Cultural dimensions influencing Nguyen Du's life and works

Nearly two hundred years have passed since To Nhu passed away. Among Vietnamese literary authors, he is certainly the one who is “voted” the most to be the leading author. It is not surprising that people have written about him the most among Vietnamese authors. It seems that no aspect of his biography and writings is still “a land that few people dig and stir up”. The further back in time, the more frequent the commemorative ceremonies and conferences to honor him become, but they are also at risk of becoming more boring, because as such occasions approach, the “responsible” people look around and ask themselves: “What to write, what to say now, what to write, what to say next”. Over the past two hundred years, people have set many milestones, so now researching him has become a place of challenge for the “great writers”.

From the perspective of cultural history, this article attempts to renew some old issues, including those that have been mentioned by senior researchers of previous generations. Specifically, the article will raise for discussion the following three issues:

First, the issue of Nguyen Du's political stance

Second, Nguyen Du's real attitude towards the mandarin world at that time and his own career.

Third, Nguyen Du's behavior towards contemporary religions and beliefs.

From all three perspectives, according to our observations, up to now there are still different opinions and interpretations, there are still "principled" differences that need to be discussed to reach a minimum consensus, first in the academic world, then in popularized and popularized discourses (textbooks, newspapers, criticisms, etc.).

1. Learn more about Nguyen Du's attitude and behavior towards contemporary political forces - the story of "the state of mind of a careless subject"

In only 56 years of life, Nguyen Du witnessed not just "once", but "several times" of "changing mountains and rivers".

For Nguyen Du, the first major political event that he witnessed and immediately affected his fate was certainly not the collapse of the Le dynasty, but the destruction of the Lord's (Trinh) career. It should be made clearer that, for the Nguyen Tien Dien family, the Lord's palace, not the Le "court", was the place of deep attachment. Nguyen Nghiem (1708 - 1775), Nguyen Du's father, was the one who started the tradition of the royal examinations of this family, passing the Second Class Doctorate (Hoang Giap) at the age of 24 (1731). Following Nguyen Nghiem's ​​career, it is not difficult to see that in the first 15 years, he was a "court official" in the true sense. But in 1746, having just been promoted to the position of Right Tham Tri Bo Cong, with the title of Xuan Linh Hau, he "caught the eye" of the Lord, and was specially promoted to the position of Boi Tung. Those who study the history of the two-headed system of the Le-Trinh dynasty all know that, during the nearly two hundred years of the Lord's existence, the power structure of the court was divided into two distinct branches: the government and the royal court. Although in general and in reality, the government was the place that held real power, the place that "made decisions" to run the country, it is also necessary to know that, during those two hundred years, between the government of the Trinh Lord and the Le dynasty, there were frequent and smoldering, persistent and enduring conflicts and power struggles, and the royal court was not simply a place that "took sides", only knowing how to do one job, which was "signing and stamping" the decisions issued by the government. The six ministries (or six departments) encroached on the power of the six ministries, but in terms of institutional arrangements, the six ministries were still not the final say. In terms of official ranks, the heads of the six chambers of the Lord's Palace were all people with official titles and ranks lower than the heads of the six ministries of the royal court, but it is understandable that they were people who were considered to have the ability to truly run the government, and once used, they had much more real power than many court officials with "higher hats, longer robes" but lighter words! It is because of this reality that many researchers have always considered the top official position of the government (Tham Tung) to be equivalent to the position of Prime Minister. In reality, many Tham Tungs of the Lord's Palace, when "converted" to the royal court, were only equivalent to Thuong Thu, sometimes even lower, only Tham Tri, that is, Permanent Minister or Deputy Minister. Boi Tung, the deputy position of Tham Tung, was of course at least one rank lower. The official position before Nguyen Nghiem retired was Thuong Thu of the Ministry of Finance, Dai Tu Do, Tham Tung, awarded Tiep Dinh Ta Tuong, and the title of Xuan Quan Cong.

For nearly 30 years, Nguyen Nghiem was a “family member”, a trusted confidant of the Lord’s palace. That “deep affection” was further reinforced by the “childhood sweetheart” friendship between Trinh Sam and Nguyen Khan, the eldest son of Nguyen Nghiem, the eldest brother of Nguyen Du. Nguyen Khan was a friend of Lord Trinh Sam (this friendship left behind beautiful anecdotes!), a teacher of Crown Prince Trinh Khai (Trinh Tong), in the 70s of the 18th century, there were times when, together with his father, he held the most important positions in the Trinh Lord’s palace. It was thanks to that “strong” relationship with the Lord’s palace that, although he was one of the masterminds of the coup in the year Canh Ty (1780), while the other conspirators were sentenced to death, Nguyen Khan was almost acquitted by Trinh Sam, only demoted perfunctorily, so that when the rebel soldiers killed Huy district, deposed Trinh Can, and installed Trinh Khai on the throne, Nguyen Khan was promoted again, in 1783 becoming Tham Tung. During this period, the rebel soldiers had truly destroyed the Trinh family’s foundation, not the Tay Son army. Due to the inability to control this group, Nguyen Khan’s private residence was also destroyed by the rebel soldiers.

Nguyen Hue, the elder brother of Nguyen Nghiem, the paternal uncle of Nguyen Khan and Nguyen Du, passed the doctoral exam a few years after his younger brother, but before he could become an official, he fell ill and died. It was certainly thanks to the "prestige" of his younger brother and nephew that he was later appointed as a lucky god by the court. Nguyen Nghiem's ​​three wives gave birth to more than ten sons, some of whom were extremely loyal to the lord's palace, some of whom were loyal to the Le dynasty, but some of whom had already followed Tay Son since the time of Nguyen Huu Chinh and Vu Van Nham who led their troops to the North, without having to wait until Nguyen Hue launched a great conquest against the invading Qing army and officially abolished the court of the last king of the Le dynasty - Le Chieu Thong - who in the eyes of the people at that time had officially become a traitor, bringing elephants to trample on his ancestors' graves! Nguyen Du's half-brother, Nguyen Ne, within just five years became the Grand Scholar of the Tay Son dynasty, a third-rank official. It should also be added that this man later "quickly" followed Gia Long, and was also favored and trusted by Gia Long, but was suspected and opposed by the king's former servants, so he had an unhappy ending, almost forced to commit suicide when he returned to his hometown in Nghi Xuan.

Looking back at the relationship between the Nguyen Tien Dien clan and the most important political forces at that time, it is easy to see that from the perspective of clan culture, there was no reason for Nguyen Du to persist in his loyalty to the Le dynasty. If we trace back further, to the origin of this clan in Canh Hoach, it is easy to see that the Nguyen clan in Canh Hoach also did not choose to worship and be loyal to only one master, one ruling clan, even though that clan was at the pinnacle of power. Nguyen Du personally had no deep ties with the great clans that controlled the fate of the nation, and there was no obvious reason to be absolutely loyal to the Le dynasty or the Trinh clan.

Observing the evolution of the clans that were recognized in the consciousness of the people at that time as great clans, other "noble families", it is easy to see a similar situation. The Ngo Thi clan in Ta Thanh Oai, the Phan Huy clan in Thien Loc, who later moved to Son Tay, seem to be clans that have many similarities with the Nguyen Tien Dien clan in their way of dealing with the current situation.

There is no doubt that “loyalty” is an important virtue, the highest quality that Confucianism - along with Legalism - has persistently demanded and imposed on every generation of its followers for thousands of years. Derived from “filial piety”, through the way of imagining “country” as an extension but not different in quality from “home”, and even “the world” is a similar projection, the formula for cultivating and practicing the way from “filial piety” to “loyalty” is affirmed as “closely worship the father, far away worship the king”, that is the spirit of “one-pointedness” of Confucianism, according to which one can “not leave the door but grasp the affairs of the world” (without having to leave the door but grasp the affairs of the world). But for thousands of years, the practice of political and social life in the model of an autocratic regime has continuously “raised problems” - of a problematic nature - when individuals deal with real-life situations. In general, the Confucian virtue of loyalty was only “thoroughly understood” and “passed down” – becoming the loyalty of the great, powerful, and prestigious families to the ruling families during the periods of great dynasties and powerful empires at their peak. And to maintain and strengthen this virtue, the wise emperors of prosperous empires were forced to “generously bestow grace” and share benefits from the national treasury with the noble families. “The noble family”, therefore, became an “indispensable” part that created the halo of the prosperous autocratic regimes. That is why Le Thanh Tong, in his poemBright salaryfamous, has shown that "indispensable" element:

"The Ten Trinh brothers are all noble and prominent.

The second father and son are both honored and indebted.

(The ten Trinh brothers were all honored.

Both father and son Than were blessed with glorious grace.

But the history of authoritarian societies often goes through a seemingly cyclical cycle of “prosperity and decline, chaos and chaos”. Vietnamese folk sentiment has therefore recorded and confirmed the situation of “Whoever is rich for three generations, whoever is poor for three generations”! Even the largest families, “current officials and those holding the throne”, even those holding the throne, often “look back” to find a place to retreat! After a cycle of chaos, in the end, only one person can become the founding Emperor, one family “obtains the world”, other forces are forced to accept the status of vassal states. The family that once ruled, in the luckiest case, can only keep the mausoleum of its ancestors.

Since the death of Le Hien Tong (1504), it can be said that Vietnamese society has begun the first spirals of the "chaotic world" cycle. From the perspective of the clans, observers of Vietnamese history have recognized the gradually complicated lines of the relationships between the great clans, between different branches within the ruling clan. It is possible to imagine a picture of a series of "temporary alliances" between branches of power. Unfortunately, up to now, historians have rarely revealed to us this complicated state of the relationship between the great clans: Few people expected that the most important "military advisor" for nearly half a century of Nguyen Hoang in the land "south of the 16th parallel" was Mac Canh Huong, a member of the "genuine royal family" of the Mac clan, the clan that was ruling in the North and nominally ruling the whole country! This man would later be "tong tuc in the temple" by the descendants of the Nguyen lords and even the Nguyen kings. During the civil war between the North and South dynasties between the Mac dynasty and the Le - Trinh group, some large families frequently changed their address of submission: just mention names like Le Ba Dao, Le Ba Ly, as well as descendants of the first-ranking scholar Nguyen Thien, of which the typical character is Nguyen Quyen. "Worship", "disloyalty", if it can be said like that, is not only at the level of "famous families", it is also shown right at the pinnacle of power: for a long period, after unsuccessfully fighting for military power with his younger brother, Trinh Coi, the eldest son of Trinh Kiem, brought his mother and family, and fled to the Mac dynasty. This branch of the Trinh family had many people who accepted Mac dynasty officials, and there were even people who "died their lives" for the Mac family. The "return of relatives" and the return of bodies between the Mac dynasty and Trinh Coi branch on one side and the Le - Trinh group represented by Trinh Tung on the other side took place quite peacefully, even somewhat touching and moving, and was a meaningful event that told us about the nature of the relationship between powerful forces and noble families in historical reality.

In times of turmoil, with large families, observers can easily recognize the presence of representatives of such families in the composition of any “promising” group or power group. This situation has persisted throughout history until modern times. Looking at history from a rigid political standpoint certainly cannot explain the “hidden circumstances” and the zigzags and twists of reality.

The Nguyen Tien Dien clan seemed to regard Nguyen Du as a “great-grandfather”, and kept a separate place of worship for him. That attitude was revealed, at least in the consciousness of a nephew who was only a few years younger than him, Nguyen Hanh. The reason for such respect for Nguyen Du among clan members was also explained by Nguyen Hanh himself: “Ngo mon hau phuc cong khao hoan” (Our clan’s great fortune, you are the one who skillfully returns it). Not to mention his status as a literary author, not to mention his status as “Nguyen Du in the history of national literature”, Nguyen Du was indeed the one who “returned” the status of “noble family” to the Nguyen Tien Dien clan when history turned a new page, the “new dynasty” applied the policy of using new people. The place of worship of Nguyen Du, to this day, still has intact a pair of porcelain inlaid parallel sentences, which are said to have been visited by King Minh Mang himself:

"The most talented generation, to be an envoy to you, is not a small thing.

"A hundred years of career, at home and in the country, the son is honored".

During Nguyen Du’s time, it was not difficult to find clans whose members belonged to different political factions, “each serving his own master”. It seemed that this did not prevent them, as clan members, from remaining very closely attached to each other, respecting and loving each other. It is the way it is in times of chaos. That must be the profound meaning, the “reason” that Ngo Thoi Nham brought up to answer Dang Tran Thuong at the Temple of Literature: “The Warring States period, the Spring and Autumn period, meeting the times, the times must be like this!”.

2. Was Nguyen Du forced to become an official, and only held humble positions all his life? Was there any resentment towards his status in the officialdom?

When explaining the gloomy and gloomy expressions in Nguyen Du's works, the pessimistic view in his philosophy of life, many researchers have "traced" to the point where Nguyen Du was oppressed and envied in his career. Let's take a look back at his career path - which, according to the ancients, included both academic reputation and official career - and see if Nguyen Du really fell into that situation or not?

In the journey of the traditional Confucian intellectual class in Vietnam, perhaps starting from the Le Trung Hung period, there was a distinction and elevation of different values ​​of the status of scholars. The most obvious sign of recognition is the different honors between those who have a title and those who are considered famous scholars. Everyone knows that those who have a title are those who pass the state-organized examinations, from the provincial level and above. Those who pass the examinations organized by the royal court are called dai khoa, those who pass the provincial exams are called sinh do (in the Nguyen Dynasty, they are called tu tai), those who pass the official exams are called Huong cong (in the Nguyen Dynasty, they are called cu nhan). Due to the constant state of war and the constantly changing political system, from 1786 until the fourth year of Minh Mang (1823), no major examinations were held in Vietnam. According to some documents, Nguyen Du only participated in one regional exam at Son Nam Ha examination school and passed three exams, equivalent to but not having the title of Sinh Do (later Bachelor). I am skeptical about this document, for several reasons:

a) Candidates taking the exam at this level usually have to register their records according to their hometown or place of birth. At that time, Nguyen Du lived at Doan Nguyen Thuc's house (later became his father-in-law), or rather, Doan Nguyen Tuan "fed and educated him". To take the exam at this school, Nguyen Du had to have at least a "household registration" in Son Nam Ha.

b) According to the educational system at that time, the children of high-ranking mandarins and high-ranking officials (from the third rank and above) could decide for themselves whether or not to take the regional exams based on their academic performance. Of course, if they did not take the regional exams, they would not have the title of a regional exam! There is no official document that records that Nguyen Du was ever (or was?) called a student (or Bachelor)! But because he was the son of a high-ranking mandarin, he was called a young master (Chieu Bay). It can be concluded, not far from the truth, that Nguyen Du did not have the title of a scholar.

But by the time he was in his twenties, Nguyen Du had become famous as a famous scholar. Some documents confirm that he was so famous for his literature that he was ranked by contemporary scholars as one of the Five Greats of Annam (one of the five most excellent literary figures in the country).Notablenot oneidentification, without the “approval of the government”, meaning a title “according to rumors”, unofficial, of course not accompanied by any official treatment from the court or the authorities at all levels. However, it is certain that this honor from public opinion has “practical effect”, if not more, then no less than the title of the court! Decades later, when receiving the bad news of his uncle’s death, the first thing that Nguyen Hanh “reminisced” about his uncle was this glory:

"Nineteen years ago, Su Ru died.

The greatest talent, now!

(Nineteen years ago, To Nhu died.

The most talented person in the world, now it's over!)⁽¹⁾

During the late Le Dynasty, Nguyen Du only “entered the government” for a very short time, inheriting the position of his adoptive father, Mr. Ha, holding a small military position as Chanh thu hieu (flag keeper?) of Hung Hau army in Thai Nguyen in 1783, and then did not take on any other responsibilities. In the eyes of the New Dynasty, that position was not enough to consider Nguyen Du as an official of the old Dynasty! Although the Nguyen Dynasty history books recorded that he was summoned by Gia Long and reluctantly had to come out, or the Nguyen Tien Dien family genealogy recorded that he voluntarily “accepted the price” and was appointed as a district magistrate and then a prefect, in our opinion, the reason Gia Long and his advisors in Bac Thanh approved the calling of Nguyen Du to become an official at the age of thirty-six or thirty-seven was his fame as a famous scholar!

Nguyen Du started his career in the New Dynasty with the position of District Chief (Phu Dung District, Khoai Chau Prefecture, Son Nam Town). For someone who had no title, was not a "veteran" and had no achievements, and had no meritorious mandarins of the Nguyen Dynasty to guarantee him, that position was not bad or small. It should be noted that the District Chief was a senior official, with a rank of 6th rank (according to custom), which was the "official" position in the early period of the new Doctorate graduates! Only a few months later, when the District Chief's position was still "not yet hot", Nguyen Du was promoted to District Chief (Thuong Tin Prefecture). A few years later, he seemed to be quickly trusted, sent to Nam Quan to receive the Chinese envoy who came to confer the title on the king, then returned to the capital, with the rank of scholar. Some "incident" made Nguyen Du ask to resign and return to his hometown for nearly 8 months, but then he was called back and promoted to the position of Cai Ba Dinh Quang Binh (Cai Ba was a rank of 4th rank, Deputy Governor). From here on, Nguyen Du's career path "only had progress, no retreat", different from the career paths of the majority of other mandarins, even much more favorable and easier than those of Gia Long's former mandarins who had served the king since the time of being "potential"!

The turning point in Nguyen Du's career was certainly marked by the "dialogue - confrontation" with the king himself and the event was recorded in official history.

“Du was a native of Nghe An, well-educated in poetry, and even better in the national language. But he was a timid person, and every time he appeared before the king, he was afraid and did not say much. The king once said: “The state uses people, only those who are talented are used, and there is no difference between the North and the South. You and Ngo Vi have been enlightened and appointed to the position of A khanh, so you should speak up everything you know, offer good things and correct bad things, and do your best. Why are you so timid and afraid, only knowing how to obey!”Chronicles of the Great SouthIn the section about Nguyen Du, other information was also revealed from the historian's pen: "Du was an arrogant and conceited person, but on the outside he appeared respectful, and every time he went to see someone he was so scared that he couldn't speak." The biography also said that in the early days when he was just an official under the Nguyen Dynasty, "when he was summoned and couldn't refuse, he would go out to be an official, often submitting to his superiors, feeling frustrated and frustrated."

Nguyen De (Ne), Nguyen Du's half-brother, during the year Nguyen Du was wandering in Son Nam, he passed the provincial examinations in the capital, became a cadre earlier and more continuously than his younger brother, and in the late 90s of the 18th century, he was the Grand Scholar of the Tay Son Dynasty when Nguyen Du was "worried about finding the reason to love life". He also revealed rare information about Nguyen Du's personality, ambition and character through sympathetic verses:

"Where does To Nhu live?
Wandering in the dark
There is a cloud in the sky
"Completely without worldly influence".

Nguyen Du once had the ambition to “reach the clouds”? Surely this is not the affectionate but biased praise of an older brother for his younger brother? Surely Nguyen Ne once recognized in his younger brother some extraordinary, different, superior qualities, so he used the word “reach the clouds” (almost synonymous with “reaching the heavens” but with a more “elegant” color), but in the extremely chaotic context of the world at the end of the 18th century, Nguyen Ne seemed to show both regret and disappointment in his younger brother, so he soon gave the affirmative conclusion: “It turns out that you did not intervene in the world”, so you were not/were not useful, you did not/were not able to find a “place to take refuge”. What does it mean to not intervene in the world? It means to experience many things but not yet draw “lessons learned from blood”, not yet “wise”, “interfering in the world” is a person who is experienced and well-versed, a person who successfully “protects oneself” and “achieves success” after great experiences and events. Nguyen Ne once proved to be more successful than his brother, because he seemed to be more up-to-date than his brother, and according to the familiar evaluation method of the ancient Confucian scholars, “Only those who are up-to-date are talented”! But in the end, Nguyen Ne was persecuted, and after many successful “turns of fortunes”, having been a lifeline for his family during the Tay Son period, he was framed and framed by a local official in his hometown, leading to his tragic death. Looking at Nguyen Du’s behavior and the final result of his career, it is certain that Nguyen Du was more “interfering” with the world than his older brother.

The officialdom of any era is full of pitfalls, in times of chaos, when politics are unstable, there are even more dangers. Being an official, in the vast majority of cases, as Nguyen Trai said, is "the government depends on people", and as Phan Chau Trinh later said, is "depending on the situation to be a puppet, a tumbler to make people laugh". That is why many "famous scholars" quickly chose the method of seclusion, avoiding the world to speak elegantly and luxuriously, to stay away from "profit and lose reputation", "hide beauty and avoid the mundane world", but to speak honestly, more precisely, to save one's life, it is the attitude of "wisely protecting oneself". Tao Qian wanted to "break his back for three bushels of rice", so he threw away his position as a district magistrate, hung up his official hat and robe, retired to the garden, and "plowed to eat, dug to drink". A person who, since his youth, had cherished the aspiration to save the country and the world, and almost throughout his life always acted according to the principle of being a Southern saint like Nguyen Trai, but also bitterly exclaimed many times "The world's mouth is sharper than a sharp spear/ The human heart is as round as the country"; "Outside, everything is clear/ The dust of a human heart is extremely dangerous", also experienced many times the scene of "the gossip of the masses", "Thinking about learning the bright sun and phoenix/ Far from harming the whole world, he avoided the red-hot traitor" and finally, received the most terrible tragedy after a career full of ups and downs and twists. The history of the officialdom under the autocratic regime witnessed countless slips and "missteps" of many "great masters", so there was the lament "one misstep leads to a thousand-year-old hatred" (Nhất thất túc thành thiên cổ hồi). With suspicious and “intelligent” kings like Gia Long and Minh Mang, whose official career was “straight and one-sided” like Nguyen Du, one should bow in admiration! It is worth noting that the act of “keeping your mouth shut and taking the money” is not simply the cleverness of the world, nor is it just “folk wisdom”. The best place to apply that philosophy is in the officialdom!

But Nguyen Du's official position was not small. Right from 1813, when he was appointed as the Chief Envoy for the first time, Nguyen Du was given the title of Can Chanh Dien Academician. After completing his mission, he was actually granted this title, until his death. As is known, the Nguyen Dynasty did not establish the position of Prime Minister, the four great mandarins at the top of the court were the four Dai Hoc Si ​​(Tu Tru) who headed the four palaces: Can Chanh Dien, Van Minh Dien, Vo Hien Dien, Dong Cac Dien, all had the rank of Chanh Nhat Pham, in which Can Chanh Dien was the most important, because that was where the king worked every day. Working in Can Chanh Dien meant working every day with the king, helping the king run the country in reality. Nguyen Du also had another position, which he held after returning from his mission, which was Huu Tham Tri Bo Le. Tham Tri was a position below Thuong Thu, the official rank was Tong Nhi Pham, above the position of Ta Huu Thi Lang Chanh Tam Pham. This position of Nguyen Du is the most commonly known, even the official history when he died also used this official position to record. In terms of the executive branch, the six ministries of the Ministry of the Interior were the highest positions (chánh nhi phẩm). Each ministry had only two Tham Tri, so at least, Nguyen Du was among the 18 most powerful officials in the court. In addition, the positions of the ministries were also differentiated, and the Ministry of Rites in any autocratic regime was considered the head of the ministries. Nguyen Du was really good at being an official, so that in the end, when he died, the king personally paid his respects, gave him funeral objects and a generous pension, and his name was also recorded in theChronicles of the Great South, a place that, according to the old rules of history, was only reserved for high-ranking officials! It can be said that there is absolutely no data to pursue a prejudice that seems to be the result of an inference: Nguyen Du was not specifically cursed by anyone during his 18 years as an official under the Nguyen Dynasty, and the word that his grandson Nguyen Hanh used, "skillful perfection", was truly appropriate and appropriate for him!

3. Nguyen Du with spiritual and religious beliefs

As a Confucian scholar, did Nguyen Du have religious or spiritual beliefs? I think the question is not unreasonable and answering it thoroughly is not an easy task, but it is very relevant to reading and interpreting many of his works.

Confucianism is not an atheistic doctrine; on the contrary, it has a relatively clear religious aspect. Both Confucius, Mencius, and other Confucian sages believed in Heaven, Destiny, and the control of mysterious supernatural forces (gods). The main content of Confucianism is first of all an ethical doctrine, the conception of the principles and laws governing the world also has an ethical color. The "Hoang Thien" in the discourse of Confucian sages is a moral God, "extremely fair, extremely righteous, extremely good, extremely bright", "only supporting people with virtue". But in the order of the "ultimate decision-making" processes, Confucianism also reserves a certain part for "human resources", for human striving and cultivation. Humans in the Confucian worldview are one of the Three Talents, capable of "coordinating with Heaven and Earth", meaning a force, an "indispensable" parameter, capable of participating in the "transformation and education" of Heaven and Earth. But from very early on, the "metaphysical" part of Confucianism was presented in a vague way in the basic classics of the doctrine, because Confucius himself advocated "Cannot be human, can not be ghost", "cannot know birth, can not know death?", did not want to discuss the phenomena of "weird, force, chaos, god", so when interacting and contacting with other doctrines and philosophical systems, which contain many concepts, categories, philosophical thoughts, such as Lao-Trang doctrine, Buddhism, or later, such as Western doctrines, Confucians, especially Confucians with philosophical thinking, were often attracted and influenced. The philosophical and even religious aspects of Confucianism are in fact a mixture of concepts, ideas, and arguments that are mostly borrowed and "recreated" from other doctrines.

Very few Vietnamese Confucian scholars can be called Confucian philosophers. In return, the majority of Confucian scholars are “natural-born moralists”, “walking moral books”.

For Confucian artists, especially great artists, understanding the extent to which spiritual beliefs and religious beliefs influence them is an extremely important but also very difficult task.

_____

⁽¹⁾By the way, perhaps a question should be raised: In the projectNguyen Du about the author and his works; Vietnamese Education Publishing House, printed many times, in the Chronology section, the editors included in Nguyen Du's biography a detail, that in the year Dinh Mao 1807, Nguyen Du was appointed as an examiner for the regional examination in Hai Duong. Normally, a person without a title cannot be an examiner for an examination. It should be noted that during the late Le - early Nguyen period, in Bac Ha there was another Nguyen Du ( ) born in 1754, passed the Doctorate exam, was from Vien Ngoai commune, Chuong Duc district, now Ung Hoa, Hanoi, in 1785 passed the Royal exam and became an official under the late Le and Tay Son dynasties, then during the early Nguyen period, nominated by Dang Tran Thuong, he was appointed by Gia Long to hold the position of Bac Thanh Education Inspector. Perhaps the editors mistook Nguyen Du for this man?