“学”何以“问”:古今“学问”之异

How to Learn via Asking:the Semantic Differences between Ancient and Modern "Learning"

"学问"一词涉及谁"学"谁"问"、"问"谁"学"谁、如何"问"、为何"问"以及如何"学"、为何"学"等问题,以此为出发点,即可发现古代"学问"与今日"学问"不同,古代"学问"所"学"所"问"之对象为"道","道"为帝王之道,帝王无道自称有道使"道""难道",故须"学""问","学者""问者"为帝王,"学问"为帝王"明道"以为仁政,强调"知行合一""下学上达"。与此相应,古代"大学问""真学问"为"口耳之学","文字之学"为"小学""微言大义",今人不可以今日之意义理解古代文字。

The term ＂learning＂,which means＂learning and asking＂in Chinese,involves many questions such as who ＂learns＂ and who ＂asks＂;whom ＂ being asked＂ and whom ＂ being learned＂;how and why ＂ask＂,and how and why ＂learn＂.Taking this as a starting point,we can discover that the ancient＂learning＂is different from today＇s＂learning＂.The object of the ancient＂learning＂is＂Tao＂,which is the kingcraft a king should acquire.It is the king who＂learns＂and＂asks＂and achieves＂learning＂by＂doing＂in order to adopt a policy of benevolence.Therefore,the great and real ＂learning＂ refers to ＂learning from mouth＂,while the trivial＂learning＂is ＂learning from word＂.Thus,modern people cannot interpret ancient texts in a modern sense.