王國維《宋元戲曲史》被公推為中國戲曲史的奠基之作，但後來的戲曲史家對王國維的工作頗有微辭，本文則認為以往的某些批評未能真正把握王國維的研究思路，王國維撰寫此書的目的是從文學史的角度為戲曲爭取地位，而在當時戲曲根本不會被作為藝術史的一部分而得到認可。王國維主要從考據學的角度加以研討，以無證不信為原則，其工作是嚴謹的，並且是一個開放的、可拓展的體系。他提出元曲的最傑出之處在於「自然」、「有意境」，因是從詞的審美出發，而未能從敍事學角度發揮，故言猶未盡。王國維的工作對日本大正之後的戲曲研究產生了巨大影響，但他本人從事戲曲研究又是受到日本明治學者戲曲研究的影響的結果。

Wang Guowei’s The History of Chinese Drama in Song-Yuan Dynasty is generally acknowledged as the foundation work of the research of Chinese drama; however, there have still been some scholars who criticized this book from trivial ways. On this issue, this paper will give a proper revaluation in order to correct those opinions unable to hold the critical concept of Wang Guowei. In the book, Wang tried to strive for Chinese drama to gain an academic status, since at that time most scholars looked down on the drama and theatre, not to mention treating it as a kind of literature or arts. Wang’s method of textual research was based on proofs and resources, while his severe attitude of work built this field on an open, extensive system. He proposed that the remarkable characteristic of Yuan qu is “nature” and “yijing”, though we must admit his theory was not sufficiently analyzed, because his aesthetic was restrictedly inherited from tzu, not from narrative literature. Finally, Wang’s book had deeply influenced the scholars of Chinese drama in Japan after Taisho period, and we shall also know that Wang’s work in fact was affected by Japanese scholars in Meiji times.