论北魏士族的门第等级——以释褐为中心的考察

On the Gentry Level in the Northern Wei Dynasty——A Study of the Starting Point of the Official Career

阀阅流品乃中古士族制度的核心要义,家世背景是身份地位和权益分配的决定因素.经历士族化风潮洗礼的北魏深得其中精髓,它遵循从旧原则,以具有蓝本意义的晋品令为基准,综合统计曾祖、祖父、父亲三代的官爵世资,均值一至三品者为膏腴,四至五品者为甲乙丙丁四姓.这两者的层级位差突出表现在乡品和起家官品方面,常制膏腴乡品一品,以五品官释褐;四姓乡品二品,以六品官释褐.这种新格局不仅造成士庶天隔,即便在士族阶层内部也出现分野.北魏秉承魏晋士族制旨趣,结合现实统治需要,形成唯门第是从的贵族体制,但它阻塞社会流动,造成身份凝固,势必让位于上下对流通畅、洋溢生机活力的庶民时代.

The gentry s family background and rank were the core principle of the medieval aristocratic system which determined the social status and distribution of rights. The complete identity hierarchy was established by the Northern Wei dynasty that experienced the baptism of the gentrification wave. According to the Jin official order, it was an effective method to calculate theduty grades of the great grandfather, grandfather and father. The level from one to three was called GaoYu(膏腴),and from four to five was called SiXing(四姓). The grade difference between them was prominently embodied in the village rank and the starting point of the official career. The hierarchical organization inherited the aristocratic tradition of the Wei and Jin dynasties and conformed to the needs of the political reality, but formed a rigid society and hindered the social mobility so that it must be replaced by the civilian time that presented convective smooth and was full of the vigor and vitality.