《黄帝四经》中“名”的法律意义

The Legal Significance of “Name” in The Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor

"名"是《黄帝四经》的一个重要范畴,也是其道法思想的重要内容。这一"名"的内涵是规范和制度,具有法的性质,具体内容是各种名分等级制度,是法律体系中属于主体部分的正面性规范,在法治体系中有着重要的地位和作用。"名"的这种属性决定了《黄帝四经》的思想体系是道法二元结构而不是道名法三元结构。《黄帝四经》的"名"具有法的内涵和性质这一重要观念,对后世法律思想和法律制度产生了深远的影响,"名"与中国古代法律史有着密切的联系。

'Name' is an important category in The Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor and also a major component of the thought regarding Tao and laws. Having the intension of norms and institutions, it has the nature of 'law' because its contents are the various kinds of hierarchical order which are positive norms about subjects in the legal system, thus playing an important role in legal order. The nature of 'name' as such determines that The Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor is of a Tao-law structure, which is binary, instead of a Tao-name-law one, which is trinary. Name's nature as law in this case has exerted great influence on later legislations.