Literary Men and Intellectual Transformations in Tang China (Revised Edition)

中晚唐思想變化是本書作者三十年來最主要的研究課題。
本書涵蓋中唐儒家復興的各主要論題，並展現其來由與發展過程，
正是作者學術生涯的重要里程碑。

中國思想在唐宋之際發生了深刻──可說是劃時代──的變化。本書從多個角度考察唐代思想的演進以及此一巨變的形成，希望重建一個動態、立體的歷史過程。

本書探討唐宋之際思想巨變的起點：安史亂後的儒家復興，尤其著重文人與儒家復興的關係；全書分為「總說」和「分論」兩部分。「總說」一篇為針對中唐思想變化起源與性質的大規模、長時期、結構性論述。「分論」九篇則是相關具體問題的探討，內容涉及中古心靈的基調，六、七世紀（南北朝末期至唐初）的思想狀態，安史亂後的文人心態，中晚唐古文運動與儒家復興，中晚唐文人與經學，以及唐代思想變化的社會文化背景。

本書運用了現代歷史學的各種研究取向，包括：個人思想分析、觀念史、個人與集體心態考察、思想的社會史、知識社群研究等取徑；論述內容涵蓋佛教、道教、儒家學說、文學思想、思想的社會關聯，是隋代至唐末五代思想史點與面兼顧的探索和解釋。

Literary Men and Intellectual Transformations in Tang China, by Jo-shui Chen, Distinguished Professor of History, National Taiwan University, is a major study of intellectual change in China from the eighth to the eleventh century. The subject of this book pertains to the Tang-Song transition, which is widely viewed as one of the greatest historical changes in

China before the coming of Western powers in the late nineteenth century. On the intellectual side, one major outcome of this all-important transformation was the emergence of a new type of Confucianism that evolved into the cultural orthodoxy of late imperial China. This new approach to Confucianism fundamentally altered the previous intellectual order, which had been much more diverse in structure and had included key roles for both Buddhism and Taoism (mainly in the form of the Taoist religion).

In the book, Professor Chen focuses on the earlier phases of these intellectual changes, roughly, from the middle of the eighth century to the late ninth century, corresponding to the middle and late periods of the Tang Dynasty (609-907). He finds that two main strains of thought existed in the mid- and late-Tang Confucian revival. One rejuvenated the traditional form of Confucianism, emphasizing its function in establishing a sound political order. The other carried a strong anti-Buddhist sentiment and posited that Confucianism should be the guiding principle governing the human world as a whole, including spiritual matters and the cosmological significance of human existence. The former represents mainstream thought at the time, while the latter was the primary source of innovation. Professor Chen also finds that the pivotal force generating the intellectual changes in question might not have been ideas in the Confucian revival per se; rather, change was driven by the fact that many literary writers began to promote the Confucian cause after the mid-Tang era. Literary writing was the most prestigious activity in Tang elite culture, and literary writers enjoyed unrivaled status among the literati. As such, the change in focus of the literary community had an enormous intellectual impact. Professor Chen also analyzes the ideas of mid-Tang intellectual leaders in contrast to the generally held beliefs in the earlier periods of medieval China, thus illuminating both early-Tang intellectual outlooks and the essential features of the Confucian revival as an intellectual trend. Professor Chen’s book is distinctive in its approach, addressing multiple subjects related to the phenomenon of the midand late-Tang Confucian revival from diverse perspectives. The book is thus interdisciplinary in character. It extensively explores literary and religious trends and pays detailed attention to the social origins of ideas. Based on these diverse studies, Professor Chen offers a systematic explanation for a great and complex intellectual transition. The book not only elucidates phenomena and developments that have previously failed to receive adequate scholarly attention but also shows the dynamics—or at least some of the important drivers—of this historical change. In addition to achieving a new and expanded understanding of a critical historical shift, the book lays a solid foundation for further inquiry into the foggy intellectual conditions of the tenth and early eleventh centuries.

(Resource: LANDSCAPE January 2017)