英文摘要 |
From the inception of the Han dynasty, the Chinese classics gradually began to receive greater attention from the elite. ''Mastering the classics for practical affairs'' became the aspiration for all up-and-coming Confucians. Former Han Confucians' interpretations of the classics may not have been identical to Confucius' ''original meaning,'' but this did not prevent them from forging a unique historical view through their exegesis of the classics and their construction of Confucius' image. Among the classics, the Classic of Poetry (Shijing 詩經) is perhaps the hardest to expound. As Dong Zhongshu once said,''there is no definitive explanation for the Classic of Poetry.'' By exploring how Confucians in the Former Han interpreted the Classic of Poetry, it is possible to discern the development of tendency toward ''fabling meaning'' in their exposition of the classics. In the Classic of Poetry, the poem ''Guan Ju'' is crucial; not only does it serve as the first poem in the ancient anthology, but it was also specifically praised by Confucius in the Analects. Therefore, in order to understand how the Classic of Poetry became used in statecraft during the Han dynasty, researchers need to assess the importance of ''Guanju'' and explore the zeitgeist it represents under the historical structure framed by Former Han Confucians. This article takes ''Guanju'' as an entry point. It first examines the common purport of ''Guanju'' as expressed by the four schools of Classic of Poetry exegesis in the Former Han. It then compares this common purport with the Han Confucian exegesis of the Spring and Autumn Annals in an effort to review the textual nature of the Classic of Poetry. Finally, it discusses how Confucians of the Former Han made classical exegesis the theoretical cornerstone of their political practice. |