東瀛日本，早在草莽之世，即與我往來。後漢王充所著之「論衡」卷8〈儒僧〉篇有「周時天下太平，越裳獻白雉，倭人貢鬯草」之記載。另其卷19〈恢國〉篇亦復提及「成王之時，越王獻雉，倭人貢暢。」「論衡」所錄，果若屬實，則遠在三千年前之周代，日本即已向中國朝貢。惟日人有以不符當時日本國情等為由，對中國古書之此一記述表示懷疑，甚或根本加以否認者。「論衡」何書﹖無稽鸕言、夸誕不經之著乎﹖抑或踔厲風發，霏金屑玉之作﹖王充何許人也﹖末學膚受、無中生有之庸夫俗子乎﹖抑或通儒碩學、才大心細之正人君子﹖其文是否真灼崇閎足以服人﹖其辭是否嚴謹審慎足可信賴﹖茲從「論衡」之「書格」及作者之人格加以考察、以為印證。
Eastern oceanic state, Japan, had relationship with us in early age ancient time. Latter Han, Wang Tsung wrote On Measurement whose book 8, chapter on "Scholars increase "had such a statement" In Chou Dynasty, as peace reigned, people from Vietnam offered white pheasant and Japanese turmeric. Another book 19 in the same writing, chapter on "Country recovery" mentioned again "At the time of Chou Cheng Wang, king of Vietnam offered pheasant, while Japanese contributed turmeric." If the record in On Measurement is faithful, we can gather that Japan should have started contribution three thousand years ago, in early Chou Dynasty. However, nowadays some Japanese has grown skeptical of the statement recorded in Chinese ancient writing and even denied the fact on the ground that it was totally against Japanese tradition. What book is On Measurement? Is it a book of nonsense without any factual basis? Or is it only written on a spur of impulse to win good reputation of a time? Who is Wang Tsung? Is he merely a man of mediocrity without much learning and fond of fabrication? Or is he a man of integity, fine and talented, rich in learning? Is his writing so full of truthful light and so vast in vision that readers can be fully persuaded? Is his wording so careful andprecise as to be trusted? Now I would prove my view by the textual research of On Measurement as well as by the analysis on character of both the writer and his writing.
