《史记》中“酷吏”词义的文化解读

The Meaning of "酷吏" Used in Historical Records by Sima Qian

儒家主张的“以民为本”有人道主义(以人为本)的因素,所以宽大为怀;法家“以法为本”,难免冷酷无情。这是两种文化的分歧。我们从这个角度重新认识“酷吏”之“酷”,认为:1.视酷吏为“残酷的官吏”是一个误解。按《史记》本传,酷吏的本质特征是“刻深少恩”,即“冷酷”,而非“残酷”。“残酷”只是个别人的行为,不能代表整个群体;2.他们的“刻深少恩”与法律的准确性、客观性有必然联系,并非个人阴暗人格的表现。但由于传统社会提倡“仁治”,致使人们对《史记》中的酷吏存在误解和偏见。

In Chinese history, Confucianists and I_egalists had different ideas of ruling, and that is why we should understand from a different angle the meaning of 酷吏 used by Sima Qian in his Historical Records. The present author believes that 酷吏 actually means a ＂callous official＂ rather than a ＂cruel official＂.