从文本到义理——论焦循经学解释学的转向

From Text to Meaning and Significance—— Jiao Xun's Hermeneutics in the Studies of Confucian Classics

乾嘉学派崇尚汉学,以考辨方法和文字训诂方法理解与解释文本,探求文本固有的意义,是典型的文本中心论解释学。焦循发明"本经文实测"方法,是典型乾嘉学派解释学,然而他又以"证之以实,而运之于虚"的解释学进路,实现了由以文本为中心的解释学向以探索经学义理为主旨的哲学解释学的转向。由此出发,他提出具有西方意义的解释者"视域"或"前理解"意义上的"性灵",强调解释者个体在解释活动中的作用和意义。这是他的创新,反映了乾嘉后期和道咸时期经学研究变化和发展的趋势。他主张易学经学解释的本质是解释者与文本"通"与"合":"通"是融通全体经文和诸经及其诸家之说,"合"是个体解释契合圣人之意,是一种视域融合。这是焦循以中国独特话语系统和思维方式对于自己解释学的表述。但由于他的解释学首先预设了圣人之意是唯一、普遍的真理,作为内含圣人之意的文本是解释的对象,这就决定了其解释本质上不是在视域融合基础上形成一种新的观点,而是"通""合"圣人之意。在这个意义上,焦氏的解释学是一种解释的"循环",最终还未真正超越同时代乾嘉学派以文本为中心的解释学。

The Qian-Jia School advocated hanxue, which is a typical hermeneutics of taking-text- as-the-center by exegesis of words for understanding and explaining texts, thus to probe their fixed meanings. Jiao Xun invented a method of ＂real examining of classical texts＂ which can be a typical Qian-Jia School Hermeneutics. But he also choose a way of ＂real verification and imagining application＂ to a philosophical turn to a hermeneutics from text-center to probing the meaning and significance in Confucian classics. Starting from this point, he puts up a ＂soul＂ which could be referred to ＂vision＂ or ＂pre-comprehending＂ of the explainer in Western meaning. His innovation of emphasizing the function and significance of individual explainer in hermeneutic activities, by proposing ＂comprehension＂ and ＂correspondence＂, which reflected the trend of changes and developments in the Confucian studies of classics in the later Qianlong-Jiaqing period and the Daoguang-Xianfeng period.