孔子的“言诗”与《毛诗序》的释诗

Confucius' “Yan Shi” and “Shi Shi” of The Preface to the Mao's Edition of The Book of Poems

《论语》中载有孔子与弟子子夏关于《诗经》的对话,称赞子夏"可与言诗"。所谓"言诗",历来理解为对《诗经》义的讨论,从而把子夏言诗作为他通晓《诗经》之本义并写作《毛诗序》的证据。其实,孔子的"言诗"是"赋诗言志"的意思,它在春秋时代是从属于礼乐仪式的说话方法,与后来直接讲解《诗经》的《毛诗序》没有关系。孔子对于《诗经》的所有论述,都是围绕"赋诗"而展开的,而并没有阐释《诗经》之本义。战国以后,社会意识形态的载体由礼乐仪式转为经典,才产生了企图诸首解释《诗经》的《毛诗序》。但因为释《诗经》者仍未脱离上古以礼乐为治的时代所形成的隐喻思维模式,仍然用发微索隐的方式去理解《诗经》,故使《诗经》的本义长期被掩埋。

In a dialogue depicted from The Analects(Lun Yu),Confucius praised his disciple ZI Xia for'being a worthy partner for yan shi'.Conventionally,'yan shi'has been explained as'discussing the meaning of The Book of Poems(Shi Jing)',which has been seen as a proof of ZI Xia’s good knowledge of The Book of Poems and authorship to The Preface to Mao’s Edition of’The Book of Poems’(Mao Shi Xu)'.In this depiction,however,'yan shi'means'expressing one’s own ideas by citing from The Book of Poems'('fu shi yan zhi').It was an expression in the Spring and Autumn period(771-476 B.C.)subordinated to the ceremonial and music rites at that time and had nothing to do with the interpretation in The Preface to Mao’s Edition of'The Book of Poems'.Confucius’discourses on The Book of Poems are all about expressing ideas by citing from it(fu shi),rather than interpreting or annotating.Since the Warring States Period(475-221 B.C.),the carrier of social ideology had shifted from the ceremonial and music rites to the canons.In this situation,The Preface to Mao’s Edition of'The Book of Poems',which provided a fixed interpretation of each poem in The Book of Poems,came into being.The ancient tradition of ruling the country through rites and music was still embedded in the interpretation,so the Book of Poems has long been understood as metaphors connected to the extensive meaning,while the true meaning has been kept concealed.