《清朝文献通考》（原名《皇朝文献通考》《清文献通考》，以下简称为《清通考》）是清朝乾隆皇帝敕令编修的典制体史书。该书上接清修《续文献通考》和马端临《文献通考》，记事大致起于清太祖努尔哈赤“开国”，迄于乾隆五十年（1785），主要记载了清前期典章制度的演变历程。当代人修当代史的特点、官修史书的性质以及皇帝的高度参与，使得《清通考》与当时政治之间的联系尤为密切，在反映清皇朝政治统治的历史进程、展现清朝皇帝的统治理念等方面具有独特的研究价值和学术意义。

首先，史学与社会之互动关系在《清通考》的编修过程和编撰内容中，有着显著的反映。清前期社会经济的稳定发展为史书编纂提供了充足的物质基础，“盛世”局面的形成则促使统治者通过史学活动来彰显政治统治、总结治理经验。另外，统治者在学习中原传统文化、重视史学编纂及其功用方面有着深厚的历史渊源。这推动了清代官修史书的发展和修史制度的完善，并为《清通考》的编纂提供了有利的制度性保障。在《清通考》的编修过程中，书写格式的不同致使该书与清修《续文献通考》分割开来。但乾隆君臣关于马端临《文献通考》和清修《续文献通考》的体例已经无法容纳清皇朝历史事实的观点，是两书分立的更深层次的原因。清前期农业经济繁荣、政治统治稳定以及统一多民族国家巩固与发展的历史进程在该书内容的撰述和体例变化中有着明显的体现。

其次，《清通考》的编撰内容不只囊括了清前期典章制度的变迁，同样记述了皇朝统治确立、有效治理以及实现其政治目标的历史进程，以及贯彻其间的统治理念。制度建构与政治实践是该书编修的两个面向，而皇朝统治的确立，是政治活动和制度选择的前提。《清通考》把统治者明确其正统地位、行使选官用人的“国家之大权”、体恤生民以巩固“邦本”的各项制度措施作为编撰内容的重心，展现出对皇朝统治构成要素的基本认识。如何实现有效治理，是《清通考》编纂者借由历史撰述彰显皇朝统治的另一重要内容。他们侧重于记载清前期统治者推崇礼教以期上行下效久而化民成俗的制度施为，和慎重刑罚以期辅弼教化的定制准则，突出了他们德政为先、礼刑并举、“引礼入刑”的治理观念。另外，《清通考》还记载了清朝皇帝逐步明确和推进“大一统”政治目标的历史进程。这亦是多民族统一的时代特征以及统治者历史文化认同意识的集中反映。

最后，通过《清通考》对清前期政治统治之历史进程及思想观念的考察，可从中提炼出清朝皇帝和该书编纂者关于社会各结构及其发展动因的认识，关于历史发展趋势的认识和关于国家职能、民族关系、疆域治理等方面的认识。通过政治家和史学家对于社会历史状况的考察和论述，或可对归纳当时制度史话语的基本面貌、总结清代历史理论的发展情况有所裨益。

The Ruling Philosophy of the Early Qing Dynasty from the Writings of Institutional History

——An examination centered on the General Examination of Qing Dynasty Documents

ABSTRACT

“Qing Dynasty Wen Xian Tong Kao”（《清朝文献通考》) (formerly known as “Imperial Dynasty Wen Xian Tong Kao”《皇朝文献通考》, “Qing Wen Xian Tong Kao”《清文献通考》, hereinafter referred to as “Qing Tong Kao”《清通考》) is the Qing dynasty, the Qianlong emperor(乾隆皇帝) ordered the compilation of the system of history book. This book, which follows the Qing revision of “Xu Wen Xian Tong Kao”(清修《续文献通考》) and Ma Duanlin's “Wen Xian Tong Kao” (马端临《文献通考》), the record of events roughly from the Qing Taizu Nurhachi(努尔哈赤) “founding”, until the Qianlong 50 years (1785), the main record of the evolution of the Qing pre-canonical system. The characteristics of contemporary history, the nature of official history books and the high level of involvement of the emperor make “Qing Tong Kao” particularly close to the politics of the time, and has unique research value and academic significance in reflecting the historical process of political rule of the Qing dynasty and showing the ruling philosophy of the Qing emperor.

First, the interaction between historiography and society is reflected in the process and content of the compilation of “Qing Tong Kao”. The stable socioeconomic development of the early Qing dynasty provided sufficient material basis for the compilation of history books, while the formation of the “prosperous era” prompted the rulers to highlight their political rule and summarize their governance experience through historical activities. In addition, the rulers had deep historical roots in learning the traditional culture of the Central Plains and in attaching importance to the compilation of history and its usefulness. This promoted the development of official history books and the improvement of the historical revision system in the Qing Dynasty, and provided a favorable institutional guarantee for the compilation of the “Qing Tong Kao”. In the process of compiling “Qing Tong Kao”, differences in the writing format led to the splitting of the book from the Qing revision of “Xu Wen Xian Tong Kao”. However, the view of the Qianlong rulers and ministers that the style of Ma Duanlin's “Wen Xian Tong Kao” and the Qing revision of “Xu Wen Xian Tong Kao” of Continuing Documents could no longer accommodate the historical facts of the Qing imperial dynasty is the deeper reason for the separation of the two books. The historical process of the prosperity of the agricultural economy, the stability of political rule, and the consolidation and development of the unified multi-ethnic state in the early Qing dynasty is clearly reflected in the writing and stylistic changes of the book's contents.

Second, the compilation of “Qing Tong Kao” not only covers the changes of the pre-Qing canonical system, but also describes the historical process of the establishment of imperial rule, effective governance and the realization of its political goals, as well as the philosophy of rule that was implemented during the process. Institutional construction and political practice are the two sides of the book, and the establishment of imperial rule is the premise of political activity and institutional choice. The “Qing Dynasty General Examination” puts the ruler's clarification of his orthodox status, the exercise of the “great power of the state” in selecting officials and employing people, and the institutional measures to strengthen the “foundation of the state” as the focus of the compilation, showing a basic understanding of the elements of imperial rule. How to achieve effective governance, is the compilers of “Qing Tong Kao” through the history of writing to highlight another important element of the rule of the imperial dynasty. They focus on recording the system of the rulers of the early Qing Dynasty to promote rituals and teachings in order to be effective for a long time and turn the people into customs, and the customary guidelines of prudent punishment in order to assist in education, highlighting their concept of governance of virtue first, rituals and punishment together, and “introducing rituals into punishment”. In addition, the Qing General Examination also records the historical process of the Qing emperors' gradual clarification and advancement of the political goal of “The Great Unification”(“大一统”). This is also a reflection of the characteristics of the era of multi-ethnic unification and the rulers' sense of historical and cultural identity.

Finally, through the examination of the historical process and ideology of political rule in the early Qing dynasty in “Qing Tong Kao”, the understanding of the Qing emperors and the compilers of the book about the structure of society and its development motives, the understanding of historical development trends and the understanding of state functions, ethnic relations and frontier governance can be extracted. The examination and discussion of the socio-historical situation by politicians and historians may be useful for summarizing the basic aspects of the institutional-historical discourse of the time and for summarizing the development of historical theory in the Qing dynasty.