≪看钱奴≫的命运论及换命者形象探赜

Abstract

Kanqiannu, a zaju play by Zheng Tingyu from the Yuan dynasty, unfolds a story in which the fates of two individuals are exchanged for twenty years. The sudden reversal of fortune transforming the poor man Jia Ren into a wealthy merchant and the rich man Zhou Rongzu into a beggar offers dramatic interest to the audience as they witness the contrasting lives that ensue. The narrative unfolds on the premise that human destiny in this life is determined by karmic retribution from past lives. Particularly, this fatalistic worldview includes the concept of wealth predestination, emphasizing that both affluence and poverty are decreed by divine will and cannot be altered by individual effort. Next, this study compares the contrasting lives of two characters who experience a reversal of fate under the premise of fatalism. Jia Ren, who becomes rich overnight, actively pursues various business ventures with his sudden wealth, accumulating even more riches like an enterprising merchant. In contrast, Zhou Rongzu, who becomes poor, remains passive; he cannot escape poverty, resorts to begging, and eventually sells his only son. This stark contrast between their lives vividly illustrates the rigid social structure of ancient times, in which upward mobility between poverty and wealth was exceedingly rare. Lastly, the study examines the financial perspectives of both Jia Ren, now wealthy, and Zhou Rongzu, now destitute, which increasingly lean toward materialism. Jia Ren, who holds immense wealth yet refuses to spend even a penny, degenerates into a miser enslaved by money. Zhou Rongzu, on the other hand, sells even his own flesh and blood in the face of poverty, and though he later regains both his fortune and his son after twenty years, he too reveals a submissive stance toward money. Despite their reversed fates and contrasting lives, both characters ultimately share a common monetary outlook that places wealth above all else.