桐城派虽为文学流派,但其哲学基础却是尊宋学的,这也是该派结合文统和道统的关键所在。在道统的选择上,桐城派也是尊崇程朱理学,与清代盛行的考据学形成了鲜明的对比乃至产生对抗。另外中国古代知识分子骨子里的儒家思想也是支撑这种道统能够坚持下去的重要原因乃至决定性原因。 Although Tongcheng School is a genre of literature, its philosophical basis is respecting Song learning, which is also the key point for the school to combine the literary tradition with Taoism. In the choice of Taoism, the Tongcheng School also respected the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and formed a sharp contrast with the prevailing textual criticism in the Qing Dynasty and even confrontation. In addition, the Confucianism in the ancient Chinese intellectuals is also an important or even the decisive factor in supporting such an unification.