《中庸》新詮──祝賀中華民國一百年

A New Interpretation to Zhong Yong －Dedication for the Centenary of the Republic of China

《中庸》本是《禮記》之一篇，朱子取出與《論語》《孟子》《大學》合而為一，初稱「四子書」，後通名「四書」，又與五經併合而稱「四書五經」。從此之後，《中庸》由單篇文獻而升為專冊之書，而且成為儒家之基本經典，對宋明理學產生重大的影響。《中庸》這部書，雖不見謹嚴的組織結構，卻實有義理之綱維與思想之脈絡。本文將依朱子《中庸章句》之序，順原典而進行疏解。或取古義，或申新意，「無適無莫」，唯理是從。

Zhong Yong originally is a chapter of The Book of Rites. Zhu Xi took it out from the Book of Rites and combined it with The Analects of Confucius, Mencius and The Great Learning as The Four Books. And then this Four Books with The Five Classics are built as the Chinese common learning text, i.e. “Sishu wujing”(Four Books and Five Classics). Thereafter the single article “Zhong Yong” became as an independent monograph, even as a basic Classic for the Confucianism and made a big influence on the Neo- Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. The textual arrangement of Zhong Yong is not so well organized, but there is in reality a theoretical structure and the principle of thought. In this paper I will explicate and interpretate the philosophy of Zhong Yong in according to Zhu Xi's “Preface” to his Commentary to the Zhong Yong. I interpretate this text only along the appropriate reason, but not to concern it is a old interpretation or a new one.