周代的符瑞文献与符瑞思想

A Study on Historical Records of Auspicious Omens and Related Thoughts in the Zhou Dynasty

周代是符瑞思想萌生的时代。西周时期,符瑞思想已有可考,但其观念模糊,只在《诗经》《尚书》中有一些零星表述;东周时期,符瑞文献渐趋丰富,符瑞物象已有一定的种类与数量。其时,符瑞思想已基本形成,主要表现为:对符瑞产生的原因、符瑞的必然应验性、符瑞的判定、符瑞与“封禅”“五德说”的关系等层面的问题,都有了一定程度的论述。不过总体而言,周代的符瑞文献记载较少,符瑞思想论说呈现出碎片化、零散性等滥觞时期的典型特点,影响也较为有限。

The Zhou Dynasty(1046-256 BC)saw the germination of the idea of auspicious omens.By the Western Zhou Dynasty(1046-771BC),there had been records of auspicious omens and related thoughts on auspicious omens began to germinate.However,such records or thoughts concerning auspicious omens were rather vague and unsystematic,with sporadic records scattered in Shijing(the Classic of Poetry or the Book of Odes)and Shangshu(the Classic of History or the Book of Documents).The Eastern Zhou Dynasty(770–256BC)saw the gradual increase and abundance in the number of records related to auspicious omens,whose physical manifestations grew considerably in both type and quantity.By then,thoughts on auspicious omen had come of age in real earnest,as reflected by a certain degree of discussions on issues relating to the genesis,self-fulfillment and determination of auspicious omens,the relationship between auspicious omens and sacrificial offerings to heaven and earth,the relationship between auspicious omens and the‘Five Elements Theory’in Chinese philosophy,et cetera.In general,however,records of auspicious omens in the Zhou dynasty(1046-256 BC)were rather limited in quantity,and theoretical expositions regarding auspicious omens were also fragmentary and scattered,yielding limited influence as a result.