“擘肌分理,唯务折衷”——谈谈《文心雕龙》的体系特征

“Unbiased Judgments on Literary Texture”:A Discussion on the Critical System of Dragon-Carving and the Literary Min

刘勰生当齐梁时期,颇受魏晋以来玄学风气之影响。他在梳理玄学史时,采取的基本是玄学"温和派"立场。这种温和折衷的学术态度,使刘勰得以融新入旧,有所操有所守,在辩论文学理论主要问题时,能成就圆融不执、善于变通的整全体系。他那出入百家、折衷古今的理论姿态,表现出强烈的综合意识,在当今仍有积极的借鉴意义。一味提倡创新而不知守成,对传统文化持消解、虚无的态度,是当今世界文化乱象的主要原因。

Living in the Qi and Liang Dynasties, Liu Xie is undoubtedly influenced by the new metaphysical philosophy flourishing since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In his historical study of the development of metaphysics, Liu Xie’s academic sympathy goes to the conservative and yet more constructively eclectic school, making it possible for him to combine new elements with old ones. In his theoretical discussion of literary problems, Liu Xie knows how to derive his critical ideas from a broad and diverge range of sources,making them all to provide conducing service to his eclectically elastic system of criticism. In a contemporary world where people appear too possessed by their urge to create things new while oftentimes failing to conserve what is fundamental to the preservation of our cultural identity, Liu Xie’s strong sense of constructive synthesis facing different schools of theory, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, is still positive and relevant. We need to beware of the fact that our once deconstructive and nihilistic approach to our traditional culture is at least partly accountable for the current cultural disorder existing worldwide.