徐中舒《左传》学论析

On the Analysis of Xu Zhong-shu's Study of Zuo Zhuan

徐中舒在系统考察西汉时代《左传》流传情况的基础上,进一步申论了作为古文一系的《左传》之可信,有力批驳了晚清以来今文经学家刘歆伪造《左传》的谬说。在经学史学化的影响下,徐氏发挥章学诚六经皆史的观点,以《春秋》、《左传》为史,其意义不仅在于试图从根本上解决经学传统下的《左传》经史之争,同时也为新的学术背景下,回归原典《左传》学初步奠定了理论基础。徐氏由此重新考察《左传》与《春秋》、《国语》之间的关系,提出一系列独到的见解。徐氏根据《左传》所用有别于《春秋》周正的夏正和《左传》中预言资料推测,《左传》就是魏国霸业鼎盛时代的作品,其成书年代在公元前375年—公元前351年之间,《左传》的作者可能就是子夏一再传弟子,不失为一种较为合理的假说。徐氏的某些推论得到了马王堆汉墓出土文物《春秋事语》和湖南慈利楚简《国语·吴语》的印证,结论的科学性日益受到学术界的重视,与此同时,徐氏《左传》学的学术价值亦在长期的学术争鸣中日渐得到彰显。

On the basis of the systematic investigation of the circulation of Zuo Zhuan in the Western Han Dynasty, Xu Zhong-shu further identified the credibility of Zuo Zhuan as Confucian classic, which forcefully refuted the fallacy that it was forged by Liu Xin, a neo-classic scholar, which has been in popular since the Late Qing Dynasty. Under the influence of Confucian studies＇ evolution into historiography, and on the basis of Zhang Xue-cheng＇ s view that Confucian classics all belonged to history, he also regarded The Spring and Autumn Annals and Zuo Zhunn as history, by which he not only attempted to solve the argument whether Zuo Zhuan belonged to Confucian classic or history fundamentally, but also laid theoretical foundation for it to return to its original study state at the new academic background. As a result, he re-investigated its relationship with The Spring and Autumn Annals and Guoyu, proposing a series of original opinions. According to its different dates from The Spring and Autumn Annals and its predictions, he inferred that it was created during the Wei State, about from 375 BC to 351 BC, and its possible author was one of Zixia＇ s students. To some extent, his inference was a reasonable hypothesis, some of which have been proved by Remarks on the Spring and Autumn Annals unearthed from the Han tomb in Mawangdui and the slips about the Chu State, as a result of which his conclusion has drawn increasing attention from the academic fields. At the same time, the academic value of his study of Zuo Zhuan has been becoming more and more prominent in the long term＇ s academic study.