儒學核心經典的範圍曾經歷了自《五經》而《四書》的變遷，然而，士人們的知識興趣與實踐活動，卻往往不是這些核心經典所能完全界範的。特別是在宋代因社會型態改變，士人組成結構從前代的貴族為主大幅往平民傾斜，其興趣與日常生活的知識涉獵也相對廣泛。然其非屬核心經典的知識興趣與實踐活動，卻因《論語》中子夏（西元前507-?）曾有「雖小道，必有可觀者焉，致遠恐泥，是以君子不為也」的說法，使得它們究竟是否具有值得追求的價值，對於士人來說就不是那麼理所當然的，甚至必須發展出一些論述策略以證成其價值。本文企圖透過分析宋代士人在知識分類與認知方面的轉變，觀察「小道」之學如何逐步獲得存在的合理性，並融入士人的生活世界成為其知識追求的範疇之一。

The scope of the Confucian core classics has undergone changes from the Five Classics to the Four Books, but the intellectual interests and activities of Confucian literati often went far beyond their boundaries. Especially in the Song Dynasty, due to changes in social patterns, the composition and organizational structure of literati shifted significantly from the aristocracy of the previous generation to the common people, and their interests and pursuit of knowledge became relatively extensive. However, their enthusiasm for non-Confucian knowledge and activities became problematic and sometimes discursive strategies needed to be eveloped for justification because Zixia 子夏(507-? BCE) had once said in the Analect, “Even in the studies of the lesser arts there is something worth being looked at; the gentleman, however, does not practice them as there is a danger of them hampering him from seeking the higher truth.” Through analyzing Song literati’s changes in perceptions and classification of knowledge, this study aims to reveal how the learning of the lesser arts gradually obtained legitimacy and became an integral part of the pursuit of knowledge undertaken by Song literati.