略论汉文帝的开明思想和作风

About Liu Heng's Liberal Ideas and Style

汉文帝刘恒其个人思想和作风,史家较少论及。刘恒受命于汉初民生凋弊之时,励精图治,表现出卓有个性的思想和作风。他以农为本,以民为先;节俭治国,力戒奢糜;从谏如流,闻过则喜;严于律己,勤于自责;力主禅让,倡导选举;移风易俗,改革丧仪。这些思想和作风,要比与其同时期的秦皇汉武卓越得多,至今仍闪耀着开明的光辉。

Liu Heng, the Emperor Han Wen Di, who was crowned in early years of the Han Dynasty when people lived in destitution, showed in exerting himself to prosper his country his highly distinctive thoughts and style, which are scarcely touched upon by historians. He took agriculture as foundation and gave people priority; ruled the state in a frugal way, avoiding luxury; followed advice like flowing, gladly having his errors pointed out, set strict demands on himself, in addition to regular self, examination; advocated abdicating and handing over the crown to the properly elected successor; and altered old customs and habits, especially obsequies. In a word, his ideas and style that no other emperors of past dynasties possess distinguish him from Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di, Liu's open-mindedness still shines brightly today.