论《白虎通》对制度伦理的阐发及其历史定位

On Bai Hu Tong’s Interpretation of Institutional Ethics and Its Historical Position

通过与《春秋繁露》和《两汉会要》的比较可见,《白虎通》是一部涵盖国家制度、人文典制和精神范畴的大制作。与典制政书体例不同,《白虎通》重心落在制度伦理意涵的阐发上,采用问答体例,揭示典制深层的制度理念,追求"斟酌道德""肴核仁义"的目标。义理推衍与神学论证是该书对制度伦理的主导诠释模式,同时也融汇诸子百家学说,建构了国家典制和社会规范的意义世界。应将其定位为以全面阐发国家制度伦理为主旨和核心内容的汉代"国宪"。

Through the comparison with Chun Qiu Fan Lu and Hui Yao of the Two Han Dynasties, we can see that Bai Hu Tong is a masterpiece which covers national institutions, humanistic canonical system and spiritual category. Different from the style of books on canonical system and government affairs, Bai Hu Tong focuses on the elucidation of the implication of institutional ethics, and pursues the target of deliberation of morality and benevolence and uprightness by taking the form of questions and answers and revealing the profound ideas of canonical system. Reasoning deduction and theological argumentation are the dominant interpretation modes of institutional ethics, and also, at the same time, integrate various schools of thought and construct the meaning world of national canonical system and social norms. As far as historical position is concerned, the book should be defined as the "national constitution"of the Han Dynasty which takes the whole elaboration of national institutional ethics as the keynote and core content.