中古《五行志》的“征”与“应”

On the portents and validations of Wu-hsing Chih in Medieval Chinese History

中古正史的《五行志》里记录了大量怪异事物,这些记录一般由"征"与"应"两部分构成。征应的产生建立在二者之间的因果关系上,可以分为"有征必有应"和"有应才有征"两种。由于受到自身知识背景、政治立场的约束,古代史家有意无意间会采取"选择性记忆"的方式,通过直解、转释、反说等方法来对征应进行解说。透析征应的产生机制及其解说方式,有助于我们了解古代知识阶层的信仰与思维方式。

The Wu-hsing Chih （五行志）, as a medieval historical text, records many things seemingly weird to modern people. These records are generally made of portents and validations based on the cause-and-effect relationship between the two. The portents and validations usually appear in two basic forms, i.e., ＂if portents, then validations＂ and ＂only if validations, then portents.＂ Confronting this, ancient historiographers, restrained by their respective knowledge background and political stance, consciously or unconsciously adopted a ＂selective memory＂ mode of cognition and approached these texts through direct explanation, indirect interpretation, opposite illumination, etc. Through this, they hope to explain those portents and validations. A critical analysis of production modes of portents and validations and successive reinterpretations of them sheds light on both the beliefs and faith and the modes of thinking of ancient Chinese literarti.