本文以1930 年代章太炎 (1869-1936) 與錢穆 (1895-1990) 的一場對話為焦點，分析這兩位先後成為「國學大師」的學者僅有一次的會面的論述內容及其脈絡，指出「國史」的未來乃是兩人一致的關心點，但是兩人對於所謂國史的看法、態度與具體作法已經大相逕庭，走上不同的道路。存在於兩者之間的差異，固然與兩人的年齡際遇、所代表的世代以及時代的變遷有關，但最重要的，是反映了兩人面對已經不可避免的國史及其西方他者的互相界定關係，兩人態度與自覺性的不同。從章太炎到錢穆，一個中西古今的複雜比較觀點已經悄悄浮現在現代中國「國史」的論述與書寫實踐之中，由官方主導的正版歷史樣本轉變成為國內外肯認戰爭 (war of recognition) 的重要戰場。

This article focuses on a conversation that took place in the 1930s between Zhang Taiyan章太炎 (1869-1936) and Qian Mu 錢穆 (1895-1990), two intellectuals who had become known as Masters of National Learning in their long-lasting and outstanding academic careers. They did not meet each other either before or after this event. Despite the fact that both shared a concern for the future of China’s historiography, they differed greatly on their idea of what guoshi 國史ought to be as well as how it should be practiced. Their different views can be attributed to their ages, career paths, and the dramatic change in cultural atmosphere lying between their generations. Most importantly, their divergent conceptions reflect their diversified view of Chinese national history and its relationship to its non-Chinese others. A more complicated comparative perspective between not only China and the West but also ancient versus modern has quietly emerged (and is also submerged) in the discourse and practice of writing national history in modern China. The traditional struggle with the governmental sanction of Standard History has been transformed into a war of recognition that is at once both domestic and foreign.