编年体史籍的时间结构

The time structure of historical records in chronological style

编年体时间框架的建构,是以自然时间作为轴心,主要包括著作的主体时间的定位与内容编排中时间链的组合两个方面。其中主体时间是核心,作用是规范著作的框架与范围,保持著作的整体性;时间链不仅具有提挈内容,规范内容时间的作用,还具有强化叙事顺序的功能。然而,中国古代的编年史家不是简单地依照自然时间的顺序来排列其著作时序,经他们笔下建构的时间,虽有反映自然时间的一面,但也有为了主观叙事需要,改变时序,将时间错置,使其出现变异形态的现象,以寓含史家深层的历史思维。由于时间链有相对的自闭性,常割裂史事,因而使编年体无法成为主导性的史学体裁。

Time framework of chronological style, with natural time as its axle center, consists of the orientation of subjective time and the combination of time chain in the arrangement of main content of the historical records. The subjective time, as the heart of the work, can regulate the extent of framework for the work in its entirety. The time chain not only gives guidance to main content and regulates its time, but also intensifies narrative order. However, chroniclers in ancient China arrange the time order of their works not only according to natural time, but sometimes,in order to meet the need of subjective narration, they change the time order to lead to a variant form for their in-depth historical thinking. As time chain with self-enclosure characteristic often separates historical events into fragments, chronological style can't dominant over the literary form.