《周易》与中国古代史学的通变精神

ZHOUYI and Tongbian Spirit of Historiography in Ancient China

中国古代史学通变精神的哲理基础是儒家经典《周易》的通变思维,《系辞下》将这一思维概括为"《易》穷则变,变则通,通则久。"受此影响,历代史家都普遍重视以《周易》的通变思维来解说历史,由此形成为一种民族的史学精神。早在先秦时期,《左传》便开始以易解史,将《周易》的通变思维作为解说历史变动的重要依据。具有易学家学渊源的司马迁,深刻领会《周易》"长于变"的特点,最早提出以"通古今之变"为撰史旨趣,《史记》首创纪传体通史体裁,以原始察终、见盛观衰和承敝通变的眼光,来认识和把握历史的治乱兴衰之变,以历史学的形式彰显了《周易》的通变思维。《史记》以后的中国古代史学,无论是通史、断代史,还是史论之作,都普遍以《周易》的通变思维作为哲理基础,传承司马迁的"通古今之变"的撰史旨趣,在历史与史学的撰述与评论中重视体现通变的精神。

The philosophical basis of Tongbian Spirit in ancient Chinese historiography is the thought of Tongbian in ZHOUYI. In XICIXIA,the thought was summarized as ＂deprivation leads to changes,changes in turn lead to finding a way out,and in turn becomes sustainable. ＂Affected by this thought,Chinese ancient historians attached great importance to the thought of Tongbian in ZHOUYI and thus it became a national spirit of historiography. In the Pre- Qin period,ZUOZHUAN had the contents of explaining historiography by Yi and took the thought of Tongbian as an important basis. The famous historian Sima Qian,who had academic background in Yi theory,deeply realized the characteristic of＂good at change＂in ZHOUYI. Sima Qian proposed the view of ＂connection of ancient and modern variation＂,so he wrote SHIJI with new genre and Tongbian Spirit to hold the changes and connections of ancient and modern variation in history. Sima Qian represented the thought of Tongbian by the form of historiography. After SHIJI,the authors of comprehensive history,dynastic history and theoretical book in ancient Chinese historiography,took Tongbian Spirit as the philosophical basis generally. Historians carried on the spirit of＂connection of ancient and modern variation ＂,and paid attention to Tongbian Spirit in writing and commenting on history.