“五始”的时间政治建构与道义价值诠释——以公羊学“元年春,王正月”为中心

“Five Beginnings”as the Gongyang’s Paradigm of Time Politics:The Moral and Value Connotation of“The First Year,Spring,the Royal First Month”

公羊家提倡改制,“元年春,王正月”寓意新王即位当更元建始,以示禀受天命、王权合法、一统于君。重新纪年,赋予其“天地之始”“岁之始”“人道之始”“政教之始”“一国之始”之义,倾注以王道正义的价值理念,传递“天下更始”“咸与维新”信息。从“天端”“王政”到“诸侯即位”“境内之治”,隐藏的是王道逻辑。《春秋》“王鲁”“据鲁”,假托鲁国为王道理想,符号意义甚大。建“文王之正”不过是作为道义之王而非实指。孔子编《春秋》,发明一套时间政治,蓄意把王道正义的主张渗透到年、月、日、季节此类时间刻度中去,注入仁义规定和礼法价值,因而使中国古代的纪元制度具有意识形态管理功能与钳制作用。时间系于君之下,王者即位则当敬授人时,以便天下民众有所适从并听命于君。而君则系于天之下,必须听命于天。君臣之间、君天之间皆有秩序要求,尊王、尊天之义尽显。以新王之正月为大,则体现王者对时间制度的决定权和领导权。

The Gongyang school advocated political reformation.“It was the first year,spring,the royal first month”is the first sentence of Spring and Autumn Annals.From the perspective of Gongyang scholars,this sentence means when the new king gets the dominion of the nation,he should change the reign title and calendar to show his legitimacy and new reign to the people.Then,it represents the beginnings of the universe,the year,the humanity,the civilization and the country,which implies the rules of kingcraft.The method of time recording is intentionally constructed into the ideological and ruling tools.It could be beneficial to practice the ideal kingcraft and social justice,restrict the king’s power by setting the existence of Tian,and strengthen the king’s supreme authority and unquestionable reign to the territory and people.