From "The Six Confucian Classics Are All History" To "To Set Three Books In Local Chronicles"

"The six Confucian classics are all history", is a theory that Zhang Xuecheng mentioned more than once in his writes, and is his most important proposition about the relationship between classics and history. "To set three books in the local chronicles", was a sign of Zhang Xuecheng's study about local chronicles in his late times, there was a intimate relation between the two arguments. From "the six Confucian classics are all history" to "to set three books in the local chronicles", Zhang Xuecheng had set up a theory system about the relationship between classics and history. Zhang Xuecheng advocated "the six Confucian classic are all history" repeatedly, put "classic" into "history" to inspect, even regarded "all the writes" from ancient times as history, embodied the importance of history in his study. And why "the six Confucian classic" are history, Zhang Xuecheng had given fairly sufficient arguments. Though those arguments are dispersedly appeared in different articles, it is not difficult to conclude a whole system about "the six classic are all history"Zhang Xuecheng put his whole life time in study about historical theories, the penniless and frustrated life condition, the hard plight of running hither and thither, had made his aspiration of writing a large-scale historical writing, research about historical writings, difficult to come true. But the theory, regarding local chronicles as history, had also made his local chronicle writings possessed important historical theories and practical meanings. The appeal of "to set three books in local chronicles" is the final reflect of the theory, "the six Confucian classics are all history". To study about local chronicles, history and the six classics, was beneficial to research the specific implement approach of "the six classics are all history" through his local chronicles theories and writings.The theory, "the six classics are all history" of Zhang Xuecheng, was not put historical character and function on "the six classics". How the "six classics" acted in history, Zhang had carried through discussion respectively and largely. Under the former academic and social circumstance, Zhang's appeal of "the six classics are all history", was not only to pull the study of Confucian classics down the chancel of academical study, to make it equal as history and other study territory, but also, more importantly, Zhang thought "the classics" had outstanding historical function. Except the universality of having historical literature, "the Classics" had different prominent particularity in historical function. The theories about history and classics of Zhang Xuecheng are inseparable, it had not only distinct epoch characteristics but also reflected a objective fact that other scholars didn't discover. To research "the six classics are all history" repeatedly, is beneficial to understand Zhang Xuecheng's origin of academical thoughts, approach and time significant, and gaze at academical achievement and value from a more objective and independent researching perspective.