明清儒者對性氣二分說的解構及其思想史意義

若欲將明清時期儒學視為一整體進行探討，學界對其共同特性的討論仍未充分展開。本文則沿著宋元時期儒道都共同肯認的義理之性／氣質之性二分的思考架構出發，指出不管是明代的復古文學論者如王廷相，或清代的考據學者如戴震等人，都不約而同試圖解構此性／氣二分的思考架構，並批判與此說法互為表裡的理氣論及成聖工夫論。如王廷相以元氣論批判朱子的理氣論，或戴震以血氣心知為性而批判義理之性的存在。若考察為何此時期的儒者會提出這些說法，則語言對思想的影響、以及對語言之歷史性的重視，是促成他們或藉由文體改革、或重視各核心概念的古音古義考據，並以此為論據來解構宋儒受梵語世界觀影響而建構出的理氣、性氣二分架構的合理性。從這個角度出發，則明清儒學在中國思想史中具有的意義，應可得到更進一步的認識。

If explorations that treat Confucian scholarship from the Ming and Qing dynasties as a unified entity are to become viable, much work remains to be done in unpacking and discussing the common characteristics of the Confucianisms of these two epochs. The starting point of the present paper is a theoretical framework based on the duality between inherent nature and conditioned nature that was largely accepted by Confucians of both the Song and Yuan dynasties. This paper then indicates that, without there being any coordination underlying their efforts, Ming dynasty literary archaists such as Wang Tingxiang王廷相(1474-1544) and Qing dynasty hermeneutists, exemplified by Dai Zhen戴震(1724-1777), all made attempts at deconstructing the dualistic inherent nature/conditioned nature framework, while also being critical of the Song dynasty theory of li-qi理氣(principles and vital force) as well as the praxes for achieving sagehood of that era. For instance, Wang Tingxiang used the theory of primordial, namely yuan元, qi to criticize Zhu Xi’s li-qi theory, while Dai Zhen relied upon the notion that human nature comes from blood, qi, and mental consciousness to argue against the existence of inherent nature. When studying the reasons Confucians in these two periods proposed the above arguments, we find that their recognition of the influence exerted by language on thought, as well as the importance they placed on the historicity of language, impelled them to either undertake literary genre reforms or to perform textual criticisms based on the ancient pronunciations and meanings of Chinese ideograms in each of the core concepts they addressed. They thereupon used these advances as the basis for deconstructing the rationales underlying the Song dynasty Confucians’concepts of li-qi and inherent nature/conditioned nature, both of which were built upon the worldview originating in texts that had been translated into Chinese from Sanskrit. As they worked from such starting points, Confucian scholars of the Ming and Qing dynasties made meaningful contributions to China’s intellectual history that call for deeper understanding.