《論語‧陽貨》「子曰：『小子何莫學夫《詩》』」章新銓

Rethinking the Chapter Yang-Huo of the Analects: Confucius said, “My young friends, why do you not study the odes?”

若說亞里斯多德的《詩學》表彰了悲劇的模仿、修辭與淨化作用，那麼孔子的「詩學」用意何在？關於《論語‧陽貨》所載「子曰：『小子何莫學夫《詩》』」章，一般以為孔子在此所論應當是一種閱讀理論或批評方法。然而，從《論語‧泰伯》所載之「興於《詩》，立於禮，成於樂。」來看，《詩》的重要性之於孔子，就不應該只是做為一個詮釋文本而已。基本上，孔子思想的重心在於仁，仁是「鳥獸不可與同群」的重要指標，可以說是人文化成的優質「文化」核心。孔子的詩學是一種文化詩學。此「文化」內涵包括了加達默爾在《真理與方法》中所討論的幾個人文主義概念：教化、共通感、判斷力及趣味。孔子的詩教雖不能單獨承擔一己生命美學之造就的全部，但少了詩教，其後的人生道路必難以達到「成於樂」的境界。本文嘗試重新解讀「子曰：『小子何莫學夫《詩》』」章；「《詩》可以興、觀、群、怨」是一種文化心理情感的人文教養，基本上是「美學的」；「事父事君」是「倫理的」；而「鳥獸草木之名」則是「知識的」，三者息息相關，缺一不可。而此章之核心價值，在於孔子意欲造就門徒成為一個有「美感」的「人」，成為一個「美感的人」，才能「不偏不倚」地事父事君，才可能進一步「游於藝」、游於知識之中，終至於「從心所欲不踰矩」之「自由」之境。

Generally, researchers believe that the text ' My young friends, why do you not study the odes?' in the Chapter Yang-Huo of the Analects is but a theory of reading or method of criticism. However, according to the Chapter Tai-Po, it says: 'Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.' the importance of poetry to Confucius should not be just a text interpretation of poetry and teaching poetry. the poetics of Confucius can be a cultural poetics. And its content, in fact, corresponds to the humanistic ideas included in Truth and Method of Hans-Georg Gadamer: Training, sensus communis, the ability of judgment and taste. Although this is not poetic enough training to become a person of good taste, without it we will never attain a world of 'follow my heart's desire without transgressing moral principles.” This article tries to reinterpret the text 'l My young friends, why do you not study the odes?'. As for 'The odes can stimulate your emotions…' is essentially aesthetic; 'They help you in your immediate service to your parents…' is ethical and 'They widen your acquaintance with the names of birds…' is epistemological. But the focus is on the aesthetics. Confucius taught his disciples to be a man with aesthetic sensibility in order to appreciate their life and be a man “could follow my heart's desire without transgressing moral principles.”