清华简《保训》的“中”与天命 ,对于想了解历史故事的朋友们来说，清华简《保训》的“中”与天命是一个非常想了解的问题，下面小编就带领大家看看这个问题。

原文标题：清华简《保训》的“中”与天命

（美国达慕思大学）
题记： 清华简《保训》的刊布引起了中国学者热烈的讨论。我们西方学者也对之很感兴趣。2010年3月20日在美国达慕思大学，我们组织了一个《保训》的研读会，吸引了一批学者参加。本文就是笔者为研读会準备的发言稿，也是我阅读《保训》的心得。由于时间紧张，来不及準备中文稿，稿件中也有一些不细緻的地方，欢迎读者们批评指正。
The date of the bamboo slip manuscript, Bao xun, is not known, but I will argue herein that in order to interpret it appropriately, we must interpret it as a whole and on the assumption that, even though it may not be a text written before the overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou, it is at least an imaginative reconstruction from the point of view of King Wen before the overthrow. It has two unusual features that are integrally related. (1) Zhong 中 as the most important idea in King Wen’s dying instruction to his son, Fa. Although the manuscript refers to the “great mandate” (da ming 大命), i.e., the mandate of sky/heaven (tian ming 天命), obtaining the center is given as the decisive factor for rulership. (2) The historical paradigm is not that of dynastic cycle of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. King Wen first discusses Shun, who Yao made his successor and then discusses the deeds of the ancestor of the Shang Dynasty. In the transmitted literature, these events are found in the Jinwen Zhushu Jinian 今文竹书纪年 during the reign of one of the early Xia kings (Xie泄). However, they do not have any particular significance even there and they play no role in the idea of a dynastic cycle as we know it from transmitted literature.
The meaning of zhong in this manuscript has been keenly debated. Thus far, there are three main interpretations. (a) zhong is an ethical or philosophical term; i.e. it means zhong dao 中道, the “way of the center”. This is the interpretation was proposed by Li Xueqin.[1](b) the character, zhong 中, should be read as the homophone, 众, meaning the masses, i.e. the common people. This interpretation has been offered by Ziju.[2](c) Zhong is the center of the earth, as determined by an instrument for measuring the sun. Either this instrument, or a banner that stood for it, were “borrowed” and “returned” by Shang Jia Wei. This center served as the marker of the rulership. This interpretation is that of Li Ling.[3]My interpretation is closely related to Li Ling’s, but I believe that the center of the earth (di zhong 地中) had a geographic reality and that its control was considered necessary to rulership. I also believe that, metaphorically, obtaining this center was the source of the idea of the “way of the center,” which was the way of the perfect king.
My hypothesis is: zhong is geographic and cosmic, i.e. the center of the earth, from which one could most easily communicate with tian or Shang Di 上帝. This cosmic center of the world had a geographic reality. Generally speaking, it was the region of Yanshixian 偃师县 and Dengfengxian 登峰县in Henan Province and the surrounding area. Cosmologically and symbolically, its center was Song shan 嵩山 in Dengfengxian, Henan Province. I have argued previously, that yue 岳, “the peak” found in oracle bone inscriptions should be identified with Song shan. In later five-element theory, it served as the Central Peak (zhong yue 中岳) of the five peaks. Archaeologically, this region is central to the development of early Chinese civilization. The foothills of Songshan are the site of an early Neolithic walled settlement that many scholars take as the capital of Yu 禹, the flood hero and founder of the Xia Dynasty. From roof tiles found in the Warring States remains at this site, we know that it was known as Yangcheng 阳城 in that period.[4]Yanshi, which includes both the sites of Erlitou 二里头 (often taken as a capital of the Xia Dynasty) and an early Shang Dynasty walled settlement (Yanshi Shangcheng 偃师商城) is close by.
If we understand zhong as a geographic center, which is also of symbolic value as the place from which the son of sky/heaven (tianzi) must rule, then, the instruction makes good sense. Moreover, the idea of the “way of the center” (zhong dao 中道) associated with ethical rule may be understood as a metaphoric development of this cosmic vision. In the first section of the manuscript, King Wen discusses Shun as a model for his son to follow. Shun was a xiao ren 小人, who became king. He plowed at Lishan 历山. The site of Lishan is uncertain – there are several candidates in different regions, but it probably wasn’t in this part of Henaan. Yet Shun “obtained the center” (de zhong 得中) by according with the wishes of the people and of the natural world, both of which flourished in response. Thus, this center was both geographic and symbolic. “His words did not change; the reality changed its name” (言不易,实变名). His character and role became one. Thus, by following the model of Shun in terms of character – by following the “way of the center”, Shun achieved the reality of ruling the center and becoming the son-of-sky/heaven. By implication, Fa might do the same.
The next section discusses strategy. First, King Wen discusses Wei 微, presumably, Shang Jia Wei 上甲微, the most ancient ancestor of the Shang who is known by one of the ten tian gan 天干 in oracle bone inscriptions. This is very surprising because although Shang Jia Wei is prominent in oracle bone inscriptions, he has a negligible role in Zhou texts. Moreover, he has no relationship to the Zhou. The text states, “Formerly Wei jia zhong yu he 假中于河. There has been much debate about the meaning of this line. The first character is generally understood as meaning “to borrow” and, if my interpretation is correct, then it would mean that he “borrowed” that is, took over temporarily, the central region from He. While I believe that it does make sense to understand jia 假 here as borrow, it might also be understood in the sense of false, that is he was a pretender, rather than a real king, a jia wang 假王. After struggling with You Yi 有易 , he then retreated, returning the center to He (追[归]中追[归]中于河). When it came to the time of Tang, Wei’s ambitions were finally realized, as Tang “received the great mandate” and founded the Shang Dynasty. The point of Bao xun is therefore that, in order to receive the great mandate, one must “obtain the center,” both literally and symbolically. We know, of course, that after his father’s death, King Wu did finally battle with Zhòu Xin at Mu Ye 牧野, and thus obtained the center.
Finally, this interpretation of the bamboo slip manuscript might mean that it was written at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, before the idea of a dynastic cycle was formulated. However, it is also possible that it was written in the Warring States period when the idea of a dynastic cycle no longer seemed viable and the author is saying that to become ruler one must above all, “obtaining the center.”

19 March 2010
Dartmouth College
（编者按：[1]Li Xueqin 李学勤, “Qinghua Daxue cang Zhanguo zhujian Bao xun shiwen清华大学藏战国竹简〈保训〉释文,” Wenwu文物6 (2009) , 73-75; Li Xueqin “Qinghua jian Bao xun shidu buzheng 清华简保训释读补正,” Zhongguo shi yanjiu 中国史研究 3, 2009, 5-8.
[2]Ziju 子居. “Qinghua jian Bao xun jiexi 清华简《保训》解析（修订版）（《学灯》第十二期）http://www.confucius2000.com/admin/list.asp?id=4163. Posted 2009-11-14.
[3]李零. “Du Qinghua jian Bao xun shiwen读清华简<保训>释文.” Zhongguo Wenwu bao 中国文物报, 2008年8月21, 7; Li Ling李零. “Shuo Qinghua Chu jian Bao xun pian de zhong zi《说清华楚简<保训>篇的‘中’字.” Zhongguo Wenwu bao 中国文物报, 2009/5/20, 7.
[4]The Shape of the Turtle: Myth, Art, and Cosmos in Early China (Albany:State University of New York Press, 1991), 100 (艾兰，《龟之谜：商代神话，祭祀，艺术，和宇宙观研究》，成都：四川人民出版社，1992, 110.. (责任编辑：admin)

原文出处：http://his.newdu.com/a/201711/05/514116.html

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