宋代民事诉讼时效论略

The Limitation Period of Civil Lawsuit during the Song Dynasty

诉讼时效是现代民事法律中的一项重要制度,传统中国虽然没有诉讼时效这一专业术语,但是从规范内容、法律事实和法学原理上考察,它是客观存在的。尤其是在宋代,民事诉讼时效事实上已初具规模和体系。基于对专制统治秩序、社会经济秩序、人伦秩序等建构的影响不同,结合纠纷的种类来考量,宋代民事诉讼时效可以分为:一般田宅交易纠纷诉讼时效、与"家"相涉的田宅交易纠纷诉讼时效、与继承相关的纠纷诉讼时效和债务纠纷诉讼时效四类。此外,宋代还逐步完善了诉讼时效的细节性规定,结合商品经济发展和田宅流转速度加快等社会现实因素的考量,逐步缩短了相应纠纷的时效期间。

Although there was no formal terms about lawsuit limitation in traditional China, during the Song Dynasty, however, limitation period was considered and practiced broadly in the civil judicial reality. In terms of influence, the civil lawsuit limitation period practice in the Song Dynasty can be considered in four categories, namely, that concerning ordinary land and housing trade, that concerning family and clan related land and housing trade, that concerning inheritance cases, and that concerning debt disputes. Moreover, the Song Dynasty gradually improved the detailed statutes about lawsuit limitation period and shortened the length of time based upon the development reality of commercialization.