士大夫与天子“共治天下”是宋朝君臣的共识

The Consensus on the Co-governance of the Realm by the Scholar-officials and the Emperor in the Song Dynasty

士大夫与天子“共治天下”之说由来已久。此说最早大概见于汉宣帝所说“与我共此者,其唯良二千石乎”,“共此”就是“共治天下”。在宋朝之前,士大夫与天子“共治天下”一语尚不常见。北宋中期,士大夫主体意识觉醒,出现了士大夫与天子“共治天下”的政治思潮和政治局面。其中,范仲淹关于士大夫与天子“共治天下”的言论最多,宋太祖有“国家设科取士,本欲求贤,以共治天下”之说,宋仁宗有“凡尔守令师帅官,吾所以共治天下者也,岂不念此!今吾将重申之”之语,士大夫与天子“共治天下”已经成为宋朝君臣的共识。

The concept of co-governance between the emperor and the scholar-officials has a long history,with its earliest mention possibly tracing back to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty(74-49 BC),who remarked,"Those who share this with me,are the virtuous officials of 2000 stone rank,"where"this"referred to the governance of the country.Before the Song Dynasty,the term"co-governance"between the emperor and scholar-officials was rarely used.By the mid-Northern Song period,however,the gradual awakening of scholar-officials'self-awareness,the weakening of the belief in the"divine right of kings,"the revival of Confucianism,and the restoration of political culture to the ideals of the Xia,Shang,and Zhou dynasties,along with the rise of a large class of scholar-officials through the imperial examination system,created the conditions for a political framework of co-governance between the emperor and the scholar-officials.Under this historical context,the idea of co-governance became a significant political trend.Fan Zhongyan,in particular,made numerous remarks on this subject,mentioning it at least ten times in his collected works.Song Taizu stated,"The establishment of the imperial examination system was intended to seek out the virtuous and co-govern the country."Song Renzong similarly emphasized the importance of officials in governance,saying,"All officials,from prefects to military commanders,are those with whom I co-govern the country."By this time,the idea of co-governance between the emperor and the scholar-officials had become a widely accepted consensus in the Song Dynasty.