关于魏晋哲学与文论关系的一些思考——读汤用彤先生《魏晋玄学与文学理论》志疑

Thoughts about the Relations between the Philosophy and the Literary Criticism in Wei and Jin Dynasties—Doubts about Literary Theory and Metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties by Tang Yongtong

魏晋玄学对于当时文论有怎样的影响,是颇为学者所关注的问题。汤用彤先生概括魏晋玄学要旨,谓本末有无之辨为其根本性议题,而言意之辨乃其治学之新方法,所论极为深刻。但汤先生云此二者影响于魏晋南北朝文学理论至巨,则恐未必然。当时人确以形而上之道为文之本源,但此点在魏晋南北朝文论中并不占重要地位。至于言意之辨,当时作家只是感叹言以尽意之难,并没有解决如何以有限的语言文辞传达无尽之意的问题。虽偶有欣赏言外韵味的言论,但并未上升为较普遍的审美原则。故玄学言意之辨亦并未成为文学理论的核心问题。研究文学理论与哲学的关系,当立足于文学,不能仅作逻辑的推论。

The influence of the Literary Theory and Metaphysics in Wei and Jin is one of the most interesting problems.Mr.Tang Yongtong holds that the discussion of ben-mo（the major and the minor） and you-wu was the fundamental thesis,and the dispute of yan-yi（language and meaning） was a new methodology when he Abstracted the gist of Wei-Jin Metaphysics.This point is profoundly made,but Mr.Tang might not be so correct as he thought the two disputes had very deep influence on the literary criticism of Wei,Jin,and the Southern and Northern Dynasties.Metaphysics was indeed considered as the source of prose,yet this point did not occupy an important position in Wei and Jin Literary theories.The dispute of Yan-yi did not solve the problem of conveying the endless meaning through the limited language.The illocutionary charm of speech was occasionally enjoyed and did not get promoted to more general aesthetic principles.Thus yan-yi did not become the core issue of literary theory.The study of literary theory and philosophy should base itself on literature instead of logical inference.