王韬与19世纪西方汉学

Wang Tao and The Western Sinology in the 19th Century

王韬不仅是19世纪西方汉学肇兴与发展的重要参与者和共同建构者,也是此间西方汉学的一位重要评论者。王韬从中国本土文士/学者以及西方汉学参与建构者的双重立场,对西方汉学所作的观察评论,既有对个别汉学家个案式的观察评论,也有对西方汉学整体式的描述概括。而这在当时西方汉学界之外的中国知识分子当中,无疑是极为罕见的。而且,上述观察评论也是建立在比较明晰的“西方汉学”这一自觉意识和认知基础之上的。这一点,在王韬的时代不仅是独特的,也是超前的。

Wang Tao was not only an important participant and co-constructor in the rise and development of Western Sinology in the 19th century,but also an important commentator of Western Sinology in this period.As a local Chinese scholar and a participant in the construction of Western Sinology,Wang Tao made observations and comments on Western Sinology during this period in the way of both reviewing Sinologists’case studies and describing and summarizing Western Sinology as a whole.This was undoubtedly extremely rare among Chinese intellectuals outside the Western Sinology community at that time.Moreover,the above observations and comments were also based on a relatively clear self-consciousness and cognition of“Western Sinology”,which was unique and ahead of his times.