China Social Science Review

No.2, 2025

 

 

Liu Wei

 

Although the term Chinese classical studies is a relatively recent concept influenced by Western classical studies, its origins trace back to the pre-Qin period. Since then, it has undergone four distinct stages of development, with the changing role of Confucian classics and related literature serving as an important metric of its evolution. Since the late Qing dynasty, ongoing debates have emerged around issues such as disciplinary boundaries, research paradigms, and methodologies within Chinese classical studies. Scholars have generally approached the field from two main perspectives, each with their own advantages and limitations. The first perspective centers on classical texts, and the second focuses on classical civilization. Accordingly, there is a need to enhance the compatibility between Western classical paradigms and traditional Chinese scholarly frameworks. The core aim of contemporary Chinese classical studies is to build an autonomous knowledge system from the perspective of Chinese civilization.