孔子在川上叹什么——“逝者如斯夫”的本义与两千年来的误读

What Confucius Sighed by a Stream——The Context Meaning and Misreading of the Sentence "Could One Go on and on Like This"

自古以来,人们对《论语.子罕》中的"子在川上曰:逝者如斯夫,不舍昼夜"有着多种理解。第一种理解是在战国到西汉时期,人们依循"君子比德"的思维模式,视"逝者"为一往无前、勇猛精进的态度与精神。这与孔子的勇者精神相契合,是该句的文本义和作者义。第二种理解是在东汉末至六朝时期,"慷慨有余哀"的时代情绪投射到经典解读上,郑玄以后的经师都以"逝者"为时间,川上之叹是伤逝情怀的流露。这是读者义。第三种理解是北宋到清代,道学家们从中读出了力行精神,并由此直追道体。这里有文本义与作者义,同时也内含着道学家的读者义。近代以后,由于经典的浓度被稀释,汉末魏晋时期"逝者"即"时间"的解读又被重新拾起。"时间过得真快啊"之所以成为"逝者如斯夫"的现代通释,除了教科书、工具书的普及作用外,还因为这个义项最大众化。

Since ancient times, the chapter, that Confucius standing by a stream in the Analects, has been understood respectively in the following four divided periods. From the Warring States period to Western Han, it was regarded as an attitude and a spirit of moral striving, which was the context meaning as well as the author＇s. From the end of Eastern Han to Six-Dynasty period, influenced by the sorrow emotion of the time in classics translation, Zheng Xuan（郑玄） and the later scholars took ＂shizhe（逝者）＂ for time that went on and on and therefore thought Confucius just sighed sadly, which was the readers＇ understanding. From Song to Qing Dynasty, moralists thought this chapter reflected Confucius＇s practice spirit and it directed them to Tao（道）, which contained the context meaning , the author＇s , and especially the moralists＇. Since late Qing Dynasty, this chapter has been explained how time flies, resulting in the loss of classics meaning. It is so simplified just for its popularity.