明代乡绅心态剖析

The Analysis of the Mentality of Squires in Ming Dynasty

明代乡绅是当时的一个重要社会阶层。剖析这个阶层中的两部分人的心态是有意义的。一部分是被谪或致仕还乡的官员,他们的心态有消极自保的,有乐于行善的,有心忧天下的,有贪婪谋利的等等;另一部分人是尚未做官的举贡生监,他们的心态有努力进取的,有转变观念改行经商的,等等。这些人的心态不仅反映了这个阶层中不同的内心世界,而且还反映了当时的社会生活和时代的变迁。

In the Ming Dynasty, squires were an important social class. This paper will focus on the analysis of the mentality of the two kinds of people in this class.One kind of people were the officials who were banished or retired. Their mentalities were quite different. Some of them were very negative, some would like to practice philanthropy, some were worried about the country, and others were very greedy. The others of people were those who had passed the imperial examinations and waited to hold offices. Some of them worked hard to keep forging ahead, others had changed their minds to engage in trade. The mentalities of these people reflected not only the inner world of different members of this class, but also the social life at that time and the changes of the times.