章太炎具有濃厚的"明遺"情結,對明朝年歷冠帶的緬懷與堅持、對明季史料的用心收集、對顧炎武等明遺民學行的慕效,都充分展現了這種情結。在"明遺"情結驅動下,章太炎進行了大量的明史補撰與考訂工作,主要包括《后明史》、《明通鑒》、《清建國別記》等的編撰設想,別錄體、事狀體等史學體裁的創新,以及明季史事的考訂和史料的收集整理等幾個方面。對章太炎來說,明史研究具有華夏文化意象、思想資源、理論武器以及人生指導等多重意義,體現了他學用統一的史學價值觀。

Zhang Taiyan had a very strong feeling of being an adherent of Ming dynasty,which was fully demonstrated by his cherishing and keeping Ming ’s calendar,hats and clothes,diligently collecting the historical data of late Ming,admiring and modifying adherent of Ming such as Gu Yanwu and others. Driven by this feeling,Zhang Taiyan supplemented Ming history and did much textual research, which included his plan for editing of HOUMINGSHI, MINGTONGJIAN, and QING JIANGUOBIEJI and so on,and innovation of historical text such as outline index and of narrative style of Shizhuang and etc.,and he examined and corrected the historical events and compiled historical materials of late Ming. For Zhang Taiyan,the research on Ming history had multiple meanings: it was a refraction of Huaxia culture,a resource of thought,a theoretical weapon,and a guidance of life as well. Besides that,the study embodied his view of value of history.