从“宗庙先君之主”到“神之主”——试论春秋时期“主”观念的发展

From“the Ancestor of the Ancestral Temple”to“the Lord of God”——Development of the Idea of“Lord”in the Spring and Autumn Period

春秋时期,“主”字除具有表示祖先或神明之主的本义和主人的基本含义外,还常出现“民之主”和“神之主”的用法,具有了代表抽象的道德品质的含义。分析具体语境发现,“民之主”“神之主”的用语反映了春秋时民、君、神三者关系的新变化,在相当一部分政治家的观念中,朴素的民本思想依然占有重要地位,而神的地位具有下降趋势,新的君权则借助“民”日趋与神权相整合,为战国时期君主权力的加强开辟道路。

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the word "Zhu" had the meanings of "the Lord of the people" and "the Lord of God" in addition to the original meanings of the ancestors or gods. The "Zhu" had the meaning of the abstract moral quality. When analyzing the specific context, we found that the usage of "the Lord of the People" and "the Lord of God" reflected a new change about the relationship between the people, monarch and the God. In a considerable part of the concept of politicians, the plain people-oriented thoughts still occupied an important position, and the position of God had a downward trend. And the new monarchical power was integrated with the divine right through "the people", which paved the way for the strengthening of the monarchical power in the Warring States Period.