宋代经学影响下的士人身份认同与文体选择

Scholar Identity and Literary Genre Choice under the Influence of Song Dynasty Classical Studies

摘要: 本文探讨宋代经学转型对士人身份认同与文体选择的深层影响。宋代经学从汉唐注疏之学转向义理阐发，促使士人身份从记诵之儒转化为义理探求者与道德实践者，并因学派兴起而呈现群体化特征。士人在学者与文人双重身份间动态调适，形成“学者型文人”或“文人型学者”的普遍形态。身份认同直接驱动其文体选择，经义、经解、语录成为学者身份的核心载体，古文因载道功能与表达自由成为整合多重身份的理想文体，诗歌则融入理性思辨与学问积淀，形成“以议论为诗”“以学问为诗”的宋调特色。文章通过分析欧阳修、苏轼、朱熹等个案揭示思想、身份与文体三者的动态共生关系，阐明宋代士人在经学思潮与文体传统间的创造性转化，是宋代文化达到高峰的内在机理。

Abstract: This article examines the profound impact of the transformation of Classical Studies in the Song Dynasty on scholar identity and literary genre choice. Shifting from the exegetical and textual commentary focus of the Han and Tang eras toward an emphasis on philosophical principle and moral introspection, Song Classical Studies prompted scholars to reconceive their identity from masters of memorization to seekers of principles and practitioners of morality. This identity was further concretized and collectivized through the rise of scholarly schools. Scholars dynamically negotiated between their identities as learned scholars and literati, commonly embodying a hybrid “scholar-literati” or “literati-scholar” persona. This identity negotiation directly drove their choice of literary genres: interpretive essays, commentaries, and recorded sayings became core textual forms for the scholarly identity; ancient-style prose, valued for its capacity to convey moral principles and expressive freedom, became the ideal genre for integrating multiple identities; and poetry was infused with rational discourse and erudition, giving rise to distinctive Song poetic features such as “using argumentation in poetry” and “using learning in poetry”. Through case studies of figures like Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Zhu Xi, the article reveals the dynamic interplay between intellectual thought, identity formation, and genre selection. It argues that the creative adaptation of scholars amidst the currents of Classical Studies and literary traditions constituted the internal mechanism behind the cultural zenith achieved in the Song Dynasty.