周公輔成王

The Duke of Zhou Acting as King Cheng’s Regent

'周公輔成王'是戰國儒生據《尚書》等古籍所構建的一儒家意識形態話語,漢代武帝後,又成爲官方意識形態的重要教條。是後君臣咸引爲説,以推進其政治事業或意識形態主張。唯此義用於漢代政治與意識形態,又隨情境而隱顯。蓋王莽前,'周公輔成王'多爲辯説的修辭,或强化論點,或藻飾其説。平帝至居攝中,王莽重構漢代意識形態,以爲政治之合法,在於重演歷史;'周公輔成王'遂頗遭古文經義重構,成爲王莽政治劇場的主要腳本。光武復漢,雜取王莽重構的意識形態,並加以標準化;經義之'周公輔成王',又成爲'帝王有輔'義的'正例'。其後明帝與章帝,自命'繼體守文'的成王;'周公輔成王'例,則被演出爲禮儀的盛觀。是後其義漸隱,僅爲修辭的濫調了。漢代的《周公輔成王》畫像,或產生於上述情景,並作爲文字經義的視覺表達,服務於不同的政治主張。其類型今可知者有二:一據今文經義,一據古文經義。前者始作於武帝,圖作成王在襁褓,周公負之於背;後者或始作於王莽,其中成王作十餘齡童子形象,正面站立。今存魯中南東漢祠墓畫像中的《周公輔成王》,或爲後者之只影。

As a Confucian discourse formulated in the late Warring States period, 'the Duke of Zhou Acting as King Cheng’s Regent' became elaborated into an ideological dogma after Confucianism was established as the official ideology of the Han dynasty during Emperor Wu’s reign.Thereafter,the dogma was used continually to promote political or ideological causes.As a shaping force in politics and ideology,its dormancy or activation was contingent on specific political situations.Before the time of Wang Mang,the dogma was usually cited as a rhetorical device to support or embellish political arguments,with little political consequence.When Wang Mang rose to power as Emperor Ping’s regent,he systematically overhauled the official ideology,and based his legitimacy as regent on his ability to reenact authentically the past events sanctified by Confucian exegesis,particularly 'the Duke of Zhou Acting as Regent.' To promote his cause,he reinterpreted the dogma in accordance with the position of the Old Text School,and used it as the scenario of the re-enaction unfolded in his political theater.After the restoration of the Han by Emperor Guangwu,the scenario was standardized into a doctrine that 'a sage monarch needs assistants,' with the Duke of Zhou and King Cheng as the example sanctified by the exegesis.His immediate successors,Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang,attempted to associate their reigns with that of King Cheng,who had succeeded the founder of the Zhou dynasty.To make manifest this claim,they re-enacted the sanctified example as a ritual pageant.After that,to the end of the Han dynasty,the example lost its significance gradually and ended up a rhetorical cliche.As an art theme,Duke of Chou Acting as Cheng King’s Regent must have been created originally in this context,and thus should be understood as a visual expression of the above-mentioned political and ideological efforts.Of the theme there appears to have exited two types.One was commissioned by Emperor Wu himself.Based on the interpretation of the New Text School,this type featured Cheng king as a baby in swaddling clothes carried on Duke of Chou’s back.No example of this type exists.The other one was possibly commissioned by Wang Mang and based on the interpretation of the Old Text School,probably featuring Cheng King as a young boy standing by himself.Its traces can be found in surviving Han stone carvings with the same theme.