妙玉與「帖」以及其命運——兼論大觀園秩序之崩潰

A Study on Miaoyu and the“Tie”: the Collapse of the Order in the Daguan Garden and the Fate of Miaoyu in The Dream of the Red Chamber

《紅樓夢》前八十回當中對於妙玉此一人物的形塑，所費筆墨不多，只提及五次，當中正寫兩次、側寫三次，足以勾勒出其鮮明形象，令讀者印象深刻；又以「帶寫」、「暗描」等手法突顯出妙玉作為「世外人」的身份，與其他紅塵中人作對照。而又正因對妙玉的描寫不多，對人物的把握容易落於偏頗，在歷來對妙玉的研究當中不難發現其形象偏向負面，尤其對其判詞中「欲潔何曾潔」的錯誤解讀，以及受後四十回續書的影響，一些評論家評價妙玉是滿懷情欲、淫欲的修行者。本文意就妙玉的人物形象與小說家對其的塑造意義進行重省，藉由與妙玉相關的「帖」串聯出其生命歷程與命運安排並進行討論：首先透過請帖與拜帖，分析妙玉的身世、性情，以及與寶玉之間的微妙關係；繼而透過象徵大觀園情欲入侵的「大紅雙喜箋帖」，討論妙玉的悲劇命運與大觀園秩序崩潰之間的連結，再以妙玉對生命的主體性追求中看其悲劇命運。透過對妙玉的人物分析可發現妙玉的「何曾潔」、「未必空」體現於其天生性情以及出身階級而形成的價值判斷中，無涉於情欲；而妙玉的角色意義是同時與寶玉、黛玉二人於性情、命運上互相映襯和對照，妙玉與寶、黛分別映襯出「罕」、「潔」的性格特質，而於命運上，與寶玉有出世、入世互換之對照，與黛玉則是選擇「在家」、「出家」的不同方向均無法避免命運悲劇之對照。

The shaping of Miaoyu's character in the first 80 Chapters of The Dream of the Red Chamber requires only five mentions, including two direct and three indirect descriptions, her vivid image is portrayed with skillful techniques, such as ''partial portrayal'' and ''indirect depiction'', highlighting her identity as a ''hermit'' in contrast to other worldly characters. However, due to the limited portrayal of Miaoyu, there have been biased interpretations of her character, throughout the past research on Miaoyu, it is quite obvious that she had a negative inclination in her portrayal, particularly with regards to the misinterpretation of her famous quote ''desiring to be pure but never achieving purity''. Influenced by the continuation of the novel in the later 40 chapters, some critics even regarded Miaoyu as a lustful ascetic. This paper re-examines Miaoyu's character and the author's intentions, by analyzing the ''Tie'' related to Miaoyu, and discussing her life and fate. Firstly, through examining the Ming Tie and Bai Tie related to Miaoyu, her background and temperament, as well as her subtle relationship with Baoyu, are revealed. Then, by analyzing the symbolic ''Double Happiness Red Paper'', which represents the invasion of desire in The Daguan Garden, the connection between Miaoyu’s tragic fate and the collapse of The Daguan Garden's order is explored. Furthermore, it examines Miaoyu's pursuit of subjectivity in her own life and how it relates to her tragic fate. Through the analysis of Miaoyu's character, it becomes evident that the phrases '' never achieving purity '' and '' not necessarily empty'' manifest in her innate temperament and the value judgments formed by her social class, unrelated to romance and sexual feeling. The significance of Miaoyu's role is revealed in her complementary and contrasting relationship with Baoyu and Daiyu in terms of their temperament and fate. Miaoyu share the character traits of ''rarity'' with Baoyu, and share ''purity'' with Daiyu. In terms of their fate, the contrast between them, embody in Miaoyu's interchanges with Baoyu, transitioning between a worldly and reclusive life, while Miaoyu and Daiyu’s choices regarding ''staying at home'' or ''entering a religious life'', both ultimately facing unavoidable tragic fates.