經世思想是章太炎學術思想的重要內容，實質行動表現是治學不忘經世，經世不忘治學。他曾曉諭弟子為學做人要文章、學術、經世三者並重，而前二者更能成為實踐後者的途轍。究其經世思想產生，乃淵源自家庭教育、《春秋》大義、清人影響、西方新學知識和日本近代國學觀念。五點彰示其經世思想形成之經過，同時又展現其強烈的民族主義思想。換言之，章氏學術經世思想是以民族思想為背景和發展軸心的、是在民族主義的思想框架下構成的。故其人進退，是為實踐民族主義思想下種種經國救世之夢而努力，實際行動是：排滿興漢、外抗列強、抵禦西化、振興國學、補偏救弊。

構成章氏民族主義思想、並使之有所發展的是民族歷史。他自言培育民族思想是要靠歷史灌溉；否則，民族思想勢必萎黃枯竭。重視歷史的觀念影響其經世學術內容的構成，致使六經被歷史文獻化，傳統小學/語言文字學也被歸類於史學範疇。在史學定位下，本是「發端至小」的語言文字學，它的價值是「所證明者至大」的，逕被視為「國故之本」和「國粹」。於是，保護國粹不亡乃至發揮國粹以激發種性，成為章氏經世之學的重要內容。

為了深入了解他的學行的時代意義，本文將選取他的語言文字主張與實際應用為研究個案，觀察他如何發揮學術的經世效用，藉以釐清他的學思關懷旨歸以及他在現代學術發展史上之角色。要之，本文以章氏的經世思想為研究主題，除了對其經世志行與學思特質有宏觀探索外，也從微觀角度探研他的語言文字觀感和當中蘊含的經世意涵，觀察他如何藉學術以實踐經世志業。在此層面上，本文進又發現他在清末民初的文字改革浪潮中，從語言文字研究乃至書寫文體的取捨過程中，所抱持的立場觀感無不反映濃厚民族文化意識與歷史情感；二者往往構成了他褒貶人事、論文衡學的好惡標準。這些研究有助補充目前章學研究之不足，同時又使他的學思特質與治學深意有適切彰顯。

Statecraft thought is a very critical element in studying Zhang Tai Yan’s academic thoughts. He once said to his students that to be an academic, one had to bear in mind the equal importance of writing, academic studies and statecraft thought. Zhang’s academic thoughts are developed from nationalism and nationalism was used as his study framework. With a very strong passion for his country, he even lived for studying how statecraft thought could save the nation by the spread of nationalism. His chosen way was to get rid of Ching, uphold Han, resist Western aggression, strengthen Nation Learning and correct the nation’s faultiness.

It could be said that the nation’s history had formed and helped to develop Zhang’s nationalism. Zhang asserted that history was the way to nurture the development of nationalism. Without history, nationalism would die off and become lifeless. Attaching such a great importance to history, Zhang formed his statecraft thought in ways that had documented Liu Jing (“Six Classics”) and he grouped traditional Xiao Xue (Philology) or linguistics into the historic study scope.

In order to understand the influence of Zhang’s scholarship, this essay has selected his philology assertion and practice as case studies and observed how his academic thought brought into play the effect of his statecraft thought. This helps the understanding of his ultimate academic concerns and the role he played in modern academic development. In short, this essay studies Zhang’s statecraft thought and its features not only from a macro point of view, but also from a micro point of view (i.e. to look into his linguistics and its statecraft assertions). This helps in the observation of how he made use of academia to spread statecraft practice. This essay also provides evidence of Zhang’s strong affection for nationalism and history when studying his views on the late-Ching and early-Min revolution of scripts, and his studies of the linguistics and script of writing. Zhang’s strong affection for nationalism and history formed both positive and negative views of people and matters. The essay also discusses some points about Zhang’s studies which have been overlooked today and it probes into Zhang’s features of thought and their meaning in today’s world.