西方汉学与“古史辨运动”

Gu Jiegang's “Discussion of Ancient History” Movement and Its Relationship with Developments in Western Sinology

中国近代学术与西方汉学有着极为密切的学缘关系。以"层累说"为中心理论的"古史辨运动"即是一个绝佳的例证。在"古史辨运动"发生之际,胡适、顾颉刚提出的"东周以上无史论"即是从美国学者迈尔与德国汉学家夏德等人的"疑古"论中得到了一定的启发;而胡、顾二氏继而主张的"商代犹是石器时代的晚期"之论则是直接受到了瑞典考古学家安特生《中华远古之时代》的影响。在"古史辨运动"兴起之际,美国汉学家恒慕义对《古史辨》第一册的介绍与评价,无疑起到了不可替代的推动作用。历史或最为诡异的是,瑞典汉学家高本汉旨在驳斥康有为《新学伪经考》的《左传真伪考》,反倒被"疑古派"拿来证明今文家言,以推进"古史辨运动"中关于今古文学问题的讨论。因此,如果用一句话来表述这一西方汉学与"古史辨运动"之间的学缘关系,"他山之石,可以攻玉"或是一个极佳之写照。

The development of scholarship in modern China formed a close relationship with developments in Western sinology. Gu Jiegang's launching of the 'Discussion of Ancient History'movement in the 1920 s was a representative example. Hu Shi and Gu Jiegang proposed the notion that 'there was no history before the Eastern Zhou dynasty,'which was indebted to the historical skepticism by Philip Van Ness Myers and Friedrich Hirth of the same period. The idea that 'the Shang dynasty was still in the late Stone Age 'advocated by Hu and Gu was also directly influenced by J. G. Andersson's An Early Chinese Culture.Conversely,Arthur W. Hummel played a key role in introducing the 'Discussion of Ancient History'to Western academia. Paradoxically,while Berhhard Karlgren wrote the On the Authenticity and Nature of the Tso Chuan to refute Kang Youwei's reinterpretation of Confucian Classics,his work however became of value for Chinese scholars to reaffirm the value of New Text Confucianism and spear ahead the 'Discussion of Ancient History'movement. In a word,if we would like to choose a saying to describe the relationship between modern Chinese historical scholarship and Western Sinology,the Chinese proverb,'the stone from other hills may serve to polish jade,'may be an appropriate choice.