俄藏5147号文书10件西夏文贷粮契译考

A Study and Translation of 10 Copies of Tangut Grain-Borrowing Contracts in the No.5147 Document Preserved in St.Petersburg

藏于俄罗斯的5147号10件西夏文草书契约,有多种贷粮抵押契,抵押品中既有牲畜,又有土地,甚至还有人口,是古代契约中稀见的品类,具有重要学术价值和文献价值。本文首先将各件西夏文契约进行翻译,然后对契约内容进行解析,包括立契时间、借贷者和借贷数量、债权人和利息、契约保证和抵押、违约处罚、契尾签署画押等。通过对契约进一步分析可知:西夏晚期贫富差距拉大,社会分化严重,影响国力下降,反映出西夏不抵蒙古军队的社会原因;西夏借贷方式具有多样性和复杂性,其中的抵押属不改变抵押物所有权的性质,只是在不能按时还付本息时才被收取抵押物;在一定条件下妇女可以承担偿付债务的责任,有较高的经济地位;西夏特殊阶层使军有的被抵押,但有的使军也可自主借贷并承担借贷责任;西夏契约对中原王朝有明显的继承性,不同民族有密切的经济往来;西夏契约有更为简明、公平和保持互助习俗的特点。

Several types of mortgage grain-borrowing contracts from the 10 copies of Tangut cursive writing contracts in the No.5147 document preserved in St.Petersburg,Russia,were studied.The forms of the collaterals in these contracts are various:cattle,land,or even persons.These forms of contracts are quite rare in ancient documents,and valuable in the academic study of literature.As the completion of the translation of these Tangut contracts,the study made detailed content analyses,such as dates of conclusions of contracts,borrowers and borrowing amount,creditors and interest,guarantees an collaterals of contracts,punishments of violations of contracts,signatures and monograms.Further analyses on these contracts revealed some aspects of the Tangut society:The gap between rich and poor widened during the late period of the Tangut Empire.This caused social disintegration and decline of national strength.The weakened Empire failed to organize effective defense against the Mongolian Army.The types of borrowing were varied and multifold.For example,in mortgage lending,the ownership of the collaterals shouldn't be changed,unless a borrower couldn't pay back the principal and interest.Women enjoyed higher economic status,they could bear the responsibility of paying back debt.Shijuns,slaves in Tangut army,as a special social stratum,some of them were treated as collaterals,meanwhile,others were allowed to borrow and to take the responsibility of borrowing.Due to the close economic ties between ethnic groups in China,the style of Tangut texts of contracts inherited from the counterparts in the Central Plains of China.The distinguishing features of Tangut contracts are more concise,impartial and cooperative.