理想国的典制:《礼记·王制》思想阐释

The Decrees and Regulations of Utopia: Ideological Formulation of Ritual Records-System of King

《礼记·王制》是战国的一些儒者为供后世之王者参酌取法之用,在继承三代一些政制之良法美意的同时,独具儒者之匠心重构而出的儒家理想政治制度之蓝图。该书作者意在在维护原有王道理念和封建制的基本结构之基础上,通过对政体、人事制度、教化之道、司法制度和财政赋役制度的改进,使封建之礼一方面能适应社会环境变化,增加其获得实践的可能性;另一方面,使之成为纠正弊端显露的现实政制的理想模式,引导大家向往。《礼记·王制》曾一定程度上影响了尊奉儒学之后代的政治社会制度安排。自政治学视角全面解读《王制》,并给予其在中国政治思想史上应有之定位,能够拓展我们对古代中国一些思想与政治实践起源的理解。

Reconstructed by Confucians in the Warring States period,the book Ritual Records-System of King provides a blueprint for the ideal political systems at that time. It inherits feasible political ideas from the past,and is intended for future kings and emperors to refer to. Based on the preservation of the original feudal infrastructure,the book aims further at improving the political,hierarchical,educational,judicial,and financial systems. This kind of preservation and improvement,on the one hand,makes it possible for feudal manners to better adapt to social environmental changes and become more practical; on the other,it is also regarded as an ideal political pattern which is capable of correcting mistakes in relative fields. This book,to some extent,did have an influence on the political and social systems among Confucians. It is helpful for us to better apprehend the ideological and political origins in ancient China via a politics perspective which gives the book a deserved status in China＇s history of politics.