从《表记》《坊记》的内容和形式看子思的思想“转换”

The Transformation of Zisi’s Thought from the Observation on the Content and Argumentative Style of the“Biaoji”and the“Fangji”Chapters in the Liji(the Notes on Rituals)

20世纪末以来的新出土文献带来了新的知识与见解。笔者基于此新知见,对孟子性善论的形成过程有一系列论考。本文即其中探讨《子思子》的《表记》《坊记》的部分。《中庸》古层和《缁衣》阶段的子思思想对人内在的关心十分稀少,但《表记》中关于“仁”的论述成为了将“行”二分为“形于内”与“不形于内”的《五行》思想之基础。另一方面,《坊记》中一边以“礼”为“民之坊”,一边也意识到了“礼”之功能的限制性,从而显示出往《中庸》新层之“诚”思想迈进的前阶段。后期的子思思想是在对人内在怀有强烈兴趣的基础之上成立的,这种转换的轨迹可见于《表记》《坊记》二篇。

This article is the sixth in the series from my studies on the formation of Mencius’theory of“Human nature is good”,utilizing the Guodian Chu Bamboo manuscripts,which was excavated in the early 1990s.In this article,I will elucidate certain features of thought as well as its argumentative style of the“Biaoji”and the“Fangji”Chapters in the Liji(the Notes on Rituals).From our analysis of the thought in part of the older layer of the Doctrine of Mean and the Chapter“Ziyi(Black robe)”,their possible author Zisi,a grandson of Confucius,seemed to have little interest in any inner elements in a human(mind/heart).On this basis,this article advances this line of analysis toward the thought of Chapter“Biaoji(Notes on standard)”,and finds out the fact that its argument about the concept of ren(humanity and benevolence)should constitute a foundation for the thought of Wuxing(Five virtues),which human practices can be divided into“manifested”and“not manifested”in inner part of human mind/heart.On the other hand,the authors of Chapter“Fangji(Note on dykes)”considered of the rituals and social norms as a barrier which would protect people from evil.But since they were also conscious of a limit of its function,their argument was almost about to take a further step toward the formation of the idea of“cheng(sincerity/co-creativity)”of the new layer of thought in the Doctrine of Mean.In the later period of the thought of Zisi shows his strong interest in the inner quality in the human mind/heart.In sum,it is by means of this close reading of the“Biaoji”and the“Fangji”Chapters that we can trace the process of the transformation of Zisi’s thought.