论清初儒学之重整

The Turn of Confucianism in the Early Qing Dynasty

清朝建立后,本着加强思想专制的目的,确立了定朱学于一尊与大兴文字狱并行的文化政策。与此同时,明代遗臣在追寻旧朝覆灭原因的过程中,普遍察觉到前朝政治的软弱乏力在很大程度上应当归咎于理学性格的虚浮疏阔。若要彻底革正宋明理学的玄虚之病,就必须使学术朝着原始儒家的方向复归在内容上,不能再纠缠于本体心性的繁杂辨析,而应尽力向现实关怀靠拢;在形式上,亟需挣脱滋养空言的语录之学,回归到深具致用精神的经学上来。其哲学表现,即是气本论思想的大举复兴,并从“气质之性”出发对人的自然情欲给予充分认肯;在学术方法上,极力探索经义训解与“质测”实证的有机结合。总之,无论就广度还是深度而言,清初儒学重整运动都是中国古代学术史上浓墨重彩的一笔它既是宋明理学的总结扬弃,又是乾嘉朴学的滥觞所出。

After its domination of China,the Qing Dynasty established a cultural policy of upholding the philosophy of Zhu Xi and waging literary inquisition with the aim to strengthening autocracy of the mind.Meanwhile,the scholars loyal to the Ming Dynasty blamed its collapse on Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties for the vain character.In order to thoroughly reform the disease of Neo-Confucianism,it was necessary to reorient Confucianism in the direction of its origin.In content,scholars should not be entangled in the complexity of ontology,but should try to move closer to the practical concerns;in form,scholars urgently needed to break away from the study of the quotations,and return to the practical aspects of the classics.This trend’s philosophical manifestation was the revival of the metaphysics of Qi,and the recognition of human’s natural desires from the temperament of nature.Its preferred academic method was to explore the organic combination of the commentaries of the classics and calculated evidence.In short,both in breadth and depth,the reform of Confucianism in the early Qing Dynasty plays a vital role in the history of ancient Chinese academic research.It serves as both the critical summary of Neo-Confucianism and also the origin of the down-to-earth learning of the Qianjia period.