要理解中國近代史學觀念的形成與轉變，自然不能忽略近百年來史學研究的轉向。嚴格區分，中國古代學術並無西方近代意義的學科分類，經、史、子、集是圖書目錄，而非學術分類。然而今天我們要回過頭去瞭解，卻又不免帶有我們所熟知的西方分類法去思考，在這一來一往中，如何去釐清傳統史學與近代西方歷史學間的「差異性」呢？中國究竟有無「歷史」？或者是說有無「史學」？此類問題的思考，在近代不斷反復刺激著史學工作者，不過這種種的反思，往往深受西方學者的引導，少有從傳統出發做深層的批判。事實上，中國不但有歷史，更有令人稱羨的史學 (當然這裏指稱的史學，是具有中國傳統史學所包含的事、文、義的意涵)，如果回過頭去，以中國傳統史學的闡釋來理解西方的史學，不知近代以前西方的史學能否成立？中國近代的歷史是充滿危機的歷史，然而危機感造就了歷史意識，但歷史意識不是孤立的存在，它深受歷史知識的影響，而歷史知識又受到歷史解釋的驅使，使得「歷史意識」(historical consciousness)、「歷史知識」(historical knowledge)、「歷史解釋」(historical interpretation) 形成相互影 響的網絡。此一「網絡」構成了「史學觀念」(ideas of historiography)，它是一個複數的觀念集合體 (complex of ideas)，在歷史進程中存在著不同的史學觀念，並影響著人們對歷史闡釋的根本看法。本文的主旨是想要釐清，中國史學在近代時間歷程中，傳統儒家思想是否仍發揮其自身的影響力，並持續的對逐漸轉變的傳統史學觀念，產生一定程度的制約，雖然時間愈往後，西方史學的影響便愈深，但受儒家思想影響的傳統史學，並未因此消亡，反而形成一種不同於西方的歷史論述，其主要特徵為變易史觀及義理史觀。

To understand the formation and the transformation of the ideas of historiography in Chinese Modem History, one should never neglect the change of the research methods on the study of Chinese history in the last century. Strictly speaking, unlike the western societies, the research methods of the historical study in ancient Chinese are based on jing、shi、Zl、ji, which are considered to be a catalogue of books instead of a category of science, while the western scientific research is based on the meaningful scientific categorization. However, we could not help but applying what we have learned about the western methods of scientific categorization when we try to study the past history. Therefore, there are many inspiring questions continuously raised by modem historians: for example, how could we clarify the “differences” between the study of the traditional Chinese history and the western modem history? Is there on earth a so-called “history” in China? Or is there any study like “historiography”? Nevertheless, most of the modem historians have been guided by the western ways of thinking so they have spontaneously answered the questions mostly from the western view points but with little traditional in-depth historical criticism. As a matter of fact, China not only has history but also the profound knowledge historical study, meaning that the Chinese traditional historical study on the meaning of the events, documents and consciousness. We are wondering if the western historical study before the modem period is successful when we apply the methods of Chinese traditional historical study to interpret the western historical study. In short, Chinese modem history is a history full of crises which have simultaneously achieved the certain level of historical meaning. However, the meaning of history doesn’t exist alone without the influence of the historical knowledge that is enhanced by historical interpretation, resulting in a bound web among historical consciousness, historical knowledge, as well as historical interpretation. Such web has formed the ideas of historiography, which is a complex of ideas existing in the process of historical study as well as influencing the people’s perspectives on historical interpretation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify how the traditional Confucian’s thoughts influence the study of Chinese modem history and how it restricts the consistent change of the modem historical study. Although there is a great impact from the western historical study, the traditional historical study influenced by Confucian’s thoughts does not disappear; on the contrary, it has formed a unique way of interpreting history which is different from the western historical study---that is bian-i-shi-guan and i-li-shi-guan.