略论先秦宰相制度的起源

宰相最早出现于战国典籍中,主要指中央政权机构中辅佐君主的首辅大臣,是相、相室、相国和丞相的泛称。自汉代始,学者就一直以相名官的标准来衡量宰相出现之始,春秋、战国、秦代起源说的提出就是由此而来。若究其实际,宰相起源应与春秋以前作为职司存在的相密切相关,又和周代家臣制度有直接渊源,它的出现实质上是以集权为特征的君主专制政治取代宗法贵族政治的反映。

On the Origin of the Councilor System during the Pre-Qin Period

Councilor firstly appeared in the literatures of the Warring States,chiefly as the first ministers that assisted the emperors,and it was a general term of the Xiang,Xiangshi,Xiangguo and Chengxiang.The scholars always considered that the councilors in the name of the Xiang as the beginning of the councilors from Han Dynasty,and it had been seen as the origin of Spring and Autumn,Warring States and Qin Dynasty.Actually,the origin of councilor had close relation with the Xiang which existed before,or even had the direct origin with the retainers' system in Zhou Dynasty.It reflected that the patriarchal clan system had been replaced by the absolute monarchy which is characterized by the centralization of power.