“执古始之道,以御今之有”——中国古代治理传统中的治道和治术

“To Hold the Ancient Tao of Beginning and to Master Everything of Present”:on the Logos and Techniques of Governance in Traditional China

在中国古代,治理是一个事关天下“公私之交”、社稷“存亡之本”的问题,具有举足轻重的地位和作用。诸如“治理”“治术”“治具”“治法”“治政”等思想一以贯之,形成了中国古代所特有的治理思维,这在整个世界文明史上都是独特的。对于中国传统政治而言,治理本身就蕴含着中国古代的政道和治道。中国历代诸子也大都将治道或政道作为首要关注的问题加以探讨和实践。纵观中国传统,所谓治道或政道,就是“因循而治、杂采诸术、阳儒阴法、以道御之”。在此基础上,也形成了诸如轻重、刑名、礼乐等有着丰富的经验和智慧的中国治术或政术。

In ancient China,Governance is the key issue which is related to“the social relevancy of public and private”and“the state fundamentality of survive and perish”,and has its significant status and effect.So the ideas such as the logic,technique,instrument,legislation,politics of governance constitute the“logos”thinking of governance in Chinese tradition,which is a unique and rare phenomenon in the history of world civilization.For Chinese political tradition,the logos of politics is just the logos of governance.Since ancient times,the logos of governance or politics had been regarded as the first problem in philosophers’studies and practices.In reviewing Chinese tradition,the logos of governance can be briefly summerized as the following:“to govern according to the social law and the historical situations,to combine miscellaneous techniques or arts for use,to popularize Confucianism while adopting Legalism in governance,to master political affaires through Logos or Tao”.On this basis,Chinese arts or techniques of governance or politics came into being as a result of rich experience and great wisdom such as the light-weight properties of commodity,the legalities of crime and punishment,the ceremonialmusic systems of education,etc.