先秦儒家「信」「義」關係的演變－從《論語》到《荀子》

Evolution of the Relationship between "Trustworthiness" and "Righteousness" in Early Confucianism: From "The Analects of Confucius" to "Xunzi"

10.29419/SICL.202307_(56).0001

楊卓剛(Yang Kuo-Kang)

先秦儒家 ； 郭店楚簡 ； 管子 ； 信 ； 義 ； Pre-Qin Confucianism ； Guodian Chu Slips ； "Guanzi" ； Trustworthiness ； Righteousness

中國文學研究

56期（2023 / 07 / 01）

1 - 40

繁體中文;英文

對於先秦儒者而言，「忠信」是十分重要的價值。事實上，除了我們耳熟能詳的文獻以外，郭店楚簡中儒家色彩較為濃厚的〈忠信之道〉，亦用了將近全簡的篇幅描述有關「忠信」的圖像。先秦儒家的文本中，撇開「忠信」連用的情形，「忠」和「信」往往得以連結到「仁」和「義」；「忠」與「仁」，「信」與「義」，尤其是「信」與「義」的連結更為明顯。這樣的情形引起了筆者濃厚的興趣，而在整理相關的資料時筆者發現，先秦儒家的「信」與「義」之間實則存在一種微妙的關係，這樣的關係自《論語》始，至《荀子》則越發顯明。然而，學界並未對此有著深入的討論，本文的問題意識即在於彌補這樣的空白。筆者認為，在《論語》、《孟子》以及〈忠信之道〉中，「義」得以在政治的脈絡下顯現於「信」，而「信」必須以「義」為原則。至《荀子》時期，面對稷下學派的興起，「信」與「義」的關係逐漸擴及到王霸之辨的討論，因而有了更豐富的內涵。本文中筆者便將以《論語》、〈忠信之道〉、《孟子》以及《荀子》為主，輔以各家經典，論述先秦儒家「信」「義」之間的關係。

For pre-Qin Confucian scholars, "loyalty and trustworthiness" (zhongxin) held significant value. In fact, apart from widely-known texts, the "Way of Loyalty and Trustworthiness" found in the Guodian Chu Slips also used almost an entire slip to extensively depict the concept of "loyalty and trustworthiness." In the textual context of early Confucian works, apart from the instances where "loyalty and trustworthiness" were closely linked, "loyalty" and "trustworthiness" were often associated with "benevolence" and "righteousness." The connection between "loyalty" and "benevolence" and between "trustworthiness" and "righteousness"-in particular the latter- became more apparent, a fact that piqued the interest of the author of this paper. While gathering related information, the author discovered a subtle relationship between "trustworthiness" and "righteousness" within pre-Qin Confucianism, which became increasingly evident from The Analects of Confucius to the Xunzi. Despite its prevalence, the academic community has not deeply explored this relationship. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in understanding. The author believes that in The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and the "Way of Loyalty and Trustworthiness," "righteousness" was able to manifest through the political context of "trustworthiness," while "trustworthiness" had to be guided by "righteousness" as a principle. By the time of the "Xunzi," in response to the rise of the School of Jixia, the relationship between "trustworthiness" and "righteousness" gradually extended to discussions of the differentiation between kings and rulers, resulting in a more enriched significance. In this paper, the author primarily focuses on The Analects of Confucius, the "Way of Loyalty and Trustworthiness," Mencius, and Xunzi, supplemented by various classical texts, to discuss the interrelationship between " trustworthiness " and "righteousness" in early Confucianism.