真该走出疑古时代吗?——对当前中国古典学取向的看法

Should the Era of Historical Skepticism be Transcended?——Some Opinions on the Tropism of Chinese Classical Studies

顾颉刚为代表的“古史辨派”,在1926年就提出了“四个打破”,这是对传统古史观决裂的宣言书。中国史学研究正是由此而进入了“疑古时代”。李学勤先生提出“走出疑古时代”的新意。其实在于“对整个中国古代文明作出重新估价”。具体地说,是要把黄帝作为中华文明形成的标志。为此,才提出所谓对古书的“第二次反思”,为《五帝德》、《帝系姓》等古籍翻案。实际上,无论是不断积累的考古实物资料,还是地下出土的简牍资料,都不断证明“四个打破”是中国古史研究应该坚持的正确方向,《帝系姓》和《五帝德》这样的作品,实在看不出有什么翻案的前景。所以我们根本无须走出疑古时代,而应该在信古时代寿终正寝后,还要继续坚持疑古、释古并重的方针,来重建真实的中国古史。

School of Discrimination of Ancient History（古史辨派）, with Gu Xiegang being the representative, put forward the ＂Four Breaks＂ which is the proclamation of breaking with traditional value of ancient history in 1926, hence China＇s history study entered into the era of historical skepticism. As a matter of fact, the new intention of Prof. Li Xueqin＇s argument for ＂transcending the era of historical skepticism＂ is to reassess the whole ancient Chinese civilization, which means to regard the Yellow Emperor as the symbol of the formation of Chinese civilization. In fact, both the archaeological material object and the bamboo slips unearthed demonstrate continuously that the ＂Four Breaks＂ is the correct direction that study on Chinese ancient history should follow. Ancient books such as Wudi de （＂the Merits of the Five Emperor＂《五帝德》） and Dixi xing（《帝系姓》）have no prospect of reversing a verdict. Therefore, we need not to transcend the era of historical skepticism, and should persist in the course of being skeptical of and interpreting the ancient history so as to reconstruct real Chinese ancient history.