西方易学研究发展的四个阶段——以《易经》的性质为中心

Four Stages in the Studies of the Book of Changes in the West:Centered on the Nature of the Classic

耶稣会士来华揭开了“西学东渐”和“东学西渐”的序幕,掀起了西方研《易》释《易》的高潮,并且促使西方易学研究渐成一家之言。虽然以往研究多以时间为线索,对《易经》的译介史进行梳理和回顾,但是目前学界对《易经》西传专题性、系统性的分析研究还稍显薄弱。若以《易经》的性质为中心,西方易学的发展可以分为四个阶段:索隐期将《易经》视为“东方的《圣经》”;过渡期产生历史典籍和智慧之书的分野;成熟期回归元典“卜筮之书”与“哲理之书”并重;多元发展期追本溯源强调“不可为典要”。这四个时期划分的主要依据是《易经》在西方的译介和接受过程中所经历的由神学到汉学再到哲学的三次翻转。虽然在学理研究中这四个时期相互独立,但在实际历史进程中它们又紧密相连。西方易学发展的梗概由此被勾勒出来,以史为鉴观其一隅,进而省思当代易学的国际化进路。

Since the Jesuits coming to China opened the prelude to the“eastward transmission of Western learnings”,a wave of studying and interpreting the Book of Changes had been set off in the West,and the academic works on this Confucian classic have formed a school of its own.Although previous studies have reviewed and arranged the history of translation and introduction of the Book of Changes in chronological order,there still lack monographic studies and systematic analysis on the westward transmission of the Book of Changes.If we centered on the nature of the Book of Changes,the studies of the classic can be seen as experienced four stages of development.In the period of annotation and textual criticism,the Book of Changes was regarded as the eastern Bible;in the transitional period,there generated the differentiation between historical documents and book of wisdom;in the mature period,the Book of Changes as a classic of divination and a classic of philosophy was paid equal attention again;and in the period of pluralistic development,the studies traced the source and emphasized that the settled principle or regulation should not be regarded as immutable standard.The division of those four stages is mainly based on the three turns from theology to sinology and then to philosophy in the process of translation and acceptance of the Book of Changes in the West.Although the four stages were mutually independent in a sense of academics,they were closely correlated in actual historical process.Then the research course of the Book of Changes in Western academia can be outlined.Furthermore,it will help us to reflect the international approach of contemporary studies of the Book of Changes.