, he himself sincerely believed in Rule by Ethnic Code. As a result, he purposely made himself into the ideal ruler of Confucian standards by cleaning up the government’s structure, gathering power all into his hands, getting respect, love, and fear from all of the populace, creating the country’s own tributary system, and expanding the national border.Pháp luật là phép tắc chung của Nhà nước, ta và các người phải cùng tuân theo. - Lê Thánh Tông to officials, from Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư.Translation: Law is the basic rites of the government, both I and you have to obey it.This Lý-based reasoning of him got him labeled as “inhumane" in official historical records as he rigorously applied the law to himself, his own relatives, his brothers, the officials and military leaders who thought about supporting another prince over him once, the officials and military leaders who supported his enthronement, the officials and military leaders who risked their lives with Lê Lợi when all of them were still a band of comrades, etc.With the combination of Rule by Ethnic Code and Rule of Law in his own interpretation of the 2 schools of Neo-Confucianism, Đại Việt, not just its military, under the Lê Thánh Tông was a hilariously efficient governing machine and hilariously efficient war machine that basically forced submission into the neighboring states and made Ming China gave it up as a bad job. Đại Việt’s final annexation of Champa and military campaign against Lan Xang (and Lanna when Lanna came to Lan Xang’s help) to create its own tributary system were only met with verbal rebukes from the Ming. Lê Thánh Tông also hired privateers to harass Ming traders and imported a massive amount of gun powder and gold from China against the Ming’s wish, with the Ming knowing fully what Đại Việt was up to but not able to do much more than verbally rebuke it. Thanks to Lê Thánh Tông’s policies (the most notable of which was the quân điền (a system that increased agricultural production, and through which, increased loyal man power, along with military power at the same time), Đại Việt had effectively became a gun powder empire, outgunning and outnumbering every single one of its neighbors except for Ming China itself.Like Confucian scholars with lixue leaning, he thought highly of trí/knowledge and meritocracy. He was a prolific poet himself and headed a poet group, Hội Tao Đàn. Lê Thánh Tông also encouraged literary activities within the populace, established an alternative state education and “public hospital” system (Tế Sinh) to the old Buddhist system, and reduced the interval between the Imperial Examinations to every 3 years. Buddhist teaching was completely eliminated from the exam. Buddhism itself was delegated to the religion of the peasants. A hard limit was put on the number of temples in the country. Buddhist sects were forced to dismantle their militia. Daoist teaching in the exam was limited by the state and could only exist as a part of Confucianism (before the Lê dynasty’s power weakened).That said, Lê Thánh Tông also employed Daoist ceremonies to ask for rain when there were droughts and good luck when he set off to battle. The Vietnamese Turtle God continued to be widely worshiped by the populace, with the official, state-backed adoption of the Turtle as the symbol of studiousness and hardworking mentality in Vietnamese Confucianism. The cults of national heroes, esp the cult of Trần Hưng Đạo of the Trần dynasty, also prospered under the state’s protection as a part of the campaign to spread nationalism and “nhân nghĩa”. Later on, during the civil war era, like the previous dynasties, retired emperors also became monks. As the country expanded its territory south, worship of whales was adopted from the Cham and has been a long-standing tradition of the central coastal provinces in the modern day. In the 16th century, Mẫu Liễu Hạnh, the central deity of the 3 Mother Goddess worship, was officially recognized by the Trịnh court as “Mẫu nghi thiên hạ - Mẹ của muôn dân” (mother of all people).He also treasured nhân (compassion) and nghĩa (justice) over trí/”knowledge”. In his interpretation, “nhân nghĩa” meant “absolute loyalty” to the ruler-centered nationalism, not “human mind and hearts”. The Imperial Exams under the Lê dynasty was later on criticized by modern historians as encouraging absolute loyalty to the rulers that represented the nation, rather than a system of meritocracy of doing what was right for the nation itself. Essentially, in his view: Morality => Rule by Morality/Ethnic Code, which is absolute because they are morality => Morality = nhân nghĩa = absolute loyal to the country = absolute loyalty to the absolute emperor with superior morality = Principles/Laws => The Rule of Law system that demanded absolute loyalty.This view of Lê Thánh Tông was expressed in a reprimand he told Ngô Sĩ Liên and Nghiên Nhân Thọ, as recorded in Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư:“Ta mới coi chính sự, sửa mới đức độ, tuân theo điển cũ của thánh tổ thần tông, nên mới tế giao vào đầu mùa xuân. Các ngươi lại bảo tổ tông tế giao cũng không đáng theo!. Các ngươi bảo nước ta đời xưa là hàng phiên bang, thế là các ngươi theo đạo chết, mang lòng không vua. Vả lại, khi Lệ Đức hầu (Lê Nghi Dân) cướp ngôi, Ngô Sĩ Liên chẳng vì hắn trổ tài phong hiến đó sao? Ưu đãi trọng lắm! Nhân Thọ không vì hắn trù hoạch nơi màn trướng đó ư? Ngôi chức cao lắm! Nay Lệ Đức hầu mất nước về tay ta, các ngươi không biết vì ăn lộc mà chết theo hắn lại đi thờ ta. Nếu không nói ra, trong lòng các ngươi không tự hổ thẹn mà chết ư? Thực là bọn gian thần bán nước!".As a direct result of this policy, the Confucian scholars were caught between the Classical Vietnamese Confucianism that treasured hearts and minds over all and the more rigid Lý Học that treasured absolute loyalty over all. The problem didn’t express itself under Lê Thánh Tông’s reign because he was a charismatic and overly competent strongman in all aspects (meaning that there was no clash between rule by morality and rule of law). However, with less competent leaders like the later generations of Lê emperors, the rulers had neither the superior morality that demanded absolute loyalty nor the best interest of the nation in mind, so suddenly, morality <> nhân nghĩa = absolute loyalty to the nation <> absolute loyalty to the ruler <> law. This sudden conflict between (Lê Thánh Tông’s) Neo-Confucian values with itself and with other existing value systems of the nation led to the collapse of the whole system from the cracks just 1 decade after Lê Thánh Tông’s death. All later rulers of the Lê, Trịnh, Mạc, and Nguyễn misinterpreted Lê Thánh Tông’s “nhân nghĩa” as blind loyalty to the rulers and promoted it as such to the populace, both the peasants and the elites. The Rule of Law system was turned into a Rule by Law system. Lê Uy Mục and Lê Tương Dực were 2 consecutive horrible and incompetent tyrants. Just 10 years after Lê Thánh Tông’s reign, the Lê emperors were effectively overthrown by the Mạc, the Trịnh, and the Nguyễn, in that order. However, because of the blind loyalty instilled in the populace and the elites (along with lễ/rites and nghĩa/shame), the more competent Mạc emperors were objected to and disposed “on principles”, the Trịnh and Nguyễn who had effectively overthrown the Lê propped up successive Lê puppet emperors just “on principles”, and finally, instead of a free-for-all struggle for the throne, both the Trịnh and the Nguyễn lords resigned themselves to just “lords” and staged the 150-year-long half-baked civil war that exhausted the country’s wealth, made the peasants’ lives a lot shorter, and exhausted the entire populace’s “loyalty”. And then they repeated the exact same thing when they de facto governed their own domains, leading to the rise of local warlords. With a few exceptions who followed “rule by morality” over “absolute loyalty” like Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh and Ngô Thì Nhậm during the Tây Sơn uprising, despite officially touting Lý Học, Confucian scholars such as Lê Quý Đôn and Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, just like Nguyễn Trãi, were caught between loyalty and morality. They had also consistently chosen early retirements to seek an escape in Daoism and Buddhism from the crisis Vietnamese Confucianism had fallen into. Another example is Hải Thượng Lãn Ông, who was born into a Confucian-scholar-military-elite clan. Like the rest of his family, he was a soldier actively participating in the civil war before the war exhausted him mentally to the point of mental illness (most probably depression and PTSD; reportedly he didn’t even bother to bath for weeks). His physician taught him medicine to rescue him from his own mind and gave him an escape. The “cure” was successful and Lê Hữu Trác became Hải Thượng Lãn Ông, a lazy man from Hải Dương (his mother’s hometown) who sought his own escape in saving other people and in his Daoist retirement. He also avoided the Trịnh’s summons like the plague.Cảnh Nhàn (Leisurely sight), by Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm:“Một mai, một cuốc, một cần câu,Thơ thẩn dầu ai vui thú nào.Ta dại, ta tìm nơi vắng vẻ,Người khôn, người đến chốn lao xao.Thu ăn măng trúc, đông ăn giá,Xuân tắm hồ sen, hạ tắm ao.Rượu đến gốc cây ta sẽ nhắp,Nhìn xem phú quý tựa chiêm bao.”Rough English translation:“One morning, one hoe, one fishing rod,Daydreaming regardless of people's fancy.I'm foolish, I seek quiet place.Smart people, they seek busy place.Eating bamboo in autumn, eating sprouts in winter,Swimming in lotus lake in spring, swimming in village pond in summer.For wine, I will sip when I sit under the tree,Looking at riches as if in a dream.”In a way, you can say that because he treasured lý as “morality = nhân nghĩa = absolute loyalty = law > all else”, Lê Thánh Tông posited that the strength of the nation was rooted in the population, which was powered mainly from agricultural production, the same conclusion that his contemporary in China arrived at. To increase the strength of the nation, he considered agricultural production the life blood of the country and enacted 3 different policies with far-reaching effects. The first policy was the quân điền (畇田) system, which aimed to increase productivity of the population by ensuring that every able-body person would have a piece of land to grow crops on. As productivity increased, the population grew, to the point that the little arable land they had could not sustain them any longer, which led to the need for conquest of foreign land and the need for Đại Việt to be an efficient war machine, which was powered by the strict structure of governance of Neo-Confucianism and the newly increased population. Perfecting the Ngụ Binh Ư Nông (寓兵於農) policy of the previous dynasties, any foreign land conquered would then be rewarded to the soldiers who conquered them to give incentive, to increase the population count in the new land, to keep a strict hold on the new land, and to better assimilate the conquered people into the Vietnamese society. The second policy is foreign trade discouragement. Like Ming China, Lê Thánh Tông considered agricultural productivity the lifeblood of the country and (foreign) trade, which increased personal wealth, would degrade the “lý" and “heart" of the people, so he heavily discouraged foreign trade. However, because Vietnam has always been, well, a coastal kind of country (esp with the new acquisition in Champa), trade, both foreign and internal, had always been necessary for the country to amass wealth and technology, which would, in turn, propel military strength of the country. As a result, unlike Ming China, he tolerated foreign trade as long as they were conducted in government-mandated ports ( Hội An was the most popular one) and encouraged internal trade within the country. Cross border trade with China was also encouraged (even though it was technically illegal on the China side) because Đại Việt needed a lot of gun powder and loved gold threads. With that tolerance of trade, to control the trade flow and ensure that things wouldn't get out of (his) hand, he employed privateers to patrol the Vietnamese sea and harass, even maim and kill, foreign traders who weren't explicitly allowed to trade with Đại Việt. Which was where all the reports of Chinese traders blown ashore and being maimed by the Vietnamese maritime “coast guards" came from. The third policy is the rigid hierarchy of the society, which prevented people from moving up the social ladder outside of the meritocracy offered in the Imperial Exams. This has the effect of giving the Vietnamese population the study-or-die mentality that it still has today, thereby spreading the teachings of Confucianism, which took up most of the contents of the Imperial Exams alongside history and nationalism, to the population.By the same logic, Lê Thánh Tông also concluded that performance arts and performers corrupted the lý and nhân nghĩa of people. Performance arts such as chèo and hát ả đào, once royal art forms, were pushed into the villages and became the peasants’ art forms. Performers became the lowest class in the society, barring none. Children of performers were banned from entering the Imperial Exam, aka the only way up on the social ladder. This ban was continued in the Trịnh domain during the civil war period, but the Nguyễn’s domain didn’t continue the ban. Đào Duy Từ, a very talented Confucian scholar, had a mother who was a performer. He was born in the Trịnh’s domain, but because of the Trịnh’s ban, he resented the Trịnh and went to work for the Nguyễn. He went on to be an important adviser to the Nguyễn lords and basically resurrected performance arts in the south.Unfortunately, just like the rest of his ideologies and policies, without a super competent leader like Lê Thánh Tông, both policies were misinterpreted and brought more harms than goods. The drive for expansionism during and after the 150-year-long exhausted the people's loyalty and the country's wealth, with Nguyễn and Trịnh rulers blindly copying the policies without actually understanding what made them work. The Trịnh in north was limited by geography and ran face-first into a land limit despite the population, leading to things such as famines and diseases, aka nature's way to adjusting population density, leading them falling behind in military power compared to the ever expanding south. The Trịnh in the north also initially allowed foreign trade, but they grew afraid of spies from the south so they shut that one down, too. The Nguyễn lords in the south initially did better, but by the time of their lost to the Tây Sơn uprising, they had clearly overreached their power and kinda forgot the “populating the new lands with your own loyal soldiers to tighten your hold part” after a while. Instead, what they did was uprooting people who hated their guts (among which was the ancestors of Tây Sơn brothers in Nghệ An) to the new harsh lands (Bình Định) and expecting the people there to be magically loyal to them. For trade, the Nguyễn lords did better in that regard and allowed both foreign and internal trade to flourish, but they forgot to actually control it. And so the south essentially splintered itself to warlordism. For meritocracy, as the civil war went on, the meritocracy offered in the Imperial Exams were eroded away by the need for militarism and the corruption of the 2 courts, so now you have a bunch of peasants who couldn’t move up the social ladder despite the promise of meritocracy in the Imperial Exams in a rigid society that simply offered no other way to go up. So by the end of the Trịnh -Nguyễn phân tranh era, the Trịnh and Nguyễn courts had a lot of mad and desperate peasants on their hands that they couldn’t control because they had accidentally decentralized their own power for 150 years. Both the Trịnh and Nguyễn’s incomplete understanding of Lê Thánh Tông's policies and false impression of his brand of Confucianism led to the 150 years of civil wars, which were indirectly responsible for the Đại Việt falling to French colonization in the 19th century.Con vua thì lại làm vua,Con sãi ở chùa thì quét lá đa.Bao giờ dân nổi can qua,Con vua thất thế lại ra quét chùa. - Vietnamese anonymous folk poem of the 150-year civil war era.Translation:The children of kings will, again, be kings,The children of temple gatekeepers will, again, sweep the Banyan leaves.When the people couldn’t stand it anymore,The children of kings, loosing the favor, will go and sweep the temples.In the same way, the Rule of Law + Rule by Ethnic Code of the Hồng Đức code was revered as absolute Gospel by the later rulers. But the Rule of Ethnic Code part was completely forgotten, while the Rule of Law was misinterpreted as Rule by Law, with the not-morally-superior rulers thinking that they were exempted from the law. This, in effect, decentralized the power of the emperors while the military was still growing rapidly, which eventually led to the rise of powerful military (and later on, bureaucracy) clans such as the Trịnh and the Nguyễn and, later on, the rise of warlordism when the Trịnh and Nguyễn themselves were running the show.A comparison can be made with Japan during the last days of the Heian period and the following Kamakura period, the Muromachi period, and the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Both countries fell into pretty much the same situation for the same reasons.TLDR: That super efficient system of Neo-Confucianism and militarism loaded all the risk on the leader and needed a super competent strongman and all of the precise cogs to work. Without a super competent strongman at the helm, it turned out a mess that worked even less well than a half-baked-but-flexible Buddhist-Mencius-Daoist system. The Neo-Confucian system is like an iPhone. iPhones need to be maintained by official Apple stores with official Apple-sold parts, including the battery if you don’t want your very expensive phone to explode into your face. The reason iPhone could prosper with all of those requirements is because it relies and front-loads all the risk on its brand name, and its brand name happens to be a strong one. Microsoft attempted the same with its Windows phone line, but the Microsoft brand name in the smartphone sector was too weak to accomplish the same thing, so now it could neither compete with the iPhone nor the Android brands.Throughout the Lê dynasty, ever since Lê Thánh Tông’s reign, unlike the Lý and Trần dynasties, the populace followed Buddhism, Confucianism, the unorganized version of Daoism, the Mother Goddess worships, animism, and the cults of national heroes, etc. all at the same time. Essentially, this is pretty much how Vietnamese society has worked ever since.Also of note is that the 1954 Land Reform was modeled after the quân điền system. Now you know what went wrong: That policy literally belonged to a completely different system of governance.It can be said that the Lê sơ era (the name of the era from the beginning of the Lê dynasty to the beginning of the civil wars) was the beginning of Neo-Confucianism in Vietnam and, at the same time, the height of both Neo-Confucianism and Confucianism in Vietnam. From the civil war period onward, it had only been a downward spiral as Vietnamese Neo-Confucianism and Confucianism in general had tied itself into a metaphysical pretzel that it couldn’t get out.Northern and Southern courts + Trịnh Nguyễn phân tranh (technically still part of the Lê dynasty):The power of the Lê rulers degraded, giving rise to 3 main military-based factions: Mạc, Trịnh, and Nguyễn. All 3 later branched out into bureaucracy and continued to misinterpret the system that Lê Thánh Tông set up.Despite coming from a family with a long tradition of being Confucian scholars, Mạc Đăng Dung started out as an imperial guard. His faction was the most obviously militant one and the only one to actually try to overthrow the Lê emperors to establish the Mạc dynasty. Unfortunately, overthrowing the emperor was seen as immoral by the rest of the court even if the emperor was an absolutely bad one. So he was deposed by the combined Nguyễn and Trịnh forces and another (terrible) Lê emperor was installed.The Trịnh and Nguyễn clans, both holding their own parts of the army, came into a clash. The Trịnh lost and the Nguyễn clan became the de facto ruling clan.Another Trịnh clan (not related to the above Trịnh) split off politically and militarily from the Nguyễn clan. They took control of the court and assumed the position of the ruling clan, again in everything but name. The Nguyễn clan was pushed to the frontier south.Misinterpretation, the 3 key policies, and the results: see above.Both the Trịnh and the Nguyễn tried to reenact the same policies as Lê Thánh Tông. They both misinterpreted those policies and were subsequently decentralized. In the north, because of the limitation of geography, the Trịnh was a less decentralized than the Nguyễn in the south. The Nguyễn in the south had larger space to expand and to overreach itself. By the end of the Trịnh-Nguyễn civil war era, while the Trịnh still kept control on its key territories despite its decentralized state, the Nguyễn’s territory had effectively splintered into a land of warlords, with the Nguyễn in control in name only.Meanwhile, Vietnamese Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism continued to tie itself into a metaphysical pretzel, and along with it, the Confucian scholars caught in between the clashing values.In the 17th century, kin-ship terms started to be used as pronouns.In the 18th century, Võ Trường Toản (武長纘), a Minh Hương (明香) born in Vietnam, brought the first variation of Lu-Wang school to southern Vietnam. Võ Trường Toàn himself created the theory called Tri ngôn dưỡng khí ( 知言養氣), which is heavily based on Mencius and Wang Yangming’s “hearts and minds”. The 3 tenets of Võ Trường Toản’s version of Confucianism were: đạo nghĩa (道義, reason and justice), realism (切实, thiết thực), and study to help the society. The central ideal of Võ Trường Toản’s philosophy is thành (誠, honesty). It’s a philosophy promoting morality for morality’s sake independent of the political system and loyalty to the rulers. Võ Trường Toản’s ideology was the version of Confucianism popular in the south (Học Phong Nam Bộ, 學風南部, the Study in the South) and had far-reaching impacts, as many of his students became high-ranking officials in the Nguyễn’s court and key historical figures. Some of his students were Ngô Tùng Châu (helped Nguyễn Ánh defeat the Tây Sơn dynasty), Trịnh Hoài Đức (influential historian), Phạm Ngọc Uẩn (high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice), Lê Quang Định (high-ranking official in the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, author of Hoàng Việt nhất thống địa dư chí), Lê Bá Phẩm (high-ranking official in the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue), etc. Key historical figures of the later era who considered him their teachers were Nguyễn Đình Chiểu (extremely influential author, Lục Vân Tiên is one of Vietnam’s 2 greatest literature works, also known for his anti-colonial writing, representative of Confucian scholars’ dilemma at the beginning of the French colonization), Nguyễn Thông (historian, part of Trương Định’s anti-French movement), Phan Thanh Giản (guy who signed the treaty to cede the 3 western provinces of the south to France because he thought that the French outgunned Vietnamese too badly and that resistance would be too bloody, committed suicide afterwards, representative of the Confucian officials’ dilemma at the beginning of the French colonization). Imo, the best representative of Học Phong Nam Bộ is the story Lục Vân Tiên by Nguyễn Đình Chiểu. I think there’s an English translation floating around somewhere.The population was still largely a mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, national heroes worship, animism, etc. But now they were poor(er), angry (angrier), (more) exhausted of loyalty, (more) apathetic to politics, and sick of wars.The Tây Sơn dynasty:The founders of the Tây Sơn dynasty were 3 brothers, Nguyễn Nhạc, Nguyễn Lữ, and Nguyễn Huệ, from a clan traditionally involved in a gambling ring after the Confucian scholar family was uprooted from Nghệ An by the Nguyễn lords to the new land, Bình Định. They were the least Confucian people there were in Đại Việt in both the north and the south at the time. All of them started off as 100% military leaders and local warlords.After the initial victory in Quy Nhơn, the uprising grew big, acquiring the alliance of the other warlords in the regions. Nguyễn Nhạc married the daughter of a Ba Na chieftain and acquired their alliance. Lý Tài (李才) and Tập Đình (集亭), both Minh hương (明香) pirates/mafia/warlords/merchants with their own armies, joined in.There were significant changes in ideology after Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh joined the uprising, however. Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh was a Confucian scholar from the Trịnh’s domain dissatisfied with the state of unending civil war, confident in his own ability to govern the nation, and had largely dropped all the Neo-Confucian “nhân nghĩa” and “absolute loyalty” constraint of the Lê-era rhetoric in favor of the Trần-era Confucianism, which emphasized more on “doing what’s right as the hearts dictate”. At the start of the uprising, Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh was very close with with both Nguyễn Nhạc and Nguyễn Huệ and gave the uprising a Trần-era-Confucian undertone in its justification and command structure. Under the advise of Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh, Nguyễn Huệ turned the uprising into a campaign of national unification, while Nguyễn Nhạc and Nguyễn Lữ were still satisfied with their positions as warlords.Than Thân (Complaining About My Fate), by Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh:Tóc chen hai thứ chửa danh chi,Thân hỡi là thân, thì hỡi thì!Chưa trả chưa đền ân đệ tử,Thêm ngừng thêm tủi chí nam nhi.Kẻ yêu, nên ít bề cao hạ,Người ghét, càng nhiều tiếng thị phi.Tay bé khôn bưng vừa miệng thế,Giãi lòng ngay thảo cậy thiên tri.Rough English translation:My hair has two colors, and I have not one title to my name.Oh fate, my fate. Oh favor, the world’s favor.I haven’t repay my debt to my teachers.More shame, more pity to my gentleman’s idealism.People who are loved, they aren’t looked down a lot.People who are hated, there are a lot of rumors about them.My hands are small. I can’t stop the mouth of the society.I explain my straight-forward heart, and only the heaven will listen.After taking over the north and deposing the Trịnh, because both the populace and the court of the north required so to be pacified, Nguyễn Huệ started to employ “nhân nghĩa” as justice from morality as a part of his justification. The line of thoughts was still quite bare-boned compared to the Lê-era rhetoric. When he was deposing the Trịnh, his slogan was “Phù Lê Diệt Trịnh” (“serve the Lê, destroy the Trịnh”), which still played into the absolute loyalty to the emperor. It only reached its height during the Qing invasion, when Nguyễn Huệ shed the last of warlordism to unite both northern and central troops against the Qing and Lê Chiêu Thống, the last Lê emperor under the banner of nationalism.“Hịch đánh Thanh” (“Hymn to defeat the Qing”), read during the ceremony of Quang Trung declaring himself the emperor:“Đánh cho để dài tócĐánh cho để đen răngĐánh cho nó chích luân bất phảnĐánh cho nó phiến giáp bất hoànĐánh cho sử tri Nam quốc anh hùng chi hữu chủ”Rough translation:“Fight to keep our hair long.Fight to keep our teeth black.Fight for their wheels to not roll back.Fight for their armors to not have a single piece left.Fight for history to acknowledge that the heroic Southern country already has rulers.”On Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh’s part, he and the Tây Sơn brothers parted ways. Historical records were iffy on that part, so it’s not entirely clear if he betrayed Nguyễn Huệ or Nguyễn Huệ betrayed him or it was all just a terrible misunderstanding with roots in malicious court rumor in which they both thought the other betrayed them so they betrayed the other first. It’s all terribly vague. Personally, I’m leaning toward the misunderstanding hypothesis. In any case, Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh went back to the north and worked for Lê Chiêu Thống in name. In reality, he still considered Lê Chiêu Thống an unjust and undeserving ruler, recruited his own army, and plotted against Lê Chiêu Thống’s back while still fighting against the Trịnh remains and the Tây Sơn. Nguyễn Huệ sent Vũ Văn Nhậm to take Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh’s domain. When Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh lost, instead of going with Lê Chiêu Thống to the Qing for help, he stayed back in the north and fought a last stand. He was captured alive and asked to see Nguyễn Huệ one last time. But he was killed via dismemberment by Vũ Văn Nhậm, who, in turns, was killed by Nguyễn Huệ right after. Essentially, Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh lived trying to escape the metaphysical pretzel and died from it.Of note is Ngô Thì Nhậm, an author of Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí. Initially, as a typical Confucian scholar of the era bounded by absolutely loyalty, he had a very bad impression of the Tây Sơn uprising, effectively depicting Nguyễn Huệ as an immoral, uncivilized but sly brute in his work. But he was still a nationalist at heart after all. Later on, that Lê Chiêu Thống, the last Lê emperor, effectively invited the Qing to invade and colonize Đại Việt finally pushed him away from the Lê and gave him a solution to the metaphysical pretzel: Get a new ruler that is morally superior, with both nhân and nghĩa (and nationalism and the heaven’s favor) on his side.Thạch Long Tuyền (石龍泉), by Ngô Thì Nhậm:太原西上峙千峰，一派清泉躍石龍。盤古以來頭角老，長流自此爪牙雄。水山奄映揚光處，風月收藏太巧中。品藻自從明鏡照，五雲欲向覲宸楓。Hán Việt transliteration:Thái Nguyên tây thượng trĩ thiên phong,Nhất phái thanh tuyền dược thạch long.Bàn Cổ dĩ lai đầu giác lão,Trường lưu tự thử trảo nha hùng.Thuỷ sơn yểm ánh dương quang xứ,Phong nguyệt thu tàng đại xảo trung.Phẩm tảo tự tòng minh kính chiếu,Ngũ vân dục hướng cận thần phong.Rough English translation:To the west of Thái Nguyên is a thousand-li high peak standing alone. (Note: the pun was that Tây Sơn literally means West Mountain).The stone dragon jumped from the the only clear stream.From the era of Bàn Cổ, the horn of the dragon is old.Bathing in the long river, with the claws and teeth of a tiger.The water and the mountain of the nation is bathed in the bright sunlight.The story of the moon and the wind is hidden behind a clever trick.By heart, my character follows the bright light reflected in the mirror.The five clouds can’t help but follow the godly maple tree.Quang Trung’s policy was, in a way, a continuation and an adaptation to the time of the Trần policy and Lê Thánh Tông’s policy. He opened ports to foreigners, restarted the village education system, encouraged trade, funded privateers, dismantled the rigid hierarchy of society, extensively applied quân điền, and generally made many progressive reforms that Đại Việt in general, and Vietnamese Confucianism in specific, needed to get itself out of the metaphysical pretzel.However, unlike Lê Thánh Tông, Quang Trung’s greatest falling was that he left his warlord brother alone and never actually confronted him. This left the seed of instability that, of course, eventually grew to become the downfall of the Tây Sơn dynasty. Despite all of his moral codes and lack of moral codes, he just wasn't cruel enough, not efficient enough to pilot the inflexible system and just didn't live long enough in general to change the system into something else more flexible.The Nguyễn dynasty:Nguyễn Ánh, the founder of the dynasty, was a young prince from the Nguyễn lords' clan. He suffered the first-hand effects of having a decentralized system of warlords, in which one random peasant warlord just up and killed his entire clan, robbed his clan of what they had accomplished throughout 150 years, and achieved what his clan didn't dare to achieve for 150 years. That one random peasant warlord also forced him to seek foreign help to get his revenge, the foreign help that forced him to literally beg, paraded him around like a zoo animal, and brainwashed his son and his people with some weird religion that worshiped people who walked on water, and ultimately didn't help him get his revenge at all because that random warlord along with his dynasty just randomly died on their own. And then, the new emperor still had to pay the cost of foreign help.As a result of his circumstances, Gia Long and his successors went on a quest to Make Vietnam Great Again by centralizing the rule and emulating Lê Thánh Tông policies without actually understanding what went wrong in the last 150 years. The Nguyễn dynasty became the most sinicized dynasty in Vietnamese history.The policies of the Lê dynasty and the Ming dynasty, the 2 dynasties that were taken to be the height of Neo-Confucianism, were copied and pasted and taken to its logical extremes, complete with all of its falling and fragility, in an already deeply fractured society.Despite the early start before Nguyễn Ánh became the emperor, both foreign trade and internal trade were completely banned. In part because of the French’s tactics of employing converted Christian Vietnamese in their army, in part because the Nguyễn emperors, like Lê Thánh Tông, thought that trade would corrupt the lý and nhân nghĩa of the populace, the court grew extremely hostile to all forms of trade and placed overemphasis on agriculture. This, along with the continuing quân điền system, had the side effect of forcing Vietnam to militarily expanded its territory to have enough and making Vietnam fall behind the rest of the world in terms of technological development (while the Industrial Revolution was catching fire throughout the world), which directly led to its inability to successfully defend itself against France, which, in turns, directly led to the Indochina wars, which were the direct cause of 4–5 million Vietnamese dead, 3 million affected by Agent Orange, and Vietnam’s status as a war-torn middle-income country right now.More military expansion after 150 years of civil war made the populace even further exhausted of loyalty and the country’s wealth further diminish. That, and the Nguyễn emperors frequently ran into stalemates and just weren’t as competent on the military scene as Lê Thánh Tông (100% win rate) and Quang Trung (nearly 100% win rate except for the campaign against his own brothers) to justify the campaign to the populace. Coupled with the trade ban, this had the expected effect (see above).The society was even more rigid, with strict dress code applied to the entire population for the first time. The Nguyễn had a huge boner for the Ming dynasty, so they enforced Ming dress code onto the Vietnamese populace without consideration for the difference in culture and weather pattern. The more liberal dresses of the past were banned and replaced with more conservative clothes that hid more skins, had less decorations, varied less in style. Women were forced to wear pants 100%, which became a decision to be made fun of in Vietnamese folk poems. The protection of women’s rights in Hồng Đức code was all removed and replaced by a government-funded campaign to “teach women how to act” with “folk” Gia Huấn ca. The Imperial Exam, while still being held every 3 years, had a big problem with accepting liberal thinkers who went against the mainstream, especially as the French colonization period officially started. The Vietnamese society essentially collapsed, and the Imperial Exam became a game of who had the most money and connection instead of its original role as a meritocratic social ladder like in the Lê dynasty era. Tú Xương was the most well-known of these Confucian scholars and also one of my favorite poets.Anonymous folk Vietnamese poem about the new dress code:“Tháng tám có chiếu vua raCấm quần không đáy người ta hãi hùngKhông đi thì chợ không đôngĐi thì phải lột quần chồng sao đang!Có quần ra quán bán hàngKhông quần ra đứng đầu làng trông quan.”Rough translation:“In August there is a new edict from the king.Banning bottomless pants is scandalous.Not going to the market means the market will be emptyGoing to the market means I have to tear the pants of my husband?!Having pants mean I can watch the stand.Not having pants mean I have to go watch out for the officials at the entrance of the village.”The poem Giễu người thi đỗ (Making fun of the people who passed the Imperial Exams) by Tú Xương.“Một đàn thằng hỏng đứng mà trông,Nó đỗ khoa này có sướng không !Trên ghế bà đầm ngoi đít vịt,Dưới sân, ông cử ngỏng đầu rồng.”Rough English translation:“A herd of failures look on,Look how happy the dude who passed is!On the chair, madame looks at the butt of the duck,On the ground, the one who passed the exam looks up as if it were the head of a dragon.”Alternative English translation:“A herd of failures look on,Look how happy the dude who passed is!On the chair, madame pushes up her butt like a duck butt.On the ground, the one who passed the exam looks up as if it were the head of a dragon.”And that is why the Nguyễn dynasty is considered the most sinicized dynasty instead of the most Confucian dynasty. The most Confucian dynasty was the Lê.In hindsight, the Nguyễn probably thought that the reason the Lê (and the Ming) fell was because their policies weren’t “comprehensive” enough and needed to be taken to their logical extremes to create an ideal Neo-Confucian society.By the time of Minh Mạng, emperor Minh Mạng realized that the problem was that they forgot about the Rule by Morality part. He went on to create an Ethnic Code for the country and, on paper, wrote that even he must obeyed it.“On paper” because in actual history, he was known to have made a lot of exemptions for himself. In fact, despite their demands of absolute morality from their subjects, both Minh Mạng and his successor, Tự Đức, were both well-known as flagrant hedonists, with 1000+ members in the royal harem, uncontrolled spending for luxuries, a fondness for rare ingredients and elaborate dishes, and being overly demanding of the royal chefs. Frankly put, that was the opposite of the ideal of quân tử, the morality superior gentleman, the central ideal of Confucianism; period. So it was a case of someone who realized what they were doing wrong but continued to do so anyway because it was simply easier.Meanwhile, the practice of Confucian scholars asking for early Daoist/Buddhist retirements or not entering the Imperial exam at all to avoid all the complicated politics and life because they were sick of the metaphysical pretzel continued. And the hearts-and-minds faction just got a new line of reasoning in Võ Trường Toản’s teachings of Yangming school as the Lý học faction got taken to its logical extremes by the Nguyễn’s court.The failures of the Nguyễn dynasty to protect the country and “easy surrender” put the final nail on the coffin to the idea of absolute loyalty to the rulers and radicalized the chasms within Vietnamese society and Vietnamese (Neo-)Confucianism. At the beginning of the French colonization era, the 3 types of Confucian scholars are: loyalists to the emperors acting in accordance with the radical state-backed version of Lý học, people caught between loyalty to the rulers and doing what was right for the country (E.g.: Phan Thanh Giản), and people who outright rejected Lý học (not to the point of rejecting the emperors yet) in favor of a more hearts and minds approach within the context of nationalism and essentially started their own anti-French campaigns regardless of the state’s lack of support (E.g.: Trương Định, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Tôn Thất Thuyết, etc.)As a result of this chasm, despite the Nguyễn’s intention, as a direct result of the Nguyễn’s policies, the metaphysical pretzel of Vietnamese (Neo-)Confucianism and the Vietnamese society as a whole got worse, not better.The anti-French movements led by Hàm Nghi and Duy Tân emperors and Confucian scholars like Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Tôn Thất Thuyết, etc. tried to solve the conflict between loyalty to the rulers and nationalism. But they failed. So that was the end of that.Because of the failure of the Imperial exams, the population slid back to the Buddhist and Daoist side of the 3 teachings.French colonization era:Vietnam got colonized by France. The Vietnamese society essentially collapsed.The radical change in Vietnamese society and the collapse of the old social order radicalized the Confucian scholars into 2 factions:The French first tried to destroy all traces of Confucianism and all attachment of Vietnam to its own history and traditions, but it didn’t work, so they switched to employing Confucian justification and portrayed themselves as the new paternal force of the Vietnamese people with their “civilizing” mission. They demanded absolute loyalty as a part of people’s “morality” and extensively employed a highly corrupted version of Lý Học reasoning as the basis for their brainwashing. The program was named “duy trì cựu học” (“continuing the old study”). As a result, needing a justification for their choice (because neither personal gain nor fear of failure was a very good justification, even to themselves), the collaborators were the people who followed (the highly corrupted version) of Lý học.The leaders of the resistance were mostly made up of Confucian scholars dissatisfied and disappointed with the Nguyễn rule. They found the Lý Học employed by the Nguyễn and the French wanting and chose to develop their own versions of Confucianism, which was essentially a radical “hearts-and-nationalism” version of Trần-era “Classical” Confucianism and Võ Trường Toản’s take of Yangming school. Phan Bội Châu looked at Japan's combination of Confucianism and proposed to do the same with Vietnamese Confucianism and nationalism by abolishing cựu học (aka Lý Học) and using the new reformed Confucianism as the basis for the nationalist movement. It had a very strong Out-of-Asia flavor. Phan Chu Trinh opted to combine Vietnamese (Neo-)Confucianism with the European Enlightenment movement instead and use the new reformed Confucianism as the basis for the nationalist movement. Both decried the study of Classical Text and promoted the study of their reformed Confucianism by studying from real life society and adopting new Western values (if they benefited the movement). However, both failed because both were essentially still based on Confucianism, which was very far away for the 90% illiterate population at the time. Furthermore, Confucian scholars' idealism was already exhausted in the previous several hundred years already with the 150+ years of civil wars and a 100 years of disappointment, false hope, and being thrown to the French by the Nguyễn. Nguyễn Ái Quốc, who also came from a family with long Confucian tradition, set out to find a new way because Confucianism as the basis of nationalism hadn't worked so far. It could be a very powerful tool if used correctly, but in that climate of Vietnamese society, it couldn't really function as the basis for the nationalism. He tried the “freedom and democracy” thing that the US touted first, but, well, the US presidents turned him away, and the rest, as they say, is history. Anyway, the version of reformed Confucianism employed in the Vietnamese Socialist Nationalism movement drew (and draws) heavily from this era's reformed Confucianism, which leaned very heavily toward the hearts and morality side and within the larger context of nationalism.Sources:Neo-Confucianism on Washington U website.Confucianism - The Confucian revival on Britannica Encyclopedia.The wiki page and baidu pages of all the Chinese philosophers above.Về quá trình Nho giáo du nhập vào Việt Nam (từ đầu công nguyên đến thế kỷ XIX) on the website of Vietnamese Institute of Philosophy.http://tapchikhxh.vass.gov.vn/anh-huong-cua-nho-giao-trong-van-hoa-viet-nam-n50206.html on the website of the Vietnamese Social Science Magazine.Quan hệ giữa Nho giáo và Phật giáo ở Việt Nam on the website of the Faculty of Literature, Social Sciences and Humanities U at HCMC.Sự phát triển của Nho giáo thời kỳ Lý - Trần on the website of the Vietnamese Institute of Philosophy.https://khoalichsu.ussh.vnu.edu.vn/nc-i-vit-thi-le-s-mt-vai-c-im-cn-bn-ca-nn-tng-chinh-tr-kinh-t-vn-hoa-xa-hi-pgstskh-nguyn-hi-k/ on the website of the Faculty of History, Hanoi National U.Vua Minh Mệnh và những đóng góp quan trọng trong lịch sử phong kiến nhà Nguyễn on the website of Vietnam National Museum of History.Võ Trường Toản on the website of Viện nghiên cứu Hán nôm.http://portal.huc.edu.vn/thu-phan-loai-nho-hoc-viet-nam-qua-cac-thoi-ky-lich-su-4923-vi.htm on the website of Hanoi U of Culture.Analysis of Hồng Đức legal code: Women's Movements in AsiaĐại Viêt Sử Ký Toàn Thư.Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí.thivien for the poems.Đại Việt’s gun tech development under Lê Thánh Tông and how it fell apart after he died: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/wps/wps03_011.pdf.A study about Vietnamese Confucianism and the power of morality in the Vietnamese society when applied to revolutionary movements.How the Nguyễn degraded women’s rights: Confucianism and the Family.