论桐城派文学批评中的戒“客气”说

A Discussion on Quitting“KeQi”in Tongcheng School's Literary Criticism

“客气”的起源可以追溯至《左传》,意为非人们主体所发出的而是受外界刺激所引起的一时之意气。在漫长的历史过程中,它的应用非常广泛,既用于人物评价,又用来评论文章,也曾被理学家当作与深邃的涵养相对立的概念,它的基本内涵是虚矫与不实。桐城派讲求“义理”由内心流出,反对矫揉作态的“客气”的文学创作,前期作家建立起这种实践自觉,中后期以方东树和吴汝纶为代表从理论自觉上将“客气说”用在文学评论当中,成为桐城派文论中较有特色的批评术语。

The origins of "KeQi" can be traced back to Zuo Zhuan, which means a temporary feeling caused by external stimuli rather than by people. In the long course of history, it’s widely used for comments on characters and articles. It was once regarded by neo-Confucianists as a concept opposite to profound cultivation, with a basic connotation of affectation and hollowness. Tongcheng School stresses that "righteousness" should flow from the heart and opposes "KeQi" in literary creation, which is marked by affectation. At first, followers of the Tongcheng School established this kind of practical consciousness. Fang Dongshu and Wu Rulun, as representatives in the middle and later period, used "KeQi" in literary criticism out of theoretical consciousness. Thus, it became a characteristic term of criticism in Tongcheng School’s literary theory.