西汉之前礼乐之嬗变

The Gradual Changes of Rites and Music before the Western Han Dynasty

礼乐思想是中国文化的重要组成部分,其思想内核随着社会、政治、文化等因素几经变迁。礼乐文明起源于三代时期的原始宗教祭祀。随着周代建立,周公对礼制进行规范,礼乐思想开始蕴含人文精神。至春秋时期,孔子及思孟学派对人文精神的阐发,使礼乐思想中道德性的一面逐渐彰显。荀子对"礼制"方面的重视,使得礼乐开始向以"法"、"势"为核心的法家思想偏移,侧重于表现尊卑的分界。汉代大一统的形成,使礼乐思想之道德精神的一面进一步萎缩,礼乐文化成为宣扬君主威仪的工具,其礼仪方面的意义被无限放大,并影响了整个专制社会。

Rites and music are important components of Chinese culture, whose cores will change with the changes of society, politics, culture and so on. The civilization of rites and music originated from the primitive religious sacrifices in the period of Three Dynasties. With the founding of the Zhou dynasty, hu- man spirit began to exist in the ideas of rites and music. In the Period of Spring and Autumn, Confucius and his followers made morality prominent in the rites and music. In the hands of Xunzi, rites and music laid particular stress on the division between the high persons and the low persons. In the Han dynasty, rites and music became the tool of praising monarch dignity. The significance of rites was magnified infi- nitely and influenced the whole autocratic society.