《史記》的「微言」敘事──「書法不隱」與「隱」的統一

“Subtle Words with Significant Meaning” in the Records of the Grand Historian: Unifying the Narrative Techniques of “Writing Explicitly” and “Writing Obscurely”

司馬遷著《史記》的重大抱負之一，就是繼承孔子作《春秋》，而《春秋》「微言大義」的敘事方式，《史記》也繼承下來，並表現得遠為自由豐富，體現更多的表現手法。本文以書法「不隱」與「隱」的統一為核心，論述了《史記》「微言」的敘事對《春秋》的繼承與發展。二者雖同樣運用「微言」的敘事方式，但《史記》的「微言」更偏重「微而顯」，不致對《春秋》的「諱書」，流於遮掩真相，使史實趨於模糊。因此與「不虛美，不隱惡」的「實錄」原則也就統合得最為完美。亦即《史記》運用「微言」的敘事方式，反而是迂迴達成「書法不隱」的有效手法。本文也探討《史記》「微言」的不同表現手法，並以環繞著高帝與武帝的敘事為例，具體說明《史記》對何透過「微言」，暴露隱藏在最隱微之處的歷史真實，達到「不虛美，不隱惡」的史學成就﹔再以「不虛美，不隱惡」的堅實基礎，主現更高層次的「實錄」一一原始察終、通古今之變等目標。由於「微言」是在極大的現實壓力下的敘事方式，自然常會表現為「靡不寄託深遠，言辭驅藉。」因此讀者對《史記》「微言」所形成的難以捉摸的文章風格的解讀，要結合讀者對司馬遷歷史洞見的心領神會，深入「微言」背後的歷史情境，與史公的識見相遇。因此，要理解《史記》的文章成就，對「意」（內容）的理解，其重要性更在對「法」（形式）的理解之上。

In writing the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), Sima Qian aimed to follow the tradition of Confucius’s Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals). Therefore, Confucius’s rhetorical style of weiyan dayi (subtle words with significant meaning) can also be found in the Shiji, but in a much more vivid, and richer, manner. This essay focuses on the unification of the narrative techniques of “writing explicitly” and “writing obscurely” to examine how the Shiji continued and developed the Chunqiu’s use of weiyan dayi. Although the technique of weiyan dayi is employed in both texts, in the Shiji, there is a subtlety that is nevertheless revealing, whereas in the Chunqiu the truth is masked and historical facts are blurred. The Shiji adheres to the principle of “Calling-a-Spade-a-Spade” when recording affairs. Therefore, even though it uses the narrative technique of weiyan, the work nonetheless manages to achieve the ideal of “writing explicitly.”This article also explores the different ways weiyan is used in the Shiji, focusing on the narratives of the Emperors Gaodi and Wudi to explain how weiyan exposes hidden historical truth. Based on the firm foundation of the “Calling-a-Spade-a-Spade” principle, the text attains a sophisticated level of historical reportage by achieving the goals of yuanshi chazhong (thorough investigation) and tong gujin zhi bian (having a thorough knowledge of changes from antiquity to the present). Because weiyan is a narrative technique that was employed within a high-pressure environment, it is natural that the texts using it reveal profound emotions and rich connotations, containing words or phrases replete with implied deep meanings. To comprehend this elusive text, readers of the Shiji need to understand Sima Qian’s insight into history as well as the background context of weiyan. Therefore, in order to analyse and appreciate the achievement of the Shiji, one must not only understand its content, but more importantly, its form.