Wang Chong "Lun heng" xin tan =: Reinvestigation on Lunheng of Wang Chong

M.Phil.Lunheng（論衡） is the only extant work from Wang Chong（王充 27-100）, renowned Eastern Han philosopher, in the contemporary society. In the autobiography Ziji（自紀）,Wang Chong portrayed it as a book written due to his “dissatisfaction with the many deceitful books and popular literature devoid of veracity and （傷偽書俗文多不實誠）. Consequently, Lunheng has been generally interpreted as a work that embodies the spirit of “criticism on fictions and （疾虛妄） in various academic fields. On the other hand, Wang Chong has become a significant representative in philosophical history of Han with his acclaimed status as a realist evincing an avid interest in the criticism to falsehood and pursuit of truth. However, the assumption of such writing aspiration proves to be inadequate to the interpretation of the text, for there are considerable contents unrelated to “criticism on fictions and falsehood” in Lunheng. Second, plenty of debates and discussions in Lunheng suggest that Wang Chong lacks actual concerns for reason and truth. To a certain extent, such discourses even reveal the opposite of such readiness. In view of the doubts regarding this persisting premise, the present impartial discourse of Wang Chong’s thoughts and his historical image is thus challenged and awaits vigorous reinvestigation.This thesis attempts to carry out such reinvestigation and mainly involves four chapters. The first chapter begins with the reappraisal of the study of Wang Chong’s social stratum as its approach, hoping to discover the emotional foundation that the writing rests on and the basic concerns of Wang Chong as a scholar and a minor government official. The second chapter revolves around the articles related to “criticism on fictions and falsehood”, targeting at the inspection of the modus of the criticism in Lunheng, as well as the Wang Chong’s writing intention and values refracted from it. The third chapter centers on the last seven chapters of Lunheng, in which they reflect the ultimate ambition and related contestations with traditional Confucianist values of the author. The fourth and final chapter investigates the source of credibility that underlies the criticism and thought of Wang Chong, so as to reveal the gist of its philosophical characteristics and historical meaning. This thesis aims to establish a new and consistent interpretation for Lunheng, present an objective picture of Wang Chong’s thoughts, and give a proper evaluation to its importance.《論衡》是東漢王充（27-100）惟一傳世著作，據全書總序〈自紀〉篇所述，《論衡》是因為「傷偽書俗文多不實誠」而撰作，〈佚文〉篇又謂「《論衡》篇以十數，亦一言也，曰『疾虛妄』」。故此《論衡》歷來多以「疾虛妄」為宗旨的著作定位進入各個範疇的研究領域，王充亦以一位考實辨虛的務實學者之身分成為漢代思想史上重要的哲人代表。然而細審文本，書中固然有不少與「疾虛妄」無關的篇章，王充的議論亦呈現了對於事理、事實並無真切關懷的現象，部分論述甚至與所謂「疾虛妄」的思想宗旨背道而馳。準此，「疾虛妄」能否概括《論衡》一書的宗旨而由此而來有關王充其人及其《論衡》思想的研究，乃至於其歷史定位的結論就有亟待重探的必要了。本文之撰，旨在重探王充著述《論衡》的真正動機及其反映的思想特色，全文分為四個主要章節。第一章由王充的社會階層切入以展開討論，通過考察書中反映其士、吏的身分之視域以考見王充撰作的緣起。第二章進一步剖析《論衡》「疾虛妄」作品的形式特點與其所能說明的著述動機及價值取態。第三章聚焦探討全書最後七篇作品，以揭示王充著書的終極關懷及其與傳統儒家思想的矛盾與張力。第四章考察王充在書中實現其終極關懷時，其論述與思考背後的價值根據，並藉此抉發王充思想的時代特徵與意義。本文期望通過對《論衡》文本的細讀、爬疏，組織一個新的、貫通全書的詮釋方式，藉以更客觀地呈現王充真實的思想面貌，並對王充其人及其書予以適切的歷史評價。陳子星."2020年4月".Parallel title from English abstract.Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2020.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 282-294).Abstract also in English.Title from PDF title page (viewed on March 2, 2022).Chen Zixing