新見明儒湛若水〈格物之說〉手蹟的文本問題與文獻價值

The Newly Discovered Manuscript of Zhan Ruoshui's Poem, “Explaining the Investigation of Things,”: Its Textual Problems and Significance

在明代中葉的整體性社會劇變中，湛若水和王陽明是儒學思想領域引人矚目的明星組合，兩人既在反思和批判作為意識形態的朱子學說上密切合作，同時又在探索和引領儒學思想新方向上互為有力競爭對手。新見湛若水「書付君恪」〈格物之說〉手蹟，是其在正德末年書贈廣東西樵山講學門人鄧眕的一首五言古詩，主要概括了他對《大學》「格物」概念相異於王陽明的最新看法。通過對手蹟題識「與世傑格物之說」在湛、王有關「格物」論辯脈絡中所處位置的考察，可以確認該詩正是二人長期圍繞探索儒學思想新方向所產生的分歧與競爭的關鍵文本之一。作為物化形式出現和存在的五言古詩〈格物之說〉之手蹟，為在具體歷史情境中觀察湛、王學術互動提供了一個間接視角，這是從多種明代文獻收錄的該詩文字中難以解讀出來的信息，文獻編刊時的例行加工使得該詩脫離其初始產生和反復使用的語境，僅僅作為泛泛解釋「格物」的論學之作而存在。

 

Amidst the dramatic shifts that took place across the social order in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Zhan Ruoshui and Wang Yangming are leading lights that command our attention in the field of Confucian thought. The two cooperated closely in reflecting on and critiquing Zhu Xi’s theories, which had become the dominant ideology. And they led the way as competitors in pursuing new avenues in Confucian thought. The newly discovered manuscript of Zhan’s poem “(Written for [Deng] Junke,) Explaining the Investigation of Things” is a five-character “old-style” poem that he send to his disciple Deng Zhen. The poem generally summarizes Zhan’s views on the “investigation of things” found in the text of the Great Learning, in contrast with Wang Yangming’s newest positions on the subject. Written in response to Deng’s piece, “Explaining the Investigation of Things with [Chen] Shijie,” and against the background of Zhan and Wang positioning themselves in the debates around the “investigation of things,” this poem is certainly one of the key documents in the ongoing exchanges between these two men on one of the most contentious and divisive issues that emerged in Confucian intellectual trends of the day. The survival of this five-character old-style poem, “Explaining the Investigation of Things,” provides us with an indirect perspective on the scholarly interactions between Zhan and Wang in a specific historical context. The precious message inherent in the material form of his calligraphy was lost because only the words were preserved in later publications. This article will bring the message to light by analyzing the calligraphy and its other material aspects.