司马迁天命观探微

An Exploration of Sima Qian’s View of Fate

“天”“天命”“天道”等观念在中国文化语境中有着复杂的内涵,承担着宗教的某些功能,在中国人的生产生活、价值观念和生命情操中都具有举足轻重的地位。“天命观”是司马迁的写作纲领,在《史记》中呈现出天人相合、天人相感和天人相分等多层面特征,是立体的、错综复杂的。一方面,基于史官的职责,司马迁受西周以来“天”“天命”观念影响,主张君权神授,维护大一统的传统;另一方面,他又张扬人的德性,以仁民德政评价王朝兴衰,以仁义道德评价人物成败得失,闪耀着德性的光辉。司马迁的天命观,揭示了中国文化的三个特点:即大一统的观念,大一统的传统;虚实相间,虚实相生;重视德性,强调道德修养。在司马迁有关“天命观”的历史叙述中,较为全面地展现了上古时期至西汉武帝时中国人的精神状态,这是中国人最可宝贵的精神财富。

Compared with monotheism,Chinese religious belief is relatively apathetic.The concepts of“Heaven,”(Tian)“Fatality,”(Tian-ming)and“Natural Law”(Tian-dao)have complex connotations in China.They have the religious characteristics,serve the religious functions,and play a crucial role in the production and life,values,and sentiments of the Chinese people.The“view of fate”is the subject of Sima Qian’s work.“Records of the Grand Historian of China”has multilevel features such as harmony between human being and nature,telepathy between heaven and human being,separation between the universe and human being.It is three-dimensional and intricate.On the one hand,based on the duties of a historiographer,Sima Qian was influenced by the concepts of“Heaven”and“Fatality.”He advocated the divine right of king and the tradition of the great unification.On the other hand,he also praised the virtues of human beings.He evaluated the governance according to whether there was a benevolent rule,and evaluated the historical figures according to whether they exemplified the virtue of benevolence.His view of fate revealed three characteristics of Chinese culture:the concept and tradition of the unification,the combination of asthenia and sthenia,the emphasis on virtue and moral cultivation.The historical narrative of Sima Qian’s“view of fate”manifested the Chinese people’s spiritual state from the ancient times to the age of Hanwu Emperor.This is the most valuable spiritual wealth of the Chinese.