“五侯九伯”考辨

A Textual Research of “Wuhou Jiubo”

“五侯九伯”一词最早见于《左传》。关于“五侯九伯”的含义,共有五种见解,然而直至当代仍然没有较为一致的看法。借助传世文献和考古发现,对“五侯九伯”的含义进行分列及辨正,可以反驳诸家观点,得出“五侯九伯”是管仲在特殊语境下所使用的外交辞令,泛指齐国疆界附近被齐国安抚的东夷诸国总称的结论。

The term“Wuhou Jiubo”was first seen in Zuozhuan.There are different opinions on the meaning of it,and there is still no relatively consistent view until the present time.With the help of historical documents and archaeological findings,the meaning of“Wuhou Jiubo”can be arranged and distinguished to refute the viewpoints of various scholars.It is concluded that“Wuhou Jiubo”is a diplomatic term used by Guan Zhong in a special context,which generally refers to the eastern Yi states near the border of Qi that were pacified by Qi.