先秦两汉执手礼及其情感内涵

Etiquette of Clasping Hands in Pre-Qin Period and Han Dynasties

执手作为一种礼仪,最迟在先秦时期已经形成。不同的历史时期,执手的对象、范围以及所表达的情感有很大变化。先秦时期执手礼的实行已经较为普遍,出现在师生、国卿与大夫、君臣、士兵、国人等关系中。秦汉时期的执手礼较之先秦具有史籍记载多、意向情感丰富、人物关系更加多样、场合环境更加扩大等特点。无论先秦还是两汉,执手礼有一个最根本的共同功能,即表达对他人的与正向价值有关的情感。在人们的观念中,手是美好神奇的,因而人们愿意把美好善良的情感通过执手的方式向对方表达。逾千年而不变的情感和观念,使得执手渐渐地积淀为一种礼俗,而一旦形成礼俗,就具有极强的稳定性,从而不可逆转地传承下去。

The etiquette of clasping hands was originally a ritual formed in Pre-Qin period. However, as the time goes by, the objective, scope and feeling of a clasping of hands vary a lot in different periods. In Pre-Qin period, the etiquette of clasping hands was already commonly seen between teachers and students, ministers and great officers, emperors and officials, soldiers and ordinary citizens. Compared with the historic records of the clasping-hand etiquette in Pre-Qin period, those in Qin and Han dynasties surpassed the former in aspects including number of historic records, content of feelings, variety of objection, scope of suitable environment. No matter it was in Pre-Qin period or Western and Eastern Han dynasty, there behind the etiquette of clasping hands was a common intention to express positive rapport towards someone. In human mind, hands are beautiful and magic, so one would like to show benign feelings through hand gestures. As the years go by, the custom has become a ritual, which has been steadily passed down generation after generation.