论桐城派对清代“室女守贞”的辩争与推动

On the Controversy and Promotion of Tongcheng School on “Virgin Maintaining Virginity” in Qing Dynasty

自明代归有光《贞女论》反对未嫁而守贞起,清代毛奇龄、汪中等又对归有光之论继续发挥和论证,认为《礼记》并不赞成室女守贞。桐城派许多作家也卷入了清代室女守贞之争,是清代学者中坚持室女守贞的主要力量。清初至民国初年,从戴名世、方苞、刘大櫆、姚鼐到管同、姚椿、姚莹、刘开、方宗诚、姚永概等都有对室女是否应当守贞或从死的讨论。所有的桐城派作家基本上都赞成室女守贞之行,但不同的时期有理论差异和程度的不同。桐城派作家虽于考证经文并无更多贡献,对道德的要求却愈晚近愈极端。桐城派作家所坚持的贞女论通过各种途径逐渐扩散并形成普遍道德规则,推动了贞女现象越演越烈。这体现出礼治从国家权力到士人再到民俗的延伸和控制,且这种民俗的形成并不随着政权更迭而结束,而是有为时更长的延续性。

Since Gui You-guang’s On Virginity in the Ming Dynasty opposed keeping virginity without marriage,Mao Qi-ling and Wang Zhong in the Qing Dynasty continued to play and demonstrate the theory of Gui You-guang,believing that the Book of Rites did not support keeping virginity. Many writers of Tongcheng School were also involved in the controversy of virginity preservation in Qing Dynasty,which was the main force for scholars in Qing Dynasty to adhere to virginity preservation. From the early Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China,Dai Ming-shi,Fang Bao,Liu Da-kui,Yao Nai,Guantong,Yao Chun,Yao Ying,Liu Kai,Fang Zong-cheng,Yao Yong-gai and others have discussed whether to keep virginity or not from death. Basically,all the writers of Tongcheng School are in favor of the virgin chambermaid’s journey,but there are theoretical differences and different degrees in different periods.Although Tongcheng School writers did not contribute much to textual research,the more late they came,the more extreme their moral demands became. The chastity theory adhered to by Tongcheng School writers gradually spread through various channels and formed universal moral rules,which promoted the phenomenon of chastity to become more and more intense. The formation of this state does not end with the change of regime,but has a longer continuity.