中国古代“孝”法的发展和演变

Development and Evolution of the“Filial Piety”Law in Ancient China

夏商(西)周时期,中国已经有了孝的思想;春秋至秦,“孝”通过立法开始成为正式的法律;两汉政府推行以孝治天下的基本国策,从各个层面补充并完善了对孝的立法;隋唐时期,孝法走向成熟;明清时期,该法继续强化和益趋反动。古代中国的孝法呈现出“礼法结合和德刑并用”、“维护家长的特权”、“把孝神圣化和法律化相统一”等特点。尽管古代中国的孝法充满专制和特权,但在一定程度上促成了“尊老、敬老和养老”的社会氛围,推动了“孝”行为的落实。这对于我国应对人口老龄化背景下的养老、敬老及保障老年人权益等现实问题,具有某些参考价值。

During the Xia,Shang and Western Zhou dynasties,China already had the idea of“filial piety”.From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin Dynasty,“filial piety”came to become a formal law through legislation.The Western Han and Eastern Han governments carried out the basic state policy of governing the country with“filial piety”,and supplemented and improved the legislation on“filial piety”from all levels.In the Sui and Tang Dynasties,the“filial piety”law of ancient China matured.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,“filial piety”law kept developing.The“filial piety”law of ancient China demonstrates following features:“law used in conjunction with propriety and penalty in conjunction with morality regulation”,“defence of parental privileges”,“integration of sacred filial piety and legalization”.Although the“filial piety”law in ancient China was full of autocracy and privileges,to some extent,it contributed to the social atmosphere of“respecting and the elderly”,and promoted the implementation,of“filial piety”behavior.These have some reference value for China to deal with the practical problems of respecting and supporting the elderly and protecting the rights and interests of the elderly under the background of aging population.