“谅闇不言”与君权交替——关于“三年之丧”的一个新视角

"Liang An Bu Yah (silence in mourning)" and Monarchical Power Transfer:A New Approach to "Three-Year-Mourning"

中国古代的君权交替过程与故君的丧礼有直接关系。所谓三年"谅闇不言",是新君继位之初,借故君丧礼而实行的一种帝王术,旨在控御遗臣,接管实权。殷高宗、周文王、周康王、晋文公、楚庄王、楚灵王、滕文公和粱襄王等人的继位仪式,及其先君的丧葬礼制,均可证此说。孔子首先把"谅闇不言"的原则纳入儒家推行的通行丧制,将长达三年的久丧厚葬、慎言谨行的人格修养和处下不言的帝王之术,三者有机地结合为一体。简帛材料(《成之闻之》《昔者君老》《老子》《十大经》等)证明,在孔门后学的着力阐发之下,经战国时期道、法、黄老诸学的转接融会,"三年谅闇"最终被抟成一个人所共知的普世意象。

In ancient China, monarchical power transfer was directly related to the late monarch's bsequies. The so-called three-year-' silence', i. e., the new monarch would keep silence for his first three years on the pretext of putting on mourning for the late one, was nothing but a monarchical politics to put the old officials under control and to take over the real power. This can be seen in the succeeding ceremonies of many famous monarchs such as Gaozong of the Yin, King Wen of the Zhou, King Kang of the Zhou, Wengong of the Jin King Zhuang of the Chu, King Ling of the Chu, Wengong of the Teng and King Xiang of the Liang and their former monarchs' obsequies. It was Confucius who first introduced the principle of 'three-year-silence' into Confucian common obsequies, integrating the three-year-long long mourning and elaborate funeral, personal cultivation of cautious speaking and behavior and monarchical politics of pretending to be weak and silent. According to inscriptions on bamboo slips and silk, 'three-year-silence' was elaborated by Confucians, improved hy other schools such as Daoism, Legalism, School of Huangdi and Laozi, and finally turned into a recognized common practice.