王国维“意境”新义源出西学“格义”考

On the Origin of "Yijing"(Artistic Conception) of Wang Guowei

王国维"意境"新义的理论来源一直是困扰学界的重要问题。以往的研究由于无法明晰作为中国传统固有诗学名词的"意境"如何与西学发生了直接的联系,因而难以得出令人信服的结论。通过对晚清文献使用"意境"一词的考察,可见出"意境"在晚清还存在另外一种使用形态——对西学的"格义"。这种"格义"使"意境"与西学发生了意义上的互渗,从而成为"意境"意义古今转换的原动力。王国维创造性地将这种经过意义转换后的"意境"运用到中国的文学批评实践中去,使"意境"的新义得以确立。王国维这一批评实践虽然使"意境"重生于现代文论话语之中,但也因此给后人造成了理解上的混乱。

The theory origin of ＂Yijing＂（artistic conception,意境） of Wang Guowei has long troubled the academic circle. There is no consensus because the earlier research can＇t explain the relationship between the Chinese traditional words ＂Yijing＂ and Western learning. The authors point out that there is another pattern of ＂Yijing＂ used in the late Qing Dynasty, ＂Geyi＂ （analogical interpretation, ;格义）. ＂Geyi＂ is the key factor to promote the combination of ＂Yijing＂ and western learning. The new meanings of ＂Yijing＂ had been established because Wang Guowei used it in Chinese literary criticism for the first time. The ＂Yijing＂ had a renascence in modern literary theory discourse because Wang Guowei. But the meaning of ＂Yijing＂ has been confused.