《南词新谱》是沈自晋在明清之际编撰的一部南曲格律谱。它发展了沈璟《南词全谱》的曲学成就，在曲谱史上有重要地位。对《南词新谱》作系统地研究，对明清曲谱史研究及明清曲学研究，具有重要意义。 第一章探讨《南词新谱》的成书问题。《南词新谱》的编撰离不开明末曲学在继承沈璟曲学基础上取得的新成就，离不开吴江沈氏浓厚的曲学氛围。清初，沈自晋心中浓厚的家族情怀和遗民情怀，支撑他在飘零中继续编撰《南词新谱》。历时十年（1645—1655），经过悉心订补，《南词新谱》最终成书并刊刻。 第二章探讨《南词新谱》在曲谱史上的地位。《南词新谱》宫调体系完整，曲调众多、曲体丰富，内容详备。《南词新谱》用韵规范、正衬适当、平仄精准、板式完备，音律精审。与以往曲谱相比，《南词新谱》的体系更为完善。 第三、四章探讨《南词新谱》的曲学思想。《南词新谱》主张曲调“古今相济有成”，它的古曲体式清晰、体系严谨；今曲由古曲衍生而成，方式有两种：一是集合古曲曲句成新集曲，一是变化古曲曲句成曲调新体。《南词新谱》主张音律与曲词和谐的曲学思想。提倡曲调声情与曲词词情和谐；上、去声连用音律作腔与凸显曲词的特定内容相和谐；集曲的曲调转换与曲词情节的推进，表述角度、方式的转换相和谐；使用衬字协调曲调音律与曲词的冲突。 第五章探讨《南词新谱》的曲选价值。《南词新谱》选取汤显祖、沈璟等人曲作，汤显祖曲词真切繁复，沈璟曲词晓畅明快，《南词新谱》例曲风格多样。《南词新谱》选录曲作显示了明末戏曲创作在人物刻画、情景描绘、典故使用等方面达到的新水准；表现了清初散曲创作在题材上的“记史”性，《南词新谱》例曲具有时代性。

Southern New Opera Manuscript is a Nanqu pattern manuscript compiled by Shen Zijin in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. This manuscript is very important in Chinese manuscript history, because it compiled based on Nanci Complete Works created by Shen Jing in Ming Dynasty. It has a great significance for manuscript history and opera theory study of Ming and Qing Dynasty that systematically study on Southern New Opera Manuscript. This thesis divided into 5 chapters in total: The First Chapter discusses the issue of compiling of the Southern New Opera Manuscript. This manuscript compiled on the basis of the new achievements of drama theory made by Shen Jing, and it is benefits from the strong atmosphere of Wu Jiang Shen family. In the early Qing Dynasty, Shen Zijin has a strong family sentiment and the affection of adherent of a former dynasty, these feelings encouraged him to compile the Southern New Opera Manuscript even he is in the wandering. For compiling this book, Shen Zijin took ten years (1645 - 1655), and Southern New Opera Manuscript finally published after his carefully revise. The Second Chapter discusses the position of Southern New Opera Manuscript in the history of manuscripts. The Southern New Opera Manuscript has a complete temple system, with various tunes, a lot of melody styles and comprehensive contents. Southern New Opera Manuscript uses rhyme specification, proper lining, accurate tonal patterns, complete templates, and fine melody. The system of Southern New Opera Manuscript is more complete that compare with the previous Chinese opera manuscripts. The Third and Fourth Chapters discuss the ideology of Southern New Opera Manuscript. In Southern New Opera Manuscript, Shen Zijing advocate the tune should be ‘Ancient compatible with Modern’. The ancient style of Southern New Opera Manuscript is clear and the system is rigorous. Modern styles derived from the ancient styles in two ways: one, the new tunes and melodies combined by the ancients; another one is to change some contents of the ancient songs into a new tune. Shen Zijin advocate the lyrics should harmony with tunes in this manuscript, and he demonstrated how to make it to happen in this book. The Fifth Chapter discusses the value and significance of the selection of the Southern New Opera Manuscript. The reason that Shen Zijin selects Tang Xianzu and Shen Jing's works in this book, because Tang Xianzu's works delivered vividly and touching motion; Shen Jing's works are lucid and lively, and the style is diverse. The selection of the Southern New Opera Manuscript showed that the drama creation archived a higher level in the late Ming Dynasty, and it reflected the theme has ‘historical’ features in the early Qing Dynasty as well.