张载哲学的“太虚”范畴释义

The Explanation of"TaiXu"in Zhang Zai's Philosophy

“太虚”是张载哲学的核心范畴,关于太虚的诠释直接关涉着对张载整个哲学体系的理解。“太虚”一词取自道家,从先秦哲学到隋唐佛学,主要是在空间义和本原义两种涵义上使用的。在孔孟以来儒学不振的思想背景下,张载基于太虚的空间义和本原义,进一步赋予太虚以本体义,认为太虚是气(万物)得以存在的原因与根据。这样,张载就借重道家的“太虚”范畴建构起了儒家自己的本体论,以此才得以与佛、道“较是非曲直”。“太虚”范畴的这三重涵义表明,张载哲学中仍然存在着宇宙生成论向宇宙本体论演进的明显痕迹。

"TaiXu"is the core of Zhang Zai's philosophy.The explanation of"TaiXu"is in direct relation to the grasp of Zhang Zai'sphilosophy.The word of"TaiXu"was derived from the Taoist."TaiXu"was used in the sense of space and origin from philosophy of the pre-Qin period to the Buddhist philosophy during Sui and Tang dynasties.When confucianism declined little by little since the time of Kong and Mong,Zhang Zai endowed"TaiXu"a sense of ontology based on the sense of space and origin,and regarded"TaiXu"as the foundation of everything.By means of the domain of Taoist,Zhang Zai constructed the ontology of Confucianism itself,and could contend rights and wrongs with Buddhism and Taoist.These three connotations of"TaiXu"indicate that Zhang Zai's philosophy still has obvious tracks from cosmology to ontology.