《唐鑒》 (Tang Jian) is a historical work in twenty-four volumes composed by 范祖禹, an official of the 宋 dynasty. Originally structured as twelve chapters, it was later expanded with annotations by 呂祖謙, resulting in its final twenty-four-volume format. The work chronicles Tang Dynasty history from the reign of Emperor Gaozu (founder) to Emperor Zhaoxuan, synthesizing key events and offering editorial judgments.

范祖禹, also known by his courtesy name 淳父, was born in 華陽. He passed the 進士 examination during the eighth year of the 嘉祐 era (1063) and held various posts, including 龍圖閣學士, before serving as a governor in Shan Zhou. His biography is included in the 宋史's entry on Fan Zhen. 范祖禹 contributed to the compilation of the 'Tongdian' (Comprehensive Mirror), initiated by 司馬光, during the 治平 period. Tasked with editing Tang history, he synthesized his insights into this monograph, which was submitted to the imperial court in 1086 (Yuanyou 1). At that time, he held the title of 'Zuo Lang' (Assistant Scholar of the Bureau of Imperial Literature), reflecting his official rank.

The annotated version by 呂祖謙', which divided the text into twenty-four volumes, enhanced its scholarly dissemination. The historian 蔡絛's '鐵圍山叢談' notes that even officials at the Da Xiangguosi Temple recognized 范祖禹's son, Fan Wen, merely as "the son of the author of 'Tang Jian'," underscoring the work's prominence. Emperor Gaozong, in his commentary on historical texts, praised 'Zizhi Tongjian' for showcasing 司馬光's statesmanship and lauded 'Tang Jian' for demonstrating 范祖禹's critical acumen in the role of a censor ('taijian').

Scholarly reception of the text was mixed. While Zhu Xi's '朱子語錄' criticized its arguments as weak and inconsistent, later works such as his 'Tongdian Gangmu' (Framework of the Comprehensive Mirror) adopted 范祖禹的 approach to dating Empress Wu Zetian's reign. Specifically, 范祖禹 classified her twenty-one years as regent under Emperor Zhongzong (705–710) and rejected the 'Tongdian''s practice of granting her a separate imperial chronology. This stance drew comparisons to Confucius's handling of Duke Mu of Jin's exile at Qianhou, a reference from the '春秋' (Spring and Autumn Annals).

The philosopher 王懋竑 noted in his '白田雜著' that Zhu Xi initially dismissed 范祖禹の assertion—「there are wise men, not laws」—as overly simplistic but later praised it as a 「unassailable argument」 in his 'Shecang Ji' (Record of Granaries), acknowledging his earlier error. This evolution in Zhu Xi's views reflects the complexity of historical scholarship and underscores that evaluations of 'Tang Jian' must consider its broader intellectual context rather than relying on singular critiques like those in the 'Zhu Zi Yulu'.

Through its rigorous analysis and influence on subsequent historians, '唐鑒' remains a significant contribution to Tang historiography. Its legacy is preserved in annotations by 呂祖謙 and discussions across classical sources like the 'Guier Ji' of 張端義, which further attest to its enduring scholarly value.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷88 史部·史評類》

《唐鑒》

《唐鑒》是一部成書於宋朝的史學著作，共二十四卷，由范祖禹編撰，呂祖謙作注。范祖禹，字淳父，是華陽（今四川成都）人，嘉祐八年（1063年）中進士，曾任龍圖閣學士、陝州知州，其生平事跡載於《宋史·范鎮傳》。

范祖禹在治平年間（1064-1067年）參與司馬光主編的《資治通鑒》編修工作，負責唐史部分。他在編修過程中，將自己所得之見解整理成《唐鑒》，從唐高祖李淵起至唐昭宣帝李柷止，擷取重要事件，並附以論斷，共十二卷。元祐初年（1086年），范祖禹將此書上呈朝廷，當時他的官職為著作佐郎。後由呂祖謙為《唐鑒》作注，將全書擴充為二十四卷。

《唐鑒》因其深邃的史論和精闢的見解，受到當時士人的高度推崇。蔡絛在《鐵圍山叢談》中記載，范祖禹之子范溫曾在大相國寺遊玩，諸位貴人見到他，皆指著他稱為「《唐鑒》之子」，足見《唐鑒》在當時的影響力。張端義的《貴耳集》中亦記載，宋高宗曾對講官說，讀《資治通鑑》可知司馬光有宰相的度量，讀《唐鑒》則知范祖禹有台諫的手段。

然而，朱熹在《朱子語錄》中對《唐鑒》的議論表示批評，認為其論點較為薄弱，且有不相應之處。但范祖禹在《唐鑒》中對武則天臨朝二十一載的處理方式，獨採沈既濟的說法，將其系於中宗時期，認為符合《春秋》中「公在乾侯」的義理，即使會得罪君子也在所不辭。此後，朱熹在編纂《通鑒綱目》時，仍沿用了范祖禹的這種方法。

王懋竑在《白田雜著》中評論，范祖禹在《唐鑑》中提出「有治人，無治法」的觀點，朱熹曾批評其論點簡陋，但在晚年作《社倉記》時，卻高度讚揚這一觀點，認為是不易之論，並承認自己先前的批評有所不當。這表明隨著朱熹經歷的增多，其觀點有所變化，因此讀者在評價《唐鑑》時應詳加考證，不可僅憑某一說法而下定論。

《唐鑒》作為一部重要的史學著作，不僅在當時受到高度評價，其影響亦延續至今，對於研究唐代歷史和政治思想具有重要的參考價值。