章学诚“六经皆史”说新论

对章学诚"六经皆史"说的含义,前辈学者已有种种的理解.通过梳理此说形成的过程.可以说明章氏晚年是从六经即政典的意义上断言"六经皆史".这应该是他的定说.而他晚年的这一论断,乃由三个逻辑层次构成:(1)古代私人不著书,则传统以为经乃圣人孔子私人所著,不合乎历史事实;古人不曾脱离日常事情空谈义理,则传统以为经乃纯以文字言理之典籍,是没有根据的误解;(2)道不离器,理不离事,而事、器是指"先王制作",故"六经皆先王之政典";(3)政典即史,故"六经皆史".

On ZHANG Xue-cheng's Doctrine that Six Classics are History

After the examination of the formation of ZHANG Xue-cheng's celebrated doctrine that six classics are history, the article argues that in his later year this doctrine is really based on the proposition that six classics are political documents. The inference goes as following: (1) In the ancient times there were no private works and no pure theoretical works isolated from daily life so that the traditional opinions that Confucius personally created six classics and they are theoretical works are not true. (2) Dao and qi (concrete utensils and instruments) are inseparable from each other and so are li (principles) and shi (issues). Since qi and shi were created or conducted by previous kings, six classics are political documents of previous kings. (3) Six classics are history because political documents are history.