《四庫全書》的編纂是清初以來崇儒、重道的必然結果。《四庫全書》的編纂表面上彰顯了乾隆時期的文治之盛,實際上是朝廷為了解決朝野、南北學術思想的對立而進行的政治舉措。具體而言,乾隆時期官方意識形態——理學日益固化而江南考據之學卻日益盛行,為了消弭南北經學、儒學之差異、分立,朝廷急切需要整頓思想,重新樹立中央權威。為此乾隆敕命編纂《四庫全書》,以此來整合當時南北、朝野思想之差異,通過重建、統一以經學為核心的學術體系——清學,進而實現對全國尤其是江南地區的有效控制。隨著《四庫全書》纂修完成并頒行全國,清學成為了當時普遍的學術范式,由此也贏了江南儒士大夫們對清廷的文化認同。

The compilation of SIKUQUANSHU was the outcome of worshipping Confucianism and Taoism since beginning of the Qing Dynasty. It manifested the civil administration of Emperor Qianlong superficially,but it’s also a political act that solved the conflicts between thoughts of the court and the commonality,and between southern and northern schools. The Neo-Confucianism which was the official school in Qianlong period became rigid,while the textualism in south of the Yangtze River was thriving.To unite the Southern and Northern Schools of Confucianism,the court need achieve unity in thinking urgently and reestablish the authority of court. The Emperor Qianlong therefore ordered to compile SIKUQUANSHU,to unite the different thoughts in northern and southern China,and to rebuild the studies in the Qing Dynasty whose core was study of Confucian Classics. By this he tightened grip on China,especially on south of the Yangtze River. In fact,with the compilation of SIKUQUANSHU,the studies in the Qing Dynasty became the most popular studies at that time,and scholars in south of the Yangtze River identified with the Court of Qing.