小议元杂剧中的“斡脱钱”

A Kind of Usury Described in Zaju of Yuan Dynasty

斡脱钱就是指元代的高利贷。元代高利贷现象极其严重,元杂剧中表现了元代斡脱钱范围广、利息高、经营者身份特殊以及借贷需要抵押品等特点,同时也从侧面表现了元代斡脱钱的“厉害”:如到期无法归还,弄不好就会家破人亡。但元代剧作家对这一现象却没有从正面去描写,而是写得非常含蓄,这是由元代的特殊历史背景和元代文人的特殊地位决定的。

"Wotuo money" is a kind of usury described in Zaju of Yuan Dynasty.Usury phenomenon is extremely serious in Yuan Dynasty with characteristics such as wide scope,high interestrate,managers with special status and needed security.But the dramatists describe this phenomenon very implicitly in Zaju,and this is decided by the special historical background in Yuan Dynasty and the scholar s special status.