“大元”国号新考——兼论元代蒙汉政治文化交流

A New Examination of the Chinese Dynastic Title DaYuan,with a Discussion of Mongolian and Han Political and Cultural Exchanges in the Yuan Dynasty

民族文字史料显示,“大元”国号是面向全体臣民、因而具有普适性的政治符号。但是,不同文化圈对国号内涵的理解并不相同。《经世大典·帝号总序》以疆域广大解释“元”,可能反映了参与大典编纂的蒙古局必阇赤们的看法;“以仁解元”则是元代汉人儒士的主流国号观。元代官方汉文文本构建起一个君王效法天道,以仁得天下、治天下的王朝形象;蒙古文化圈受此影响,也更多地将与“仁”、“民心”等对应的蒙文词汇应用于政治表达。元代国号的整体面貌是多元文化接触、吸收的结果,不能用“蒙汉分立”式的简单二元性来概括。

Mongolian,Tibetan and Tangut sources show that the Chinese dynastic title“Da Yuan”(Great Yuan)was a political symbol universally applicable to all the subjects of the Yuan dynasty.However,people from different cultural backgrounds perceived the term in different ways.The interpretation of Yuan as vast territory given in Dihao Zongxu(Preface to the Section on Imperial Titles)of the Jingshi Dadian(Compendium of Statecraft)probably reflected the ideas of the Mongol literati(bicigci or bitikchi)in the Menggu Ju(Mongol Bureau),which had participated in the compilation of the Jingshi Dadian.Among Han Confucians,the mainstream interpretation of Yuan was ren(benevolence).Official texts in the Chinese language constructed a dynastic image of rulers following the Way of Heaven and winning and governing the world with benevolence.Under their influence,Mongol cultural circles started using the Mongolian terms corresponding to ren,minxin(popular sentiment)and so on more frequently in political expression.Overall,the dynastic title Yuan was the outcome of multicultural contact and absorption;it cannot be covered by the simplistic duality of a“Mongol-Chinese division.”