《晏子春秋》的“忠”论探析

Analysis of the Concept of Loyalty in Yanzi's Spring and Autumn Annals

《晏子春秋》中的"忠"论更多的是就臣德而言的,包含以下几层内涵:其一,能进善于君而不与君陷于难为忠;其二,忠臣主要是忠于社稷,而非仅仅忠君,忠君不过是忠于社稷的一个手段;其三,君臣关系是相互的,君可择臣而使之,臣亦可择君而事之;其四,忠臣最主要的义务是谏君。《晏子春秋》的"忠"论所反映的君臣关系近于孔孟思想,但孔孟尤其是孟子往往不用"忠"来论述君臣关系,孔孟思想中的"忠"主要代指一般的伦理道德。从《晏子春秋》的"忠"论可以看出先秦时期君臣关系是相对平等的,先秦时期的"忠"论绝非后世所理解的"君要臣死,臣不得不死"的腐朽忠君观。《晏子春秋》的"忠"论所呈现出君臣相对平等的关系与先秦时期齐国"举贤上功"的政治传统是密不可分的。

The concept of loyalty in Yanzi＇s Spring and Autumn Annals mostly referred to subjects＇ virtue, including the following connotations： firstly, speaking words of kindness without having their monarch embarrassed ; secondly, being loyal to the country instead of being loyal only to the monarch while being loyal to the monarch was only a means of being loyal to the country; thirdly, the monarch-subject relationship was mutual and reciprocal, to be exact, the monarch could choose subjects at his service while the subjects could choose monarch to serve; fourthly, loyal subjects were obliged to remonstrate with the monarch. The concept of loyalty in Yanzi＇s Spring and Autumn Annals was quite close to the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius, but both Confucius and Mencius, especially Mencius, would regard a general sense rather than the monarch-subject relationship. It the concept of loyalty as ethics and morals in could be seen from the concept of loyalty in Yanzi＇s Spring and Autumn Annals that the monarch-subject relationship in the Pre-Qin Period was relatively equal, and that the concept of loyalty was, by no means, the outdated concept that the monarch wants the feudal official to die, the feudal official can not but die. In comparison with the relative equal monarch-subject relationship, reflected in the concept of loyalty in Yanzi＇s Spring and Autumn Annals and the political tradition of recommending the capable and rewarding the meritorious in the Pre-Qin Period, it was concluded that they were inseparable from each other.