《管锥编》的体式、成就及其局限平议

Style, Achievements and Limitation of Guan Zhui Bian

《管锥编》是一部博大精深的著作,多年来学界已经推出众多的相关论著,取得了诸多成果,但对于此书是否已经构筑了独立的理论体系,是否形成了特有的阐释方法论,存在不同看法。《管锥编》是著者研读中国古代十部典籍的笔记,却不以探讨典籍本身和后人注疏为主要目的,而是要表达钱钟书研读经典时引发的关于文史哲诸多方面的学术创见,以及他的某些人生感触。认清《管锥编》的体式性质,认清著者的治学风格,有利于对它的学术价值作出切合实际、恰如其分的判断。对其学术成就的过分抬高,对于因体式带来的局限视而不见,或者缺少具体论证而对它的笼统贬抑,都不是实事求是的科学态度。

Guan Zhui Bian is a work of profound thought and great content. For years, the academics have launched many books on it and yielded fruitful achievements. However, as to whether Guan Zhui Bian has established an independent theoretical system and whether it has a unique hermeneutic methodology, scholars have different views. Guan Zhui Bian is the note the author took when studying the ten classics of ancient China.Its author, Professor Qian Zhongshu, did not aim to study the classics or the commentaries on them by later writers. Instead, he expressed his creative ideas on literature, history, and philosophy triggered by the study of the classics and his perspectives on life. We need to gain a clear understanding of the style of Guan Zhui Bian and the scholastic style of its author, which will help us make a realistic and proper evaluation of its academic value. Either overestimating its academic value and turning a blind eye to the limitation because of its style or belittling it in general without specific evidence, none of them reveals the scientific attitude of seeking truth from the facts.