《大学》与“全体大用”之学

The Great Learning and Learning of “Quantidayong”

《大学》原为《礼记》的一篇文章,唐代以前,这篇文章并不重要。理学兴起后,《大学》的地位终于冲天而起,成为儒家经典的核心。《大学》到底提供了什么样的思想资源?理学家又如何改造了这些思想资源的意义,使得它可以从"记"的地位跃升为儒家重要典籍?其中的关键在于理学家将这篇文章视为"性命之书"。为了达成这个目的,他们对此篇文章的重要概念作了系统转移的工作,大体是将泛论的美德提升为本体论的语汇,这种改造经书性格的工程规模大而情节细致。透过理学家的改造,《大学》遂得脱胎换骨,由一般的学习纲要变为性命之书。

The Great Learning had come from a chapter in the Classics of Rites, and it was not so important before the Tang Dy- nasty. Its significance and position was increasingly promoted and became the core of Confucian classics when Neo-Confucian- ism rose. Then, what ideological resources did it provide？ How did Neo-Confucianists renovate the implications of the resources to turn it into an important Confucian classic？ The key lies in the fact that they saw it as a ＂book of nature and fate＂. For this purpose, they did a systematic transfer of the important concepts in the work, mainly upgrading universal virtues to an ontologi- cal level. Such a renovation was a big project which also needed careful work. Through Neo-Confucianists＇ efforts, the Great Learning had a complete change, from a common learning guide to a book of nature and fate.