荆州王家嘴楚簡中,有一種的主題內容及文體與《論語》極爲相似,爲“孔子應答弟子時人及弟子相與言而接聞於夫子之語也。”(《漢書·藝文志》)爲與今本《論語》相區別,且便於今後學界稱引,整理小組將其擬題爲《孔子曰》。
一、形製與內容
《孔子曰》殘損較嚴重,室內揭取約1000个编号(不計小碎片),初步判断原爲330支左右,其中保存較完整的約110支。完整簡長46厘米、寬6厘米。簡文由至少4位書手抄寫,甚至存在同一枚簡上有迥然不同的兩种筆跡的情況。
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篇中分章,每章多以“孔子曰”起始。部分內容較長的章又分爲若干節。分章及分節均用“■”間隔。
未發現全書總題。
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二、簡文舉例
簡文的部分章節見于今本《論語》,但不盡相同,舉例如下。
例1:
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這一大段對話見於今本《論語·先進》第20章:“子路問:‘聞斯行諸?’子曰:‘有父兄在,如之何其聞斯行之?’冉有問:‘聞斯行諸?’子曰:‘聞斯行之!’公西華曰:‘由也問:“聞斯行諸?”子曰:“有父兄在。”求也問:“聞斯行諸?”子曰:“聞斯行之!”赤也惑,敢問。’子曰:‘求也退,故進之;由也兼人,故退之。’”簡文中向孔子提問“聞斯行諸”之人分別是子贛(端木賜)與子路,而今本卻是冉有(冉求)與子路。
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此章可與今本《論語·先進》第17章對讀:“季氏富於周公,而求也爲之聚斂,而附益之。子曰:‘非吾徒也。小子鳴鼓而攻之,可也。’”其行文更接近于《孟子·離婁上》:“孟子曰:‘求也爲季氏宰,無能改於其德,而賦粟倍他日。孔子曰:“求,非我徒也,小子鳴鼓而攻之可也。”’”簡文中孔子責備的對象是子路,而今本《論語》及《孟子》則作“求”(冉求)。
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以上數章多見於今本《論語》或有類似語句。《論語·里仁》第18章:“子曰:‘事父母幾諫。見志不從,又敬不違,勞而不怨。’”《里仁》第19章:“子曰:‘父母在,不遠遊。游必有方。’”《里仁》第21章:“子曰:‘父母之年,不可不知也。一則以喜,一則以懼。’”《陽貨》第20章:“子路曰:‘君子尚勇乎?”子曰:‘君子義以爲上。君子有勇而無義爲亂,小人有勇而無義爲盜。’”《學而》第11章:“子曰:‘父在,觀其志;父没,觀其行;三年無改于父之道,可謂孝矣。’”《里仁》第20章:“子曰:‘三年無改于父之道,可謂孝矣。’”
少量章節不見於今本《論語》,而可與其他傳世古籍對讀,舉例如下。
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此章參見今本《禮記·禮器》:“管仲鏤簋朱纮,山節藻棁,君子以爲濫矣。晏平仲祀其先人,豚肩不揜豆;澣衣濯冠以朝,君子以爲隘矣。”
此章參見今本《《禮記·禮運》:“使老有所終,壯有所用,幼有所長。”
“其生也,不食其死也”之句,參見今本《孟子·梁惠王上》:“君子之於禽獸也,見其生,不忍聞其死;聞其聲,不忍食其肉,是以君子遠庖廚也。”今本《大戴禮記·保傅》:“於禽獸,見其生不食其死,聞其聲不嘗其肉,故遠庖廚。”在海昏簡《論語·知道》中有:“后君問於巫馬子期曰:‘見其生,不食其死。謂君子耶?’”
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這段對話未見于傳世文獻。今本《論語·憲問》第15章:“子曰:‘晉文公譎而不正,齊桓公正而不譎。’”與簡文中揚桓抑文的態度相一致。《春秋》記載:“(魯僖公)二十有八年春,晉侯侵曹,晉侯伐衛。……三月丙午,晉侯入曹,執曹伯,畀宋人。……晉人執衛侯,歸之于京師。”曹、衛皆爲姬姓之國,所以孔子說“文公滅其同姓之邦”。齊桓公九合諸侯,與其同爲姜姓之國的許國多次參加會盟,並隨其征戰。《春秋》:“(魯僖公)四年,春,王正月,公會齊侯、宋公、陳侯、衛侯、鄭伯、許男、曹伯侵蔡。蔡潰。遂伐楚,次于陘。夏,許男新臣卒。……八月,公至自伐楚。葬許穆公。”《左傳》:“許穆公卒于師,葬之以侯,禮也。凡諸侯薨于朝會,加一等;死王事,加二等。於是有以衮斂。” 《春秋》:“(魯僖公六年)夏,公會齊侯、宋公、陳侯、衛侯、曹伯伐鄭,圍新城。秋,楚人圍許。諸侯遂救許。” 所以孔子說“桓公興其同姓之邦”。
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《春秋經·哀公三年》:“五月辛卯,桓宮、僖宮災。”《左傳·哀公三年》:“夏五月辛卯,司鐸火。火踰公宮,桓、僖災,……孔子在陳,聞火,曰:‘其桓、僖乎!’”“文、武”並稱,一般指周文王、周武王。“桓、僖”,指魯桓公、魯僖公之廟。杜預注:“言桓、僖親盡而廟不毀,宜為天所災。”孔穎達疏:“禮,諸侯親廟四焉,高祖之父,即當毀其廟。計桓之於哀,八世祖也,僖,六世祖也,親盡而廟不毀,言其宜爲天所災也。所以不毀者,服虔云:‘季氏出桓公,又爲僖公所立,故不毀其廟。’其意或然。”巫馬旗是孔子弟子。《史記·仲尼弟子列傳》:“巫馬施,字子旗。少孔子三十歲。”
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此章記孔子厄于陳、蔡之間时事。公夏乘是孔子弟子。《史記·仲尼弟子列傳》:“公夏首字乘。”《集解》:“鄭玄曰魯人。”《索隱》:“《家語》同也。”今本《孔子家語·七十二弟子解》:“公夏守,字子乘。” 公孫石也是孔子弟子。《史記·仲尼弟子列傳》:“公孫龍字子石。少孔子五十三歲。” 這兩名弟子的事蹟在傳世文獻中均失載。
《論衡·正說》:“夫論語者,弟子共紀孔子之言行,敕記之時甚多,數十百篇,以八寸爲尺,紀之約省,懷持之便也。以其遺非經,傳文紀識恐忘,故但以八寸尺,不二尺四寸也。漢興失亡。至武帝發取孔子壁中古文,得二十一篇,齊、魯二,河間九篇,三十篇。至昭帝女讀二十一篇。宣帝下太常博士,時尚稱書難曉,名之曰傳;後更隸寫以傳誦。初,孔子孫孔安國以教魯人扶卿,官至荆州刺史,始曰論語。今時稱論語二十篇,又失齊、魯、河間九篇。本三十篇,分布亡失;或二十一篇。篇目或多或少,文讚或是或誤。說論語者,但知以剝解之問,以織微之難,不知存問本根篇數章目。溫故知新,可以爲師;今不知古,稱師如何?”
王家嘴楚簡《孔子曰》應該就是“弟子共紀孔子之言行”、“數十百篇”中的一部分。楚簡本與西漢各本《論語》有一定淵源關係,但其整體文本結構差異較大,不可遽視為同一書。且“論語”一名至西漢時始出現,因此本整理小組不稱楚簡本爲《論語》,而另擬題爲《孔子曰》。
1 河北省文物研究所定州漢墓竹簡整理小組:《定州漢墓竹簡——論語》,文物出版社,1997年。
2 朱鳳瀚、柯中華主編:《海昏簡牘初論》,北京大學出版社,2020年。第154~179頁,第九章《海昏竹簡〈論語〉初論》。
3 李成市、尹龍九、金慶浩:《平壤貞柏洞364號墓出土竹簡〈論語〉》,《出土文獻研究(第十輯)》,中華書局,2011年,第174~206頁。