《老子》八十一章本早期形态探索

The Origin of the 81-Chapter Edition of Laozi

《老子》八十一章本作为《老子》的标准本,对《老子》的文本形成与思想定型起到了巨大作用。近年来关于八十一章本的形成,产生了若干争议。北大汉简七十七章本与河上公八十一章本的重要中介是《淮南子》所引据之《老子》,该本《老子》的《道经》部分分章同于(或近于)河上公八十一章本,《德经》部分分章同于(或近于)北大汉简七十七章本。与这一特征相符的最有可能的是《老子傅氏经说》,可将该本理解为仅编成了《道经》三十七章(篇)。至于宋人所引刘歆《七略》刘向定著《老子》语,当出伪造。

The 81-chapter edition,as the standard Laozi,has played a large role in both the textual formation and the thinking pattern of Laozi.In recent years,scholars have been focusing on and disputing over the issue concerning how the 81-chapter edition was formed.As for the transition from the 77-chapter edition(which is the edition of the Peking University Han Bamboo Slips)to the 81-chapter edition(which is the edition annotated by Heshang Gong),there lies a noticeable intermediary edition in between,i.e.,the edition of Laozi cited in Huainanzi.Since the term“chapter”is an intact unit of meaning,it is important to understand each sentence of Laozi in the context of the overall meaning of the chapter to which it belongs.Therefore,it is reasonable to judge which chapter a sentence belongs to on the basis of how it is interpreted when quoted in Huainanzi.Through dividing chapters of Laozi according to the aforementioned standard,we can tell the differences between the 81-chapter edition of Laozi and the edition interpreted in Huainanzi.Chapter 64 in the former is divided into two chapters in the latter;Chapter 78 and 79 are combined into one,while Chapter 6 and 7 are separated;and Chapter 17,18 and 19 become independent from one another.Generally speaking,the text of Dao Jing in the Huainanzi edition is the same as(or nearly the same as)that in the 81-chapter edition,and the text of De Jing in the Huainanzi edition is the same as(or nearly the same as)that in the 77-chapter edition of Peking University Han Bamboo Slips.Meanwhile,the Huainanzi edition also has something to do with Liu An,the King of Huainan.The edition of Laozi in the Han Dynasty is most likely to be the 37 scriptures of Laozi Fushi Jing Shuo recorded in Hanshu Yiwen Zhi.In this sense,those 37 scriptures can be considered as the same as,or similar to,the 77-chapter edition of the Peking University Han Bamboo Slips.Due to the sudden overthrow of the governance of Liu An,only the Dao Jing was adapted into 37 chapters,while the De Jing was not.As for the words quoted by scholars in the Song Dynasty concerning the text of Laozi fixed by Liu Xiang,as recorded in Qi Lue compiled by Liu Xin,there are six textual evidences to show that it was forged.First,Laozi is not found in either Bie Lu,Qi Lue,or Hanshu Yiwen Zhi.Second,both Bie Lu and Qi Lue were lost in the An-Shi rebellion of the Tang Dynasty,and no one in the Song Dynasty would have any chance to see either of them.Third,the words quoted by scholars in the Song Dynasty are inappropriate for Qi Lue.Fourth,the Laozi quoted by Liu Xiang is different from that of the 81-chapter.Fifth,the words in Qi Lue quoted by the Song scholars differ from the narratives of Liu Xiang on Laozi.Sixth,it is very likely that Liu Xiang on Laozi did not have a complete record of the scriptures.To sum up,the formation of the 81-chapter edition can be regarded as a milestone for the evolution of Laozi in the Han Dynasty.The edition of the Peking University Han Bamboo Slips,the text of Laozi cited in Huainanzi(including Laozi Fushi Jing Shuo),and the 81-chapter edition constitute a clear sequence of the evolution of Laozi in the Western Han Dynasty.It can then be inferred that the 81-chapter edition was formed before Liu Xiang’s proofreading and after the overthrow of the governance of Liu An,that is to say,in between the governance of Emperor Wu and that of Emperor Cheng in the Western Han Dynasty.