王鳴盛年譜（上）

A Chronology of Wang Mingsheng's Life and Scholarship, Part One

王鳴盛（1722-1797）為清代經史巨擘，有關王氏學行事蹟，舊有黃文相《王西莊年譜》一編（1947）。顧其譜紀事頗多闕略，繫年亦時有譌誤。蓋王氏中歲以後所為文，並未結集付刻，致乾隆三十年以後，迄嘉慶二年卒，此三十餘年行實，黃譜所記寥寥。余曩為《王鳴盛西莊遺文輯存》，得集外文百五十篇；復參以其弟嗚韶《鶴谿文編》稿本、王氏世譜及《蛾術編》足本九十五卷等，諸書皆過去學者所未及引。今排比事實，條其歲月，別為是編，較黃氏舊譜不啻倍蓰過之。譜後附〈著述考略〉，各記其書譔著要旨及其版本，以備考鏡。

Wang Mingsheng ( 1722-1797) was a towering figure in the fields of philology and historical exegesis during the Qing Dynasty. The only extant chronology of Wang's life and scholarship is Huang Wenxiang's Wang Xizhuang Nianpu (Chronology of Wang Xizhuang), which was published in 1947. Nevertheless, Huang's work sustains many inadequate omissions, and many of the listed dates are erroneous. The work also provides little information on Wang Mingsheng's literary career between 1765 and 1979, namely from the middle of Wang's life to his death. This neglect may be due to the fact that, after 1765, Wang himself had not published any of his writings in collected form. Previously, I have compiled more than one hundred of Wang's scattered or unpublished essays into a study titled Xizhuang Yiwen Jicun. In the present article, I proceed to examine these writings, while cross-referencing Hexi Wenbian (The Essays of Hexi) by Wang Mingshao (assumed name: Wang Hexi), the brother of Wang Mingsheng. In addition, I utilize the genealogy of the Wang family and Wang Mingsheng's Yishu Bian (Essays of Ant-like Diligence), which includes exegesis studies. All of these sources have been overlooked by previous scholars. Having examined the literary and chronological evidences provided in the sources mentioned above, I am able to present a much more verified and updated chronology of Wang Mingsheng's life and works than Huang can offer. Finally, an Appendix, ''A Study of Wang Mingsheng's Works'' is added to this chronology to help readers understand the themes and editions of Wang's oeuvre.