清代的疆域擴張與經學

清代西北擴張的討論，多以道光年間以降的西北史地之學為主，但疆域的擴張涉及《尚書》、《周禮》等經書。所以，本文擬就《尚書》、《周禮》和《公羊傳》等經書的清人詮釋，討論清代的疆域擴張如何牽動經學的解釋。譬如中國歷代對〈禹貢〉的詮釋，須與疆域的增減相對應。但清朝疆域的擴張，已與〈禹貢〉難以嵌合，〈禹貢〉不再能等於「中國」。此外，清代中期以後崛起的今文經學、公羊學中「大一統」論述的流行，或亦可與疆域的擴張合觀，而清末梁啟超提出的「小三世」中的「太平世」，更與疆域擴張有關。清代疆域的擴張使得士人自信心大增，故其對古代經書的理解有所改變，詮釋的重心由〈禹貢〉轉變成「堯封」，產生了「提一格」的現象。這類現象在當時頗不罕見，使得人們日常生活中的歷史意識往上提了一個時間層，所涉及的不只是經書，而且包含許多先秦古籍的解釋。

When looking for contemporary understanding of the Qing dynasty’s expansion in the Northwest, scholars often pay attention to the historical and geographical studies emerged in the Daoguang period. What is under-explored, however, is the interaction between territorial expansion and interpretations of the Classics in the Qing. This article looks into interpretations of the Book of Documents (Shangshu), the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), and Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu gongyang zhuan), and discusses the influence of territorial changes on them. One of the most notable examples is the“Tribute of Yu”chapter in Shangshu, that outlines the boundary of China. The Qing’s vast expansion made it difficult to reconcile the difference between the classical definition of the Chinese world and the territorial reality of the Eurasian empire. On the other hand, the Qing’s territorial gain also produced a cultural optimism, under which scholars compared the achievements of the present dynasty to ideals depicted in the Classics. Liang Qichao, for example, praised the rule of Qing as a lesser version of the era of great peace (taiping shi) depicted in the Chunqiu gongyang zhuan. Such optimism also led to a shift of focus from the“Tribute of Yu”to the imaginary realm of Yao, an earlier sage king depicted in the Classics. The pursuit of loftier cultural ideals, I argue, reflects a broader transformation in historical consciousness and sense of time, which eventually brought fundamental changes in the understanding of not only the Classics but also other ancient texts.