绵延与统合之力:先秦人文时空论纲

The Power of Extension and Integration: The Pre-Qin Humanistic Space-time

时间与空间,是构成人类历史的两大基本要素。探索先秦自然时空与人文时空及其相互作用,有助于深入阐明中华文明的起源及其基本特征。黄河流域四季分明的物候特征与北斗七星的规律变化,促使先民很早就建立了最初的时间系统;伴随着农业生产与祭祀的发展与需要,先秦时间不仅日益精确化与抽象化,而且统一的时间主轴随之形成。新石器时代六大文化区系共存于一个完整的地理单元之中,形成了背对高原、面向海洋的“两半”格局,而中原文化区恰居于中心区域,处于各文化区的结合处。这一格局及其中的山川形胜、气候物产等蕴藏着无限的物质力量与统合形势。生活在这个完整地理单元之中的各族先民,在碰撞、融合的过程中日益辐辏于统一的时间主轴与空间中心之下,此即先秦中国人文时空的最大特征:统一的时间主轴与通变思维相辅而行,蕴蓄着无限的绵延之力;差异互补的自然空间与大一统的人文空间相生相成,产生出巨大持久的统合力量。深沉的人文时空一旦形成,便与民族文化历史的特殊性、独立性、超越性相互作用,共同塑造着中华民族的心智结构、精神情怀,形成深沉而恢弘的绵延与统合之力。

Time and space are the two basic elements that constitute human history. Exploring the pre Qin natural space-time and humanistic space-time and their interaction will help to further clarify the origin and basic characteristics of Chinese civilization. The distinctive phenological characteristics of the four seasons in the Yellow River basin and the regular changes of the Big Dipper prompted the ancestors to establish the initial time system very early. With the development of agricultural production and sacrifice,time is not only becoming more accurate and abstract,but also a unified time axis is formed. The six major cultural regions of the Neolithic Age coexisted in a complete geographical unit,forming a "two halves" pattern backed by the plateau and facing the sea with the Central Plains cultural area as the center at the junction of various cultural areas. This pattern,as well as the mountains and rivers,climate and products,contains unlimited material power and integrated situation. The ancestors of all ethnic groups living in this complete geographical unit increasingly converged under the unified time axis and space center in the process of collision and integration,which is the biggest feature of the pre-Qin China’s humanistic space-time: the unified time axis and flexible thinking complement each other,containing infinite stretching power;The complementary natural space and the unified human space coexist in each other,producing a huge and lasting unifying force. Once the deep humanistic space-time is formed,it interacts with the particularity,independence and transcendence of national cultural history,jointly shaping the mental structure and spiritual feelings of the Chinese nation,and forming a deep and magnificent stretch and integration force.