汉代九卿制度的形成

The Development of the Jiuqing(Nine Ministers)System in the Han Dynasty

九卿在汉代经历了由最初泛指同一秩级的若干官职到逐渐特指太常、光禄勋等九个官职的演变历程。西汉前期,九卿泛指二千石中职掌实际事务的中央机构长官;及武帝前期中二千石秩级形成,改指中二千石中的同类官职。迄至西汉灭亡,九卿仍未特指九职,不过西汉后期太常九职渐居同称“九卿”的其他中二千石之上。王莽基于汉制传统及模仿尧舜禅让,缘饰以经说,创造了以三孤卿+六卿的另类九卿形式。东汉承袭王莽九卿诸多设计的同时又接续西汉传统,确立以太常九职为九卿,并通过整饬机构,最终建立成熟的九卿制度。九卿这一演变,显示其制度形成乃是经典古制、传统故事、理性行政及政治意图合力推动的结果,复古改制并非唯一动力。

The term jiuqing (Nine Ministers) evolved over the course of the Han dynasty, from initially being a general term for a number of official positions of the same rank to referring specifically to nine ministers including the taichang (Minister of Ceremonies) and the guangluxun (Minister of the Household). In the early years of the Western Han, the jiuqing , all of whom had salaries of “Er-qian-shi”, were the top officials in charge of substantive affairs in the central government. Early in Emperor Wu’s reign, the salary-rank of “Er-qian-shi” for central officials had changed, now denoting similar official positions at this level. By the fall of the Western Han, jiuqing still did not specify nine positions, but the nine offices of the taichang were above other “Er-qian-shi” jiuqing offices. Basing himself on the institutional traditions of the Han dynasty and copying Yao’s abdication in favor of Shun, and embellishing his rule with Confucian ideas, Wang Mang created an alternative jiuqing system of san gu qing plus liu qing (Three Departments and Six Ministries). The Eastern Han inherited Wang Mang’s ministerial structure, but at the same time followed the Western Han tradition. It established a jiuqing of nine ministers including the taichang , and reordered the bureaucratic structure, eventually setting up a mature jiuqing system. The evolution of the jiuqing was driven jointly by the ancient classics, stories from tradition, rational administration and political motivations;Wang Mang’s restoration of the ancient system was not its only driving force.