萧遥天先生年谱长编初稿（一）

A Draft Chronological Biography of Seow Yeoh Thian (Part 1)

Abstract

清儒章实斋论年谱时曾谓“谱其生平时事，与其人之出处进退，而知其所以为言，是亦论世知人之学也。”年谱学存在的意义，已不言自明。如史家钱大昕一人，就撰有五部年谱，对人物生卒日期尤其关心。年谱犹如胡适之说，“绣花针”式的学术训练，在马来西亚学术史与文学史上，绝少学人投放心思于此。本文以年谱学方式，撰述萧遥天（1913-1990）从潮阳，香港，南洋三个最关键时期的生命史，借此反映时代的变迁，人物命运的流转，以及社会政治与著述心态的彼此牵连。行文力求将谱主自述放第一位，显其真性，珍贵难觅的资料考证誊录，足说明萧氏一生行事交游，活动的情形，尤为本谱所重。

Abstract

Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng, a scholar from Dynasty Qing said that “record the life and current events as well as his attitude, subsequently understand his word, this is the knowledge of knowing both the author and his time.”  Nianpu or chronology speaks for itself, clearly proved the meaning of it’s existence. For instance, historian Chien Ta-hsin on his own published five chronology books, he put emphasis on the character’s date of birth and death, he published a book “The Questionable Date of Birth and Death”. Hu Shih named it as the “embroidery needle” style of academy training. On the Malaysian academic history and literary history, very few scholar put emphasis on it. By the writing method of chronology, this thesis shows the three most significant periods of Seow Yeoh Thian (1913-1990) which from Teo Yeonh, Hong Kong and Nanyang, reflecting the changes of times, rise and fall of life, and the influences among the both social politic and the mind of writing.

Keywords: Seow Yeoh Thian; chronicle; literati from the north; Teochew