《中庸》地位提升的主因:宋初儒士推崇

The Promotion by Early Song Confucians as the Main Cause for the Elevated Status of the Zhongyong

学界对《中庸》在宋代的地位提升并最终成为四书之一的成因有较大的争论。事实上,在释僧智圆之前,儒士田锡、邢昺等已尽力推崇《中庸》。田锡助推《中庸》入科考;邢昺宣扬《中庸》心性之学,告诫君主和士人注重修身,由“内圣”而“外王”;陈充跟随朝廷崇儒风尚而释《中庸》;赵湘自觉阐发《中庸》,以斥杨墨、申韩之异端。正是儒士的推崇加速了《中庸》的传播,扩大了《中庸》的影响,推动了《中庸》学在宋代的兴起。并且,田锡、邢昺等对《中庸》所固有的“内圣外王”思想的自觉阐发及推崇,并非源自智圆或其他僧徒的影响,相反,智圆僧徒之所以热衷《中庸》,并以之作为调和三教关系的文献依据,还是宋初儒者及朝廷影响的结果。

There is a great debate among scholars as to the cause of the elevated status of the Zhongyong,or The Doctrine of the Mean,which eventually became one of the Four Books in the Song dynasty.This debate mainly focuses on whether the Zhongyong was promoted by Buddhists or by Confucians.In fact,before Monk Zhiyuan,Confucian scholars such as Tian Xi and Xing Bing had already paid attention to the Zhongyong.Tian Xi included the Zhongyong in the national civil service examination.Xing Bing advocated the aspect of heart-mind of the Zhongyong,and admonished monarchs and scholars to focus on self-cultivation and to develop from the state of“inner sage”to that of“outer king”.Chen Chong interpreted the Zhongyong to follow the court s promotion of Confucianism.Zhao Xiang revived Confucianism by advocating thoughts in the Zhongyong to denounce the heresies of Yang Zhu,Mo Di,Shen Buhai and Han Fei.It is the attention and admiration of these Confucian scholars that accelerated the spread of the Zhongyong,expanding its influence,and elevating its status in the Song Dynasty.Moreover,Tian Xi and Xing Bing s elaboration and promotion of the idea of“inner sage and outer king”,which is inherent in the Zhongyong,did not come from Buddhists,such as Monk Zhiyuan.On the contrary,Buddhists interest in the Zhongyong and using it as the textual evidence for the reconciliation of the Three Teachings had resulted from the influence of Confucians and the imperial court in the early Song dynasty.