“御”与中国古代的治国之道

Yu( 御,Drive / Royal):A Metaphor of Statecraft in Ancient China

"御"起源于驾车,定型于君主专称。本文通过梳理"御"观念的演变,分析其与中国古代治国之道的关系。文章首先简要论述马在国家政治中具有重要地位,指明以御为治国隐喻的发生根源。接下来沿动、静两条线索展开:第一,御的动词式演进,经历"御马→御民→御臣"的转化。先秦诸子对此均有贡献,但是充分奠定御的君术地位的无疑是韩非,他的"驾车喻"具有"技艺""控制""主体客体对抗"等特征。第二,御的名词式演进,经历"御者→御礼→御制"的转变。这是一个从具体名词到抽象概念凝固化的过程,仪式是名词性演化的核心。秦汉之际,皇权建立,御最终转化为君主专称,儒家的御礼和法家的御臣术共同缔造了强大的君权。御作为君制概念反应了先人对于治国的理解:君主以仪式和控制实现统治,政治生活中充满了对抗,又不乏协同。

The Chinese character Yu( 御,Drive / Royal) has complex meanings,which originated in driving a carriage and finalized in royal as a special item for the emperor. By analyzing the evolution history of 'Yu',this paper shows a governance idea budding in the Pre-Qin Period in ancient China. In order to explore the reason for make a metaphor by Yu,Part One will briefly discuss the horse important status in national politics.Part Two and Three will argue separately in dynamic and static aspects: First,the verb transformation of Yu( Drive),i. e. from Drive Carriage to Dominated Subjects then to Control Officials,which indicates changes in driving objects. Though many Pre-Qin Period scholars contributed to this transformation,the most important one is Han Fei who endowed metaphor of Yu( Drive) with several characters,such as technique,control and contest between subject and object. Second,the noun transformation of Yu( Royal),i. e. from Charioteer to Royal Ceremony then to Emperor System. This is a process from concrete to abstract noun and ritual play a key role in the noun evolution of Yu. Up to the Qin and Han Dynasty Emperor System established finally,Yu( Royal) became a special term for emperor. At the same time,imperial ceremony in Confucian and controlling officials' strategy in Legalist jointly created a powerful monarch. As a royal concept,Yu reflects ancestral understanding of governance: since there are full of confrontation in political life,monarch should ruled subjects by controlling power and rituals. This governance idea influences China as long as two thousand years even in current time.