黃俊傑的中國歷史思維觀

A Study of Chun-chieh Huang’s View on Chinese Historical Thinking

本文從三個方面對黃俊傑教授的中國歷史思維觀進行了分析與探討。第一部分「歷史是中國人的在方式」。黃俊傑教授認為，中國人浸潤在歷史之中，歷史意識發達，是徹徹底底的歷史人，歷史為中國人提供了生命的方向，中國人亦在歷史中得以安身立命。第二部分「即史實而求史義」。黃教授指出，中國傳統史學源於《春秋》的立言精神，有著悠久的經史貫通傳統，其史實與史義、事實判斷與價值判斷合而為一，中國傳統的歷史思維方式主要以具體性思維方式和模擬性思維方式為主，這兩種思維方式是一體兩面的關係，且以隱喻和以偏例全為其特徵。第三部分「史學所以經世」。黃教授認為，中國傳統史學以經世為目標，傳統史學中的反事實性思維方式、時間可逆性與古今互為主體性、聖賢典範、直書傳統等都是為了以史為鑒，從而達到鑒古而知今，述往而經世的目標。

This paper analyzes and discusses three points in Chun-chieh Huang’s view of Chinese historical thinking. First, “It is through history that the Chinese people exist.” Huang believes that the Chinese are immersed in history and have a strong historical consciousness. They are historical people from the inside out. History pointed out a direction in life for the Chinese. The Chinese could settle themselves and discover their callings through history. Second, “immerse in historical facts and pursue the meanings of history.” According to Huang, traditional Chinese historiography stemmed from the spirit of “expounding ones ideas in writing” (liyan) in the Spring and Autumn Annals. It comes from a tradition where the classics and the annals were intertwined, where historical facts and their interpretations, as well as factual judgment and value judgment, were combined. Chinese historical thought is comprised primarily of concrete and theoretical thinking. These two modes of thinking are two sides of one coin. They are characterized by metaphor and metonymy. Third, “history is the principle of managing the world.” Huang believes that the ultimate goal of traditional Chinese historiography is to “manage the world.” The counterfactual mode of thinking, the reversibility of time, the inter-subjectivity between the past and present, the exemplary sages and saints, the tradition of faithful documentation in traditional Chinese historiography made it possible to use history as a mirror so that one could understand the present by examining the past and manage the world by narrating events in the past.