劉知幾與唐代的書和手抄本：一個物質文化的觀點

Liu Zhiji and Books and Manuscripts in Tang China: A Material Culture Perspective

賴瑞和(S. F. Lai)

《臺灣師大歷史學報》 46期 (2011/12) Pp. 111-140

https://doi.org/10.6243/BHR.2011.046.111

摘要

本文探討唐代的書和手抄本的若干細節，以史官劉知幾的生平經歷為重點，藉以更深入去理解他當時的寫本文化。細考了劉知幾自傳中所提供的一些例證，本文達致了幾個結論。第一，唐代皇家的藏書，固然是卷軸式，但民間日常用書，很可能是以散葉（而非卷軸）的形式存在。第二，正如劉知幾自述，他當時所能得到的書，「多因假賃」，而「部帙殘缺，篇笫有遺」。這表示，唐代民間抄書，受限於人力物力，常屬選擇性的抄寫，抄得不完整，以致有「缺」有「遺」。第三，劉知幾家中的藏書，特別是比較稀見的「皇家實錄」，可能跟他從祖父劉胤之曾任宮中史館史官有關連。第四，劉知幾本人青年時代讀書，書籍的取得不易，單靠家中藏書絕對不足，所以他要「公私借書」，才得以完成他以後的史學大業。他家的仕宦背景和他從祖父任過史館史官所建立的人脈關係，使他佔有不少「物質優勢」，不單可以向許多「私」家借書，還得以向藏書豐富的「公」家皇室圖書館借書。

關鍵字

劉知幾 ； 唐寫本文化 ； 唐代藏書 ； 知識生產

並列摘要

This paper investigates certain aspects of books and manuscript copies in Tang China, based on certain events and experiences in the life of the well-known historian Liu Zhiji (661-721), in order to gain a better understanding of the manuscript culture in his era. By looking closely into the evidence provided by Liu Zhiji's own account, this paper reaches a number of conclusions. First, the manuscript copies preserved in Tang imperial libraries were mostly in the form of well-made hand scrolls, whereas manuscript copies in everyday use, such as textbooks used by school children, tended to be made and preserved in the form of loose leaves, not hand scrolls. Second, as Liu Zhiji told us, books he could get hold of, those that he borrowed from his friends, were frequently ”incomplete in certain parts and chapters.” This shows that manuscript books made by his contemporaries, limited by resources, seemed to have been mostly incomplete copies, purposely omitting certain parts and chapters. This appears to have been the norm rather than the exception. Third, books in Liu Zhiji's own family collection, especially those rare ”veritable records of the Tang dynasty,” probably came from imperial libraries, perhaps having something to do with one of his grand uncles Liu Yinzhi, who had served as a historian in the Tang court. Fourth, when Liu Zhiji was studying as a young man, books were hard to come by and his family collection was inadequate, so he had to borrow books from both private and public sources, in order to build up a strong foundation for his future career as a great historian. The background of his family and its intimate connections with Tang officialdom provided distinct advantages and networks for Liu Zhiji to have easy access to both public and private libraries.

並列關鍵字

Liu Zhiji ； manuscript culture in Tang China ； Tang libraries ； knowledge production

參考文獻

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