以文为戏
Playful Writing
将写文章看作游戏，指用戏谑诙谐的笔法写文章。唐朝著名文学家韩愈创作了《毛颖传》《送穷文》等作品，以戏谑的形式和笔法表达严肃的主题，由此产生中国古代文论的一个术语。它强调文学的游戏功能，用戏谑诙谐的笔法摹写严肃庄重的社会主题，或将物拟人，或虚构情境，借以讥讽世情、寄托个人愤懑。这与儒家传统的“文以明道”“文以载道”等观点形成了鲜明对比，成为当时争论的焦点。裴度、张籍等人对此理论与创作倾向持否定批评态度，而柳宗元则力排众议，专门撰文阐释“以文为戏”的思想价值和审美意义。实际上，“以文为戏”与传统的文道观并没有本质区别，而且相互补充，各有其理论价值。韩愈、柳宗元的理论开拓和创作实践丰富并拓展了古文的文体形式，确立了“以文为戏”的文学史地位，深刻影响了后世的杂文创作。
This term refers to a playful approach to the composition of prose. Famed Tang Dynasty writer Han Yu, for example, wrote his "Biography of Mao Ying" and "Bidding Farewell to Poverty," both dealing with serious themes, in a witty way. Playful writing thus became a style of classic Chinese prose. It stressed the entertaining, game-like function of literature and playfully explored serious themes. Thus, a writer often personified a non-human object or conjured up a situation to satirize human behavior and express personal feelings. This playful approach to writing became highly controversial, as it stood in contrast to the established Confucian notion that literature should be a vehicle of cultivating moral values. Some scholars like Pei Du and Zhang Ji opposed this style of writing, but Liu Zongyuan wrote an essay in support of Han Yu, arguing that playful writing had intellectual value and aesthetic significance, and it was in fact not that different from the tradition of regarding literature as a vehicle of cultivating moral values. These two views were mutually complementary, each with its theoretical value. Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan broke new ground with their literary theory and works, enriched the styles of classic Chinese literature with playful writing, and greatly influenced essay writing of later generations.
引例 Citations：
◎其人信美材也。近或闻诸侪类云：恃其绝足，往往奔放，不以文立制，而以文为戏。可矣乎？（裴度《寄李翱书》）
他（韩愈）确实很有才华。近来听一些朋友谈到他时都说：韩愈自负其不凡的才华，作文常常奔放不羁，他不以文章为社会创立规范，却将写文章看作游戏。这样做合适吗？
He (Han Yu) is no doubt a talented man. These days, however, I have been told he has become complacent and often disregards all established rules in writing. He does not bother to set norms for society in his writing, treating it only as a way to amuse himself. Is that proper? (Pei Du: My Letter to Li Ao)
◎诗人视一切外物，皆游戏之材料也。然其游戏，则以热心为之。故诙谐与严重二性质，亦不可缺一也。（王国维《〈人间词话〉删稿》）
诗人将一切外在事物都看作写作戏谑文字的素材。然而写这种戏谑文字，须有极大的热忱。因此，诙谐与庄重这两种特质，也是缺一不可的。
A poet sees all external objects as materials for playful writing, but such writing requires keen interest. Therefore, wit and solemnity are both indispensable. (Wang Guowei: The Deleted Part of Poetic Remarks in the Human World)
推荐：教育部 国家语委
供稿：北京外国语大学 外语教学与研究出版社
责任编辑：钱耐安
