董仲舒“更化则可善治”探析——西汉立国七十年的历史反思与理论探索

Dong Zhongshu’s Idea of “Reform Can Result in Good Governance”:A Historical Reflection and Theoretical Exploration of the 70-Year Development of the Western Han Dynasty since Its Founding

董仲舒回顾和反思西汉立国七十年的发展历程,对治国之道进行了艰辛探索,提出了著名的“更化则可善治”这一命题。“更化”的基本内涵是更而化之,需要遵循三条原则,即“奉天”“法古”“爱民”。“更化”主要从三个方面展开,即意识形态的更替、政治制度的改良与文教政策的调整。“更化”是“善治”的先决条件,“善治”则是“更化”的必然结果。“善治”是通过德治而使社会和谐、风俗淳美。应该遵循三条原则,即“承天意”“明教化”和“正法度”。“善治”的主要方式表现在三个方面:加王心、修法度;尊贤能、重教化;抑兼并、倡调均。要言之,“更化”的精神实质是顺应时代潮流、反映人心向背,对治国策略做出重大调整;“善治”的本质体现了一种“心系苍生,不怀私意”的精神理念,在政制设计上确保“众圣辅德,贤能佐职”,实现“教化大行,万民安乐”。一言蔽之,“更化则可善治”旨在更新和完善西汉王朝的治国理念与方法,这对于促进当代中国国家治理体系与治理能力的现代化,仍具有重要的启发意义和参考价值。

After the review and reflection on the development of the Western Han Dynasty in the 70 years since its founding,Dong Zhongshu explored the ways of governing a country and put forward the noted proposition that“Reform can result in good governance”.Reform,whose basic connotation is the change of the system and the civilizing of common people,requires three principles:carrying out Heaven’s will,following the examples of the ancients and loving common people.Reform is carried out from three aspects:the change of social ideology,the improvement of political system and the adjustment of cultural and educational system.Reform is the prerequisite of good governance while good governance is the inevitable result of reform.Good governance can make society harmonious and customs pure and beautiful through the rule of virtue.It should follow such three principles as accepting Heaven’s will,civilizing common people and rectifying systems.The main ways of good governance are as follows:cultivating his own benevolence and rectifying systems;respecting virtuous and able persons,laying emphasis on civilizing common people;restraining merging and advocating balancing.In brief,the spiritual essence of reform is to conform to the trend of the times,reflect people’s aspirations and make major adjustments to the strategy of governing the country.Good governance,in essence,embodies a kind of spiritual concept of“governors’having common people at heart with no personal aims”.In designing political system,he should ensure that“all the saints and virtuous people can assist him in their duties”so as to realize the idea of“civilizing all the common people and making all of them happy”.In a word,the aims of the idea that“Reform can result in good governance”lie in improving and perfecting the concept and method of governing the country in the Western Han Dynasty,which still has important enlightening significance and reference value in promoting the modernization of the governing system and ability of our country.