中國古代文字紀錄的遺產

The Legacy of Ancient Chinese Written Records

錢存訓(TSUEN-HSUIN TSIEN) ； 周寧森

《中國文化研究所學報》 4卷2期 (1971/12) Pp. 273-286+i

https://doi.org/10.29708/JCS.CUHK.197112_4(2).0001

並列摘要

History is a recollection of the past, transmitted from earlier times primarily through written testimony. In many respects, the Chinese have made ingenious and unique contributions to the development of written communication. Not only did printing originate in China, but many other significant devices for the preservation and transmission of writing were initiated there even before invention. Certain materials such as bamboo and silk were used for writing exclusively by the Chinese, and inscriptions on bones, bronze, and stone were much more extensive and refined than those in any other civilization. Paper, the most popular material for writing, was invented in China before the Christian era and spread all over the world before the coming of the modern age. The use of the soft brush and permanent ink, which made calligraphy an art, can be traced back to remote antiquity. Multiplication of writings through seal stamping and matrix molding, besides hand copying, was used many centuries before inked squeezing of inscriptions which was the fore- runner of wood-block printing. Continuity, universality, and productivity characterize the long history of Chinese writing which has created a distinguished and the largest homogeneous cultural group of mankind. For over a millennium, Chinese characters were commonly 'used for writing by many other peoples in Asia, even though they spoke differently. At the close of the fifteenth century, the Chinese had produced more books than all other civilizations combined. Systematic book classification was introduced before the Christian era and the standard fourfold system established in the third century has been used continuously till today. The development in quantity and quality of early Chinese records reflects the splendid state of communication, scholarship, and literary history of ancient China which constitute the basis of the Chinese civilization. One of the factors in producing a great number of written records in ancient China is the use of writing to communicate with the spirits in sacrifice, offerings and prayers since the Shang dynasty. The development of government bureaucracy under the Chou encouraged the extensive use of documents and the establishment of archives in the royal court and various feudal states. Inter-state treaties, official records and other literature were produced and cared for by professional custodians who inherited this function. The documents under their custody were often removed from one state to another through rivalry for power of the feudal rulers. It was common in the Warring States period for private scholars to produce and possess books since the feudal lords competed to employ scholars, statesmen, and military strategists to serve their interests. Teachings of numerous schools of thought as well as imaginative and technical knowledge were also committed to writing during this period. After the first unification of the empire in 221 B.C., much ancient literature was destroyed through censorship and wars. It has since become a tradition for the rulers of successive dynasties to attempt to recover lost works through systematic and large-scale search of past literature. From the first century B.C., plans were made to restore the ancient books, and officers were appointed to transcribe and collate them for preservation in the imperial library established for the first time in Chinese history. Special catalogs well annotated and classified were compiled to record the existing literature. Books were produced and accumulated on a large scale, but great losses were suffered during repeated calamities and disturbances. During the period of political disunion and barbarian invasion of China from the 3rd to the 6th century when the empire was reunified, the continuity of Chinese civilization was not broken, and Chinese language and literature remained the common means of communication even in the north where barbarians ruled. During the turmoil, people began to seek solace in Buddhism. The massive demand for duplication of religious literature in the early part of the T'ang dynasty motivated printing on a large scale. Thus, the multiplication of writings through the mechanical devices of printing was made possible for the preservation and transmission of the Chinese ideas and aspirations that has been carried forward as a literary legacy which is one of the richest and oldest in the world.