“官家”与宋代皇权的理性定位——以宋太祖朝为例

“官家”,是宋代皇帝最为流行的称谓。从“天子”到“皇帝”,再到“官家”,称谓的变化,反映出“君权神授”观念的某种微妙松动,包蕴着一些值得关注的时代信息。“官家”这一称谓在宋代的流行,事实上已多少把“官家”视为“职业分类”而与“农家”、“渔家”、“酒家”等等置于同一层面。正是在这样一种背景下,才有了宋太祖君臣关于“天下何物最大”的讨论,才有了天下“道理最大”,“不以天下奉一人”的朝野共识,从而明确了皇权应置于“道理”制约之下的理性定位。

Governor and the Rational Basis of Imperial Power in the Song Dynasty: the Case of Song Tai-zu''''s Period

Governor was the most popular appellation to the emperor in the Song dynasty. From the Son of Heaven, Emperor to Governor, the change in appellation to the emperor had much to tell. It reflected some subtle transformation of the conception of Divine Right of Kings. Actually people, to some degree, had learned to regard governing as a profession, which was leveled with the farmer, the fisherman and the bartender. Against such background, there was brought a discussion about “which is the most important thing in the world” between Song Tai-zu and his ministers. Some common ideas were reached, such as “the reason is the most important thing in the world”, and“it is not right to consign the world to one man.”From then on, a rational basis was theoretically established that imperial power should be put under the restriction of the reason.