清朝如何維持對廣袤疆域、多元族群的有效治理,學界已有諸多不無啟發的考察。回歸清人的語境中,與大一統相表里的"同文"成為清代君臣描述盛治時最常使用的語匯。事實上,"同文"在清代政治文化的構建中具有基礎性的作用,其政治意義的解讀也形成兩條交互為用的線索。一方面,經由清高宗對經義的發揮與新解,以多語文為表征的多元族群與文化共存于同一統治框架之中,共奉大清聲教。較之前代,各族群及其文化得到相對平等地承認與對待。另一方面,清帝發揮同文的教化意義,通過纂修書籍、規范語言等舉措整齊文教、尊儒重道,實現治道合一。同文的兩種解釋路向共同交匯于清代皇權,使同文之治得以跨越語言與族群的界域而具有超軼前代的治理效力,也為清代統治正統性的論說提供了思想資源。

Schoolars have deeply investigated how the Qing Dynasty maintained its rule over wide territory and various ethnic groups successfully. Reconsidering this issue in the Qing’s context,we can find that "Tongwen",an idea corresponded to "Dayitong 大一統"(The Grand Unification), was exactly the word that had been used to describe Pax Sinica by the Qing emperors and literati. Actually, the conception of "Tongwen" had a fundamental function in the structuring of the Qing’s political culture. Different understandings of its political meaning also created two interlaced implementations. Reannotated by Qianlong emperor and his courtiers,"Tongwen" meant that a variety of ethnic groups and their cultures accommodated to one political structure and all admitted the Qing’s administration as well as jurisdiction. A multilingual political culture was thus established,and each ethnic group and its culture, comparing to previous dynasties, was treated far more equally.Meanwhile, by launching court-sponsorred book-compiling projections and language standardization, Qing emperors utilized the moralizing dimension of "Tongwen" to show devout respect to Confusician teachings. These two interlaced interpretations of the term intersected in the Qing’s imperial power, thus bestowed Qing emperors a comparatively more effective ruling-ablity that could cross the boundries between various languages and ethnic groups, and also provided intellectual resources for the demonstrations of the Qing’s legitimacy.