“五四”与传统:激烈反叛背后的承担

The May Fourth Movement and Tradition:Cultural Undertaking behind Fierce Rebellion

"五四"与传统的关系不但为国内学界所看重,而且为海外华人学者所瞩目,然而有些问题还是没有得以深入研究:在激烈的反传统背后,"五四"是怎样承担传统的?"五四"反传统的动因与内驱力何在?在世界各大文化中,犹太人与伊斯兰教的一些国家的民族危机要超过现代中国与日本,但他们并没有放弃他们的信仰与文化传统。因此,必须到中国文化内部寻找激烈反传统的原因,即儒家不以信仰为重而以家国振兴为要务,由此构成的传统士大夫强烈的使命感与忧患意识,才是"五四"激烈反传统(以及日本脱亚入欧)的传统动因。"五四"缔造的新文化是中西合璧的,作为反传统动因的传统语法规则甚至潜在制约着新文化的发展路向。展望未来,随着包容西学的中国哲学-文化图式的建构,中国文化复兴之日就会到来!

This article primarily examines the cultural undertaking of the May Fourth Movement through analyzing the inner drive for its participants’ fierce rebellion against Chinese tradition. In contrast to China, some Jewish and Islamic countries, having been confronted with more severe national crises since modern times, have preserved their religions and cultures. Therefore, the reason for the fierce revolt against tradition during the May Fourth Movement was deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Because Confucianism prioritized national revitalization over beliefs, traditional scholar-officials were motivated by an intense sense of mission and angst to rebel against tradition. The "new culture" created by the May Fourth Movement was thus a blend of East and West. The structural forces of tradition not only constituted the May Fourth Movement’s anti-traditional motivation, but also latently regulated the development of new culture. With the construction of Chinese philosophical-cultural schema that incorporates Western learning, the revitalization of Chinese culture is expected in the near future.