玉德堂书院成立以来，第一个组织研究的社会科学项目便是“以盘古开天地为首篇的中华创世神话研究”。目前，研究项目已经完成，取得了丰硕成果，完成了《中国盘古创世文化论文集》和《中华创世神话》两本专著书稿。在书籍出版发行前，我们计划分三十六期发表这套书的编委会主任赵宪尧教授推荐的部分内容，以飨读者。
看看河南泌阳版《中华创世神话》的谱系构成
《中华创世神话》以“盘古开天地”为首篇，以“盘古兄妹再创世”为中篇，以“禹启夺权记”为末篇分为上部和下部两部分。上部包括从“夸父逐日”到“罗汉山伏羲演八卦”共九篇的“天人合一生存篇”;包括从“炎帝传”到“颛顼传奇”共五篇的“称王称霸争斗篇”。下部包括从“愚公移山创世说”到“轩辕帝铜山铸鼎钟”共五篇的“文化肇始文明篇”;包括从“尧帝仁政传”到“舜帝禅让大禹记”共八篇的“仁政禅让治理篇”。《中华创世神话》以开篇-天人合一生存篇-称王称霸争斗篇-中篇-文化肇始文明篇-仁政禅让治理篇-末篇计七篇章总共三十个创世神话完整，系统的构架体系向读者展示出中华远古人创造的文明史。这是奠定中华民族共同世界观，人生观，价值观的根基，是树立中华民族自信心的基石，是凝聚中华民族认同共识的基础。值得每一位华夏儿女拥有，熟读和领悟。更值得国内外研究中国精神，研究中国文化，研究中国人民勤劳勇敢，创新进取，宽厚仁爱革命精神的专家学者和爱好者阅读。同样期盼大家多多关注，广泛宣传，共同拥有，共同受益。
十九，仓颉造字传
昔者洪荒之世，蒼頡為軒轅史官。時結繩記事，民多壅蔽，事或遺忘，言不達意。蒼頡憂之，乃遍歷山川，仰觀奎星圓曲之勢，俯察龜文鳥跡之象，見鳥獸蹄迒之跡，各有分理，遂悟天地之文。他日，蒼頡坐於陽虛之山，忽見靈龜負圖出洛水，文彩斑斕，兆象分明。其心豁然，乃援木為筆，以泥為版，始作書契：畫「日」為圓形，摹「月」如彎鉤，象「山」以三峰，擬「水」以曲波。初造「一、二、三」以紀數，次作「人、口、手」以狀形，由是形聲相益，轉注假借，字成數千。字既成，蒼頡獻於軒轅。帝觀之，贊曰：「此能通神明之德，類萬物之情！」頒行天下，民皆習用。是夜，天雨粟，鬼夜哭——天以粟示豐，蓋言文字可載道濟民；鬼以哭抒懼，蓋言文字能明善惡、昭幽隱，不可復欺也。由是，結繩之治廢，書契之教興。華夏文脈，自此濫觴，歷千載而不絕。昔者洪荒之世，苍颉为轩辕史官。时结绳记事，民多壅蔽，事或遗忘，言不达意。苍颉忧之，乃遍历山川，仰观奎星圆曲之势，俯察龟文鸟迹之象，见鸟兽蹄迒之迹，各有分理，遂悟天地之文。他日，苍颉坐于阳虚之山，忽见灵龟负图出洛水，文彩斑斓，兆象分明。其心豁然，乃援木为笔，以泥为版，始作书契：画“日”为圆形，摹“月”如弯钩，象“山”以三峰，拟“水”以曲波。初造“一、二、三”以纪数，次作“人、口、手”以状形，由是形声相益，转注假借，字成数千。字既成，苍颉献于轩辕。帝观之，赞曰：“此能通神明之德，类万物之情！”颁行天下，民皆习用。是夜，天雨粟，鬼夜哭——天以粟示丰，盖言文字可载道济民；鬼以哭抒惧，盖言文字能明善恶、昭幽隐，不可复欺也。由是，结绳之治废，书契之教兴。华夏文脉，自此滥觞，历千载而不绝。
仓颉造字传
在遥远的洪荒时代，仓颉担任轩辕黄帝的史官。那时，人们依靠在绳子上打结来记录事情，这种方式既繁琐又容易造成混乱，很多事情常常被遗忘，想要表达的意思也无法准确传递。仓颉对此深感忧虑，于是他走遍名山大川，抬头观察奎星弯曲环绕的形态，低头仔细研究龟甲上的纹路和飞鸟留下的足迹，发现鸟兽走过留下的蹄印痕迹，都有着各自不同的条理和规律，从中逐渐领悟到了天地间蕴含的文字奥秘。后来有一天，仓颉坐在阳虚山上，忽然看见一只神龟从洛水中浮出，龟背上承载着一幅图文并茂的宝图，图案色彩绚丽，预示的征兆清晰明了。他心中豁然开朗，当即拿起树枝当作笔，用泥土铺平作为书写的木板，开始创造文字：将“日”字画成圆形，模仿太阳的模样；把“月”字写成弯钩状，模拟月亮的形态；用三座山峰的形状来表示“山”字，用弯曲的波浪线条来比拟“水”字。最初创造“一、二、三”来记录数目，接着又造出“人、口、手”等字来描绘事物的形状，从此，文字在形与声的相互配合下不断丰富，通过转注、假借等方式衍生发展，最终创造出了数千个汉字。文字创造完成后，仓颉将其献给轩辕黄帝。黄帝看过之后，赞叹道：“这些文字能够通晓神明的德行，类比万物的情状！”于是下令将文字在天下颁布推行，百姓们都开始学习使用。颁布文字的那天夜里，天空降下粟米，鬼神在夜间哭泣——上天用降下粟米来象征丰收，大概是说文字可以记载道义、帮助百姓过上好日子；鬼神哭泣则是因为恐惧，大概是说文字能够辨明善恶、揭露隐秘之事，再也不能随意欺瞒世人了。从此，用结绳记事的方式被废弃，用文字记录、教化百姓的方式逐渐兴起。华夏民族的文化脉络，从这时开始发源，历经数千年而从未中断。
The Legend of Cangjie Creating Chinese Characters
In the distant age of primitive chaos, Cangjie served as the official historian of Emperor Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor). At that time, people recorded events by tying knots on ropes—a method that was both cumbersome and prone to confusion. Many matters were often forgotten, and the intended meanings could not be conveyed accurately. Deeply concerned about this, Cangjie traveled across famous mountains and great rivers. He looked up to observe the curved and circling shape of the Kui Star, and bowed his head to study the patterns on tortoise shells and the footprints left by birds. He discovered that the hoof prints and traces left by birds and beasts all had their own distinct order and rules, and from this, he gradually comprehended the mystery of writing inherent in heaven and earth.One day later, while sitting on Yangxu Mountain, Cangjie suddenly saw a divine tortoise emerge from the Luo River. On its back was a precious diagram with both pictures and text—its patterns were brilliantly colored, and the omens it indicated were clear and distinct. A sudden realization dawned on him. He immediately picked up a twig as a brush, flattened some mud to use as a writing board, and began to create characters: he drew "日 (sun)" as a circle to mimic the shape of the sun; he wrote "月 (moon)" in a curved hook shape to imitate the form of the moon; he used the shape of three mountain peaks to represent "山 (mountain)", and curved wavy lines to resemble "水 (water)". Initially, he created "一 (one), 二 (two), 三 (three)" to record numbers, and then went on to invent characters like "人 (person), 口 (mouth), 手 (hand)" to depict the shapes of things. From then on, Chinese characters continued to enrich through the combination of form and sound, and evolved through methods such as "zhuanzhu (mutual explanation)" and "jiajie (borrowing characters for similar sounds)", eventually resulting in the creation of thousands of Chinese characters.After completing the creation of the characters, Cangjie presented them to Emperor Xuanyuan. After examining them, the Emperor exclaimed in admiration, "These characters can comprehend the virtues of the gods and analogy the conditions of all things!" He then issued an order to promulgate the characters throughout the land, and the common people began to learn and use them. On the night when the characters were promulgated, millet rained down from the sky, and ghosts and gods wept at night. The heavens sent down millet as a symbol of a bumper harvest—probably meaning that writing could record morality and help the people live a better life. The ghosts and gods wept out of fear—likely because writing could distinguish between good and evil, expose hidden matters, and they could no longer deceive the world at will.Since then, the method of recording events by tying knots was abandoned, and the practice of using writing to record history and educate the people gradually emerged. The cultural context of the Chinese nation originated from this time and has never been interrupted for thousands of years.
文以载道开鸿蒙仓颉造字铸文明——仓颉造字传说的精神价值与文化自信内核
仓颉造字的传说，作为中华创世神话中点亮文明曙光的关键篇章，不仅为中华民族世界观、人生观、价值观的建构注入了“以文载道”的精神基因，更成为筑牢民族文化自信的核心根基。从世界观来看，仓颉造字的创举构建了中华民族“观物取象、天人相通”的认知框架。他仰观奎星运转之势，俯察龟甲鸟兽之迹，从天地万物的形态与规律中领悟造字之理，将自然万象转化为具象文字，这种“以自然为师、以万物为象”的思维模式，奠定了中华民族“天人合一”的世界观底色，让“道法自然”的理念融入文字文明的血脉。在人生观层面，仓颉的作为诠释了“担当使命、开拓创新”的人生追求。面对结绳记事的繁琐混乱，他心怀忧思、遍访山川，以执着的探索精神破解文字奥秘；从神龟负图中获得启发后，又以泥土为纸、树枝为笔，创造出可载道传情的汉字，这种“为生民启智、为万世开文”的担当，为中华民族树立了“勇担使命、敢为人先”的人生标杆，让创新与奉献成为刻入民族基因的精神信条。于价值观维度，仓颉造字传说凝练出“文以载道、崇德辨善”的价值内核。文字的诞生终结了结绳记事的蒙昧，让文化得以传承、道义得以彰显；“天雨粟、鬼夜哭”的传说，更隐喻着文字能够辨明善恶、教化苍生的力量，这种“以文字传文明、以文化塑人心”的价值取向，构建了中华民族重教化、崇道义的道德准则，成为维系文明赓续的精神纽带。在文化自信的建构中，仓颉造字传说有着不可替代的深远意义。其一，它印证了中华文明“以文立族”的独特特质，汉字作为世界上唯一延续至今的古老文字，承载着数千年的文化脉络，为中华民族寻根溯源提供了坚实的文明载体；其二，仓颉造字所蕴含的观察、思考与创新精神，历经数千年依然与当代社会的发展理念同频共振，彰显出中华优秀传统文化超越时空的强大生命力；其三，汉字作为中华民族的文化符号，不仅凝聚着海内外中华儿女的文化认同，更成为向世界展示中华文明独特魅力的重要桥梁，让民族文化自信拥有了深厚的历史底蕴与精神底气。阳虚山的草木见证了文字的诞生，仓颉造字的传奇却跨越千年。这则古老传说所承载的文明之光，正持续照亮中华民族的前行之路，为我们在新时代坚定文化自信、传承中华文明注入不竭动力。
Writing Embodies Dao to Illuminate the Primordial Chaos, Cangjie Creates Characters to Forge Civilization — The Spiritual Value and Cultural Confidence Core of the Cangjie Character-Creation Legend
The legend of Cangjie creating characters, as a pivotal chapter in Chinese creation myths that kindles the dawn of civilization, not only infuses the construction of the Chinese nation’s world outlook, outlook on life and values with the spiritual gene of "conveying Dao through writing", but also serves as the core foundation for consolidating national cultural confidence.From the perspective of world outlook, Cangjie’s pioneering feat of creating characters constructs the cognitive framework of the Chinese nation featuring "observing things to capture their forms and achieving communion between heaven and humanity". He looked up to observe the movement of the Kui asterism and looked down to examine the traces of tortoise shells, birds and beasts, comprehending the principles of character creation from the forms and laws of all things in heaven and earth, and transforming the myriad phenomena of nature into concrete written characters. This mode of thinking that "takes nature as teacher and all things as models" laid the foundation of the Chinese nation’s world outlook of "harmony between man and nature", integrating the concept of "following the way of nature" into the blood of written civilization.At the level of outlook on life, Cangjie’s deeds interpret the life pursuit of "shouldering missions and pioneering innovation". Faced with the cumbersomeness and chaos of knot-tying for record-keeping, he felt deep concern and traveled across mountains and rivers to unlock the mysteries of writing with persistent exploratory spirit; inspired by the divine tortoise carrying patterns on its back, he took soil as paper and branches as brushes to create Chinese characters that could convey Dao and emotions. This sense of responsibility of "enlightening the people and initiating a written legacy for all generations" set a life benchmark of "bravely undertaking missions and daring to be the first" for the Chinese nation, embedding innovation and dedication into the spiritual creeds engraved in the national genes.In the dimension of values, the legend of Cangjie creating characters condenses the value core of "writing embodies Dao and upholds virtue to distinguish good from evil". The birth of characters put an end to the ignorance of knot-tying record-keeping, enabling the inheritance of culture and the manifestation of morality and justice; the legend that "grains rained from heaven and ghosts wept at night" further implies the power of characters to distinguish good from evil and educate all living beings. This value orientation of "transmitting civilization through characters and shaping people’s minds through culture" has constructed the moral code of the Chinese nation that values education and advocates morality and justice, becoming a spiritual bond that sustains the continuity of civilization.In the construction of cultural confidence, the legend of Cangjie creating characters holds irreplaceable and far-reaching significance. First, it confirms the unique trait of Chinese civilization of "establishing the nation through writing". As the only ancient writing system that has been continuously used to this day in the world, Chinese characters carry the cultural vein of thousands of years, providing a solid civilizational carrier for the Chinese nation to trace its roots and origins. Second, the spirit of observation, reflection and innovation embodied in Cangjie’s character creation still resonates with the development concepts of contemporary society after thousands of years, demonstrating the powerful timeless vitality of excellent traditional Chinese culture. Third, as the cultural symbol of the Chinese nation, Chinese characters not only unite the cultural identity of Chinese people at home and abroad, but also serve as an important bridge for showing the unique charm of Chinese civilization to the world, endowing national cultural confidence with profound historical heritage and spiritual strength.The plants on Yangxu Mountain witnessed the birth of characters, yet the legend of Cangjie creating characters has transcended thousands of years. The light of civilization carried by this ancient legend continues to illuminate the forward path of the Chinese nation, injecting inexhaustible motivation for us to uphold cultural confidence and inherit Chinese civilization in the new era.
