「碑」、「銘」依寫作要旨之不同，可區分為：傳人昭德、敘事紀 功、序地弘道，以及未必刻石而僅為言志、頌讚的銘作。這四類在寫 作的重點及其美感的聚焦上，實在大相逕庭，因而完整的論述，勢必 繁複而漫長。因此，本篇先以最常見之「傳人昭德」之類型為考察對
象。
首先，闡述「碑」、「銘」的製作有其符應於「文學」本質的屬性， 以及所預設的性質與功能。其次，分別從德行、個性、命運等三個面 向，分析傳人昭德之碑銘的文學表現。以寫作者而論，有仰之彌高、 交感共鳴、悲憫憐惜等諸種視角。從書寫重點的變化來看，則逐漸由 形式整齊的美感，轉向「敘事」的戲劇性表現與「議論」說理的機鋒。

Based on their different purports, steles and inscriptions can be divided into four types: those that recount an individual’s life and promote virtue; those that relate affairs and document achievements; those that assess locales and broaden the dao; and inscriptions that do not necessarily become carved in stone, but simply express an intent or offer praise. These four types of compositions differ in terms of emphasis and aesthetic beauty, and thus a comprehensive study would of necessity be complex and protracted. For this reason, this article will focus on the first, and most common, type - those that recount an individual’s life and promote virtue - as the main object of investigation.
In the article, I first describe how steles and inscriptions possess attributes that conform to the essential qualities of “literature.” I also explain their default characteristics and functions. I then conduct an analysis of the literary expression found in the steles and inscriptions of the first type that focuses on three separate aspects, those of moral conduct, personality and fate. With regards to the authors of these texts, they employed various perspectives such as adulatory reverence, mutual
sympathy, and pitiful compassion. If we examine changes in emphasis, then we see a gradual shift away from a formally complete aesthetic beauty and towards the dramatic expression of narrative and the incisive exposition of argument.