Evidential Scholarship in the Qing Dynasty

Name: Evidential Scholarship in the Qing Dynasty
ISBN: 9787101135848

Sun QinshanZhonghua Book Company · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 358K words
Chapters: 50
ISBN: 9787101135848

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Summary

A pioneering monograph offering in-depth research and a comprehensive summary of Qing dynasty evidential scholarship. The book first surveys the history of classical Chinese philology and clearly defines the connotation and essence of kaozheng scholarship. Viewed within this new scientific definition, Qing evidential scholarship emerges as the culmination of ancient evidential studies, forming a distinct peak with richer, more complete content and distinguished by its focus on traditional philology (xiaoxue) and rapid development across many fields. The book examines the achievements of Qing evidential scholarship in successive chapters covering traditional philology (writing, phonology, and semantics), bibliography, textual criticism of editions, collation, authentication of forgeries, compilation of lost texts, and evidential study of ancient textual content. Each chapter is organized around selected thematic topics, with representative evidential scholars and their relevant achievements as subentries, summarized and discussed with detailed examples; historical comparisons are drawn to provide both diachronic and synchronic perspectives. On the widely debated causes of the flourishing of Qing evidential scholarship (political, economic, and scholarly), the book weighs and evaluates competing views, probes further, and offers its own interpretation. Regarding periodization and schools of Qing evidential scholarship, the book consults earlier general assessments of scholarship, avoids simplistic application, and proposes new views based on the characteristics of Qing evidential studies. The book concludes with an overall assessment of Qing evidential scholarship, establishing its historical position and contemporary significance.

Editor's review

Qing Dynasty Evidential Scholarship is another major work by Professor Sun Qinshan in the field of classical textual studies. The book systematically traces the development of Qing evidential scholarship, situating it within the broader context of Ming-Qing scholarly transition and revealing the inner intellectual logic and sociocultural motivations behind its rise. The author not only details the research methods and achievements of representative scholars such as Gu Yanwu, Dai Zhen, Qian Daxin, and Duan Yucai, but also incisively analyzes the practice and influence of evidential scholarship in the fields of classics, history, philosophy, and philology. The book's distinctive value lies in moving beyond simple academic history narrative to analyze evidential scholarship as a rigorous scholarly paradigm, explicating its core principle of "seeking truth from facts" and its empirical spirit of "no credence without verification." For understanding how Qing scholarship reached the pinnacle of traditional learning, and the profound influence of this scholarly paradigm on modern Chinese literary and historical research, the book offers clear and penetrating answers. With his deep grounding in textual scholarship, Professor Sun Qinshan combines broad vision with meticulous analysis of specific evidential cases, making this a work that is both authoritative and accessible as an introduction to and deepening of the field.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers and students interested in the history of ancient Chinese scholarship, especially the Ming-Qing scholarly transition.
University students in literature, history, and philosophy who wish to systematically understand evidential scholarship as a core research method.
Professionals engaged in the collation of ancient books and textual criticism who can draw methodological insights from the work.
Culturally minded readers with some grounding in traditional Chinese learning who wish to deepen their understanding of traditional scholarship.

Not a good fit for

Casual readers seeking light narrative reading or with no familiarity with the Qian-Jia school.
Readers expecting quick knowledge summaries or exam techniques rather than a deep understanding of scholarly reasoning.

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to grasp the overall framework and core arguments, then study the chapters in depth.
While reading, consult selected passages from classic evidential works mentioned in the book (such as the Ri Zhi Lu and the Shuowen Jiezi Zhu) to enhance concrete understanding.
Pay attention to the summaries and commentary at the end of each chapter, which concentrate the author's scholarly judgments and are crucial for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of evidential scholarship.

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

版权信息
第一章绪论
一清代考据学的名称、实质和内涵
二清代考据学的特点
第二章清代考据学兴盛的原因
一清代考据学的兴盛是对明代空疏学风批判的直接结果
二清代考据学是对中国考据学悠久历史传统的继承
三清代学者的学术自觉和务实学风选择了考据学并促进其发展
第三章清代考据学的分期和派别
一清代考据学的分期
二清代考据学的派别
第四章清代考据学成就之一：传统小学·文字
一清代考据学者既宗奉《说文解字》而又不迷信
二清代《说文》四大家
三利用出土古文字资料研究、补正《说文》
第五章清代考据学成就之二：传统小学·音韵
一继承传统，进一步明确语音的历史变化，彻底破除“叶韵”说
二对古韵的考证方法日益全面，对古韵系统的认识不断加深，古韵分部渐趋精密
三关于古声纽的研究
第六章清代考据学成就之三：传统小学·训诂
一因声求义，彻底走出“望文生义”的误区
二通贯群书，随文释训以确定字义
三字义辨析更加细致、精密
四归纳通例，演绎以求
第七章清代考据学成就之四：目录学
一目录成果丰富多彩，水平高超
二目录学理论和方法的发展
第八章清代考据学成就之五：版本学
一清代考据学在版本鉴别上的成就
二清代考据学在版本源流系统考证上的成就
三清代有关版本学的专著
第九章清代考据学成就之六：校勘学
一清代考据学者对校勘重要性的认识达到空前的高度
二清代考据学者对古文献致误的原因有更加清醒的认识
三清代考据学者校勘方法全面，运用灵活
四关于段玉裁与顾广圻校勘论争的启示
第十章清代考据学成就之七：辨伪学
一关于清代辨伪前后两峰、中间一谷的态势
二清代辨伪学在辨伪方法上的贡献
第十一章清代考据学成就之八：辑佚学
一清代辑佚发展的缘由和阶段
二清代辑佚考证严谨，方法全面，成果质量空前提高
第十二章清代考据学成就之九：古文献内容考实
一清代古文献内容考实发展概述
二清代古文献内容考实的特点和方法
第十三章清代考据学的历史地位和现代意义
一对清代考据学作总体评价，确定其历史地位，离不开比较
二清代考据学的历史地位和现代意义，可以从中国近现代著名学者的有关评价及其所受影响的视角观察
三清代考据学的历史地位和现代意义，还可从海外汉学家的汉学研究情况的视角观察
四清代考据学的珍贵价值及其存在的历史局限

FAQ

Is this book too difficult for non-specialist readers?

Although an academic work, the book is clearly written and emphasizes the tracing of contexts and explanation of concepts. Non-specialist readers with patience and some grounding in classical Chinese and history can certainly use it as a reliable introduction to Qing scholarship; beginning with chapters of interest is recommended.

What is Professor Sun Qinshan's standing in the field?

Sun Qinshan is a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, long devoted to classical textual studies, the collation of ancient books, and the history of scholarship, with particular expertise in Qing scholarship. His writings are rigorous and he enjoys a high reputation in the field. This book is a systematic summation of his research over many years and holds considerable scholarly reference value.

What distinguishes this book from other works of academic history?

The book's distinguishing feature is its analysis of evidential scholarship as a systematic "methodology," rather than merely cataloguing scholars' lives and works. It focuses on explaining the rise, flourishing, and evolution of evidential scholarship from the inner developmental logic of scholarly thought, offering a unique perspective and in-depth analysis.

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About the author

Sun Qinshan Author · Chinese · 1934

Sun Qinshan was born in March 1934 in Yantai, Shandong, with ancestral roots in Rushan, Shandong. He is a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. He previously served as director of the university's Institute of Ancient Chinese Documents and later as one of the chief editors of the Confucian Canon (Ruzang). His long-term research focuses on the study of ancient Chinese documents, with related interests in classical literature and intellectual culture. His works include A History of the Study of Ancient Chinese Documents, Annotated Collected Works of Gao Shi, and A Basic Explanation of the Analects, as well as the titles listed here: Annotated Translation of the Analects, Qing Dynasty Textual Scholarship, and New Annotations to the Analects. Aimed at readers of culture, history, and Eastern philosophy, these works combine rigorous textual collation and annotation with clear, readable exposition, balancing specialized scholarship with the popularization of Confucian classics.