情理与习惯:明清司法审判中的高级法与次级法

Qingli and Customs:the Higher and Subsidiary Laws in Judicial Process of Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清司法实践中,情理和习惯是除法律之外作用较为显著的两个因素。其中,情理作为法律运行应当追求的目标价值,成为司法审判中的高级法;而习惯则作为效力弱于法律的辅助因素,成为司法审判中的次级法。由此,明清时期司法审判过程中的法律适用,是一个以情理为导引、优先适用法律、以习惯为辅助的法律适用模式,所呈现的实际上是一种以合乎人的本能倾向、尊重自然演进规律、维护社会交往逻辑为根本目标,以政治统一、中央集权为主导意图,兼顾地方治理和社会经验的法律治理现实图景。

In the judicial process of Ming and Qing dynasties,Qingli and custom are the two prominent factors along with the statutes.Qingli was established as the target value for the administration of the law and the higher law in the process of justice,and customs acted as the auxiliary factor to the statutes and the subsidiary law in the judicial process.So it may be concluded that the legal application in Ming and Qing＇s judicial process was characterized with the guidance of Qingli,the predominance by the statutes and the assistance from the customs, and that this kind of legal application represented a realistic ruling-by-law scene which fundamentally aimed to cater for human＇s instinct, submit to nature＇s evolution and stick up to society＇s communication logic,and designed to reconcile the intent of political unification and social integrity,the need of safeguarding the central authority and the local order.