刘禾“国民性神话”论的指谓错置

On the Erroneous Statement of Liu He's "Mythology of National characteristics

本文论证刘禾的“国民性神话”论主旨在“跨语际”批评下对中国近代思想和文学进行颠覆性的后殖民批评 ,忽视了中国近代据英文引入的国民性观念及其定义、中国儒文化传统观念向国民性、国民性改造观念的汇聚 ,而将西方殖民主义所“构建”的本质主义的“国民性神话”指认为中国近代的国民性观念 ,属于指谓错置。论述近代中国流行的国民性观念主要是梁启勋由英文引入并定义的国民性观念 ,它引入和定义之初便排除了本质主义。之前 ,中国儒文化中早已存在着含义与之接近的诸如“民性”、“移风易俗”、“变化气质”等观念。到晚清它们一起汇聚到国民性、国民性改造观念之中 ,实现了传统观念的现代转换。

Liu He's discussion on 'mythology of national characteristics' is to make post-colonial criticism subversive on the modern thoughts and literature in China under the background of 'cross Languages ' criticism. However, Liu is wrong to make the 'mythology' structured by western colonialism equal to its modern Chinese concept, because he ignores its English-based definition, as well as the flocking of traditional Chinese Confucian concepts to the national and transformed concepts. This article also shows that the popular modern Chinese concept of national characteristics is introduced and defined by Liang Qixin from English language. The essentialism of the West is excluded in the beginning of the introduction. As a matter of fact, before this introduction, there existed in traditional Chinese culture some concepts similar to national characteristics, such as 'nature of people', 'transforming established social traditions', and 'temperament transformation', which gathered themselves into the concept of national characteristics in late Qing Dynasty. This was of practical significance because it met the need of Chinese reality and enlightening thoughts by switching the traditional concepts to modern ones.