从“自理”到“宪律”:对清代“民法”与“民事诉讼”的考察——以《刑案汇览》中的坟山争讼为中心

清代《刑案汇览》中的“控争坟山情急赴京刎颈呈告”一案记录了嘉、道年间安徽泾县徐、吴两姓的坟山争讼,从它的发展过程与官府的审理办法,可以观察到清代“民法”与“民事诉讼”问题的复杂性。其一,“官法”与“民俗”之间的距离。中国古代的“民法”总体上经历了一个逐渐发展的过程。至于清代,各种民事规范已经相当丰富。虽然它们在司法审判中都有可能成为依据,但是其性质和作用存在很大差别。其二,法律发展变化的路径。无论从对传统的路径依赖还是面对民间复杂情况时所显示的局限性来看,清代国家法在民事规范方面的发展都受着相当大的限制,这决定了它在民事纠纷的处理上只能给出“权威”的而不是恰当的规定,而所谓“权威”是建立在官对民的统治基础之上的。其三,“词讼”与“案件”之间的转换。“词讼”与“案件”之间并没有非常严格的界限,更不是现代“民”、“刑”两个法律部门之间的并列关系,而是在一定程度上贯穿着以刑统罪的传统和“不应为”的原则,并体现出国家与社会之间的适度分离。

Inspect on Civil Law and Civil Action in Qing Dynasty

For modern Chinese people, the most important traditions were formed during the Qing dynasty. When it comes to the law, many Chinese people have traditional ideas. They prefer to settle disputes with the help of their friends or relatives instead of lawsuits. This research is based on a law case about the ancestral grave in the Qing dynasty. It shows that there were no accurate rules in law code to solve such problems, and the officials used to follow the folk habits. Hence, it is important for us to know the special civil law during the Qing dynasty.