论儒家圣王的概念及其流变——从先秦儒学至程朱理学

The Concept of Sage King in Confucianism and Its Evolution——From Pre-Qin Confucianism to Neo-Confucianism

儒家圣王的概念自先秦肇始,历经汉唐的嬗变,至于宋代基本定型。先秦儒学以道德叙事的方式诠释圣王的概念,将圣王视为德性至善的王者,为后世儒学确立基调。汉唐儒学将圣王的概念政治神学化,以“天人感应”改造圣王的概念,圣王的道德性被神学的通感性遮蔽。宋代儒学则兼取先秦儒学与汉唐儒学之长,一方面承认德性至善是圣王的基本概念,倡导圣王可学;另一方面又承认圣王的概念亦包括通感天地的含义,并以“理一分殊”的方式消解“天人感应”的政治神学化特征。程朱理学对圣王的概念之诠释,充分体现儒家的人本主义关怀。

The concept of Confucian sage king began from the pre-Qin Dynasty,underwent the evolution of Han and Tang Dynasties,and had been basically finalized by the Song Dynasty.Pre-Qin Confucianism interpreted the concept of sage king in the way of moral narrative,and regarded the sage king as a king with the highest virtues,which sets the keynote for later Confucianism.Confucianism in the Han and Tang Dynasties made the concept of the sage king politically theologized and transformed the concept of the sage king with the“heaven-human induction”,and the moral nature of sage king was covered by theological sensibility.Confucianism in the Song Dynasty absorbed the merits of its predecessors.On the one hand,it acknowledged that the supreme virtue is the basic concept of the sage king and advocated that the sage king can be achieved by learning.On the other hand,it recognized that the concept of sage king also includes the sense of heaven and earth,dissolving the politically theological characteristics of“heaven-human induction”in the way of“universality and particularity”.The interpretation of the concept of sage king by Neo-Confucianism fully embodies the humanistic concern of Confucianism.