Chapter 2 Taiwan Edition Preface

Wear unspoken glasses 1. The origin of this book The word unspoken rules comes from my observation and speculation of contemporary China.I guess every Chinese understands in their hearts that there is often a set of unspoken rules hidden behind the express regulations, something that can be called internal regulations.It is often this set of rules that govern the operation of life, rather than a high-sounding formal system, and it is inevitable to suffer if you do not understand this.When there are too many nails, you feel the existence of unspoken rules, and you respect this set of unspoken rules, you will be considered sensible, mature, and sophisticated.

My question is: how deep is the root of this phenomenon?How does it manifest and evolve in our cultural tradition?Such a question seems to have too strong a taste of using the past for the present, but the famous historian's saying that any history is contemporary history, in my understanding, is exactly what it means: contemporary interests, visions and interests restrict the understanding and narration of history. I was a literature student and a reporter, and I have only been interested in history for ten years.I also read "Historical Records" in college. It was like reading a novel. When I met Biao and Zhi who had no story, I jumped over it.After reading "Hanshu" and "Houhanshu" as a reporter, I was completely overwhelmed by the messy names and events, and felt drowsy.I also followed the fashion and read "Zi Zhi Tong Jian". When I read the Later Han Dynasty, I was in great pain and gave up halfway.Unexpectedly, I had an idea of ​​unspoken rules in my heart, and I read history with great interest. My eyes were full of chaos, and suddenly my brows became clear, and I couldn't control it.So I preached my history reading experience to my friends, and was encouraged by my friends to write these articles. I wrote and posted them as I wrote them, and gradually I had the space of a small book.I understand that the world seen by different animals is different, and the world seen through different glasses is also different.What these articles describe is the Chinese tradition I see after putting on the glasses of unspoken rules.

Except for one article, these essays are mostly about the elimination of honest officials, explaining why it is difficult for honest officials to succeed as they publicly declare, why they often suffer the fate of being eliminated, and even the Lord Qingtian has become a part of our national dream.The elimination of honest officials is just one of the unspoken rules that I can arrange. There are many large and small unspoken rules around this rule, which I will continue to write in the future.Looking back now, these articles can be logically divided into the following categories: (1) The relationship between officials and the public: <Pursue a sharp weapon>, <The common people are taken advantage of>, <Second-class fairness>.

(2) The relationship between officials, their superiors and the emperor: <The reason for being a corrupt official>, <Evil government is a sieve>, <The emperor is also taken advantage of>. (3) Internal relations in the officialdom: <settling violators>, <relating seniority is also a good thing>. (4) Hidden relationships among the public: <Sell Heroes>. (5) Synthesis of several relationships: <Law of Degeneration of New Officials>, <Yan Family Transformation>. (6) Summary: <Chongzhen Death Bend>. The table of contents is also arranged according to this structure, but the fifth item and two comprehensive articles are put in front.

I tried my best to write good-looking articles, but the epilogue of this book "A Way of Reading General History of China" is a bit heavy.There I described the farthest scenery in Chinese history as far as I could see. The matter was far-reaching and labor-intensive, but it was enough to govern the whole book. Second, the definition of unspoken rules After this book was published in mainland China, friends kept asking me about the definition of unspoken rules, and I kept saying that there were in the book. The book "Unspoken Rules" does have two passages with similar definitions, although it's a bit of a blur.Of course, it is not necessarily bad to be fooled. Unspoken rules are originally a reminder of a social phenomenon that everyone is familiar with. This word can awaken all kinds of personal knowledge and inspire those who are interested in continuing to explore in depth. If you give a definition, it will be rigid. .The definition is just a stepping stone, and the real ecology in the social jungle on the other side is the real object of concern.

However, having figured this out, it doesn't hurt to give a definition.Let's talk about the definition of unspoken rules below. One day, a friend who was rushing to write a thesis in an American university caught me on the Internet and insisted that I give the definition of the unspoken rules on the spot.In a hurry, I have listed five main points: (1) Unspoken rules are behavior constraints that people privately approve of; (2) This kind of behavioral restraint is spontaneously generated in specific social interactions based on the parties' ability to benefit or harm, which can reduce the conflicts among the interacting parties and reduce transaction costs;

(3) The so-called restraint means that behavior that crosses the boundary will inevitably lead to retaliation, and the consensus on this kind of interest and consequence strengthens the stable expectations of the interacting parties on each other's behavior; (4) This kind of rule that is actually followed deviates from the concept of justice or the provisions of the formal system, and violates the mainstream ideology or the interests represented by the formal system, so it has to exist in a concealed form. There is also explicit approval; (5) Through this kind of concealment, the parties cover the agent of the interests of the formal rules from the local interaction, or pull the agent into the private transaction, and rely on this private rule replacement to obtain Interests.

I also specifically reminded that friend that in the process of generating unspoken rules, there are actually not two parties involved, but three parties: both parties to the transaction plus a higher-level formal institutional representative.When the two parties conduct private transactions, they are indeed two subjects, but when they conceal such transactions, they become an alliance against the representatives of the formal system.Concealment itself is a strategy, and the existence of this strategy reflects the existence of higher-level formal institutional representatives. Definitions without a perceptual basis are inevitably obscure. If you read too many stories in the book, these words will appear simple.

3. Conjectures about Taiwan In the news of China Central Television, I have seen Taiwanese congressmen fight more than once.It was scandalous, of course, but I appreciated it.There was no explanation in the news, and I don't know why they fought, but since it is a place of legislation, it must have something to do with the formulation of some kind of regulations.I guess, those members of parliament representing different interest groups had disputes over the losses and gains caused by certain rules, and lacked cards or channels for bargaining formed in long-term political transactions. In a hurry, he became violent.

I have interviewed several sessions of the National People's Congress and the CPPCC in mainland China. I have never seen fights or heard quarrels. I just listened to the speeches and watched the votes passed.In contrast, I think the rules that have been typed out are more feasible and reliable.Because before and after the fight, the question of who pays and who benefits has been clearly raised, and then basically settled.Members of Congress settled the matter on behalf of all aspects, and allocated the cost of supervising the implementation of the rules. It is not so easy for the represented to find countermeasures, bypass or override the set of rules they cannot accept, and develop a set of hidden rules in private. rule system.

I believe that the concept of unspoken rules will have a good explanatory power to Taiwan's history, but I guess this concept will not help predict Taiwan's future.I don't know Taiwan today, but I can imagine that the transformation of the party state into a real republic will inevitably lead to a fundamental change in the relationship between master and servant, and the various real operating rules in Taiwanese society will also take on a new look.However, the establishment of real and effective rules requires all aspects of running-in, repeated trials and enough time. This is a long-term and interesting process, and it is also a process of rejuvenation and innovation of Chinese civilization.I am full of curiosity about today's Taiwan. In my imagination, a story is happening here that will happen in mainland China sooner or later. It is a great story of an ancient empire stumbling on its way. Bless Taiwan. Wu Si July 15, 2002