秦汉帝王顾问官制度

Emperor's Consulting System in the Qin and Han Dynasties

秦汉建立了君主专制体制下的顾问官制度,帝王依法在自己的周围设置了太中大夫、中大夫、谏议大夫、光禄大夫、侍中、中常侍、散骑常侍、议郎、给事中、博士等一批顾问官,皆为皇帝钦定,临时差遣,大多为兼职,无办公衙署,在宫廷内或宫廷附近"待诏"或值班,位卑权重,出入禁中,侍从帝王,随时听候帝王的咨询。帝王通过"召对"、"论议"、"集议"等形式,广泛咨询顾问官的意见,充分发挥顾问官的"论思献纳"、"拾遗补阙"的职能。秦汉帝王顾问官还奉诏出使,赈济灾民,班宣风化,举实臧否,了解民情社意,为帝王提供决策信息;又精研儒家经典,撰写历史著作,整理图书文献,探讨历史发展规律,为帝王决策提供政治智慧。秦汉帝王顾问官制度加强了行政权力的制约与监督机制,保证帝王既"兼听"大臣意见,又能"独断"大政,使君主专制政体下的权力运作正常有序进行,不仅在一定程度上促进了帝王决策的科学化和民主化,而且极大地影响了秦汉以后君主专制体制的完善和发展。

On the basis of autocratic monarchy, the consulting system is established in the Qin and Han Dynasties, according to which the emperors set up different consulting positions such as taizhongdaifu, zhongdaifu, jianyidaifu, guangludaifu, shizhong, zhongchangshi and so on, who are appointed by the emperors personally and receive the assignments temporarily. At the same time, most of them are part-time and they do not have the fixed office, waiting in or near the imperial palace. Moreover, even though low in the status, they are powerful since they have the access to the imperial palace to be consulted by the emperors. By the means such as calling in, debating, gathering and so on, the emperors can consult with them to make full use of their roles as ＂debating and proposing suggestions＂ and ＂making good omissions and shortcomings＂. The consultants can not only provide the information for the emperors＇ decision-making by the means of relieving afflicted people, spreading the emperors＇ policy, providing and evaluating the situation, and collecting the social situation and public opinion, but provide political suggestions for the emperors＇ decision-making by the means of studying Confucianism classics, compiling the history works, arranging books and documents, and exploring the law of history development. This system strengthens the mechanism of restriction and supervision of the administrative power, which ensures that the emperor can not only take into account the ministers＇ opinion, but also arrogate all power to himself. As a result, the power in the system of autocratic monarchy can be in effect properly and orderly, which not only to some extent makes the emperor＇s decision-making demacratic and scientific, but also imposes great influence on the perfection and development of autocratic monarchy system after the Qin and Han Dynasties.