Dai Weihong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences presided over and completed the National Social Science Fund project "Research on Posthumous Title Law System in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties" (project approval number: 12BZS027), and the final result was a monograph of the same name.
Posthumous title is a special title after the death of the ancients. After the death of ancient emperors, vassals, high-ranking officials and ministers, the imperial court gave them a title according to their life and behavior, which is the posthumous title or posthumous title. As it is a new address after the name, it is written with "Shi" in the font. The posthumous title method is a set of regulations and rules related to posthumous titles formed along the dynasties. Since posthumous title is a formal evaluation of the virtues of the deceased in his life, which is related to the reputation, honor and disgrace of the deceased, as well as the views of the society on himself and his descendants, it is highly valued by the society. The so-called "life is famous, death has posthumous title. Name is the identification of the living, posthumous title is the identification of the dead". The posthumous title law is a tool to maintain the feudal hierarchy, which plays an important role in the development of the political hierarchy and bureaucracy in ancient society.
Shi Fa was a famous school in ancient China. Scholars wrote many books. Among them, the earliest, most influential and most classic document was Yi Zhou Shu Shi Fa Jie. Later, works on posthumous title appeared from time to time in various dynasties, and the posthumous title works in Song, Ming and Qing dynasties were magnificent. However, since the end of the Qing Dynasty, people have almost stopped studying and discussing posthumous titles.
At present, only Professor Wang Shoukuan of Lanzhou University (Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1995), who specializes in posthumous method, has a great influence in the academic world. The academic research on posthumous titles has been deepening, and great achievements have been made, so that people have a certain understanding of the posthumous titles in ancient China. However, there are still some shortcomings in the current posthumous title method research, which are mainly shown as follows: (1) Compared with other academic fields, scholars do not attach great importance to posthumous title method, which is a component of Chinese traditional culture, and can not make more people realize the importance of posthumous title method in ancient China. (2) The research on the influence of posthumous titles in different dynasties on the society at that time is not in-depth and specific enough; The influence of social system and social atmosphere on the change of posthumous title law system has not been discussed in depth. (3) The research on the posthumous title system is unevenly distributed. The research on the origin of posthumous title system, "posthumous title" and posthumous title document "posthumous title interpretation" mentioned above are mostly concentrated in the pre Qin period. The research on posthumous title system in other dynasties is still weak, especially in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Basically, only a single paper studies specific and individual issues.
In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, etiquette scholars came forth in large numbers, funeral rites flourished, and a large number of books on etiquette emerged. In this context of the prosperity of ritual learning, a number of posthumous title monographs have emerged in society. These works are mainly classified and compiled with posthumous title interpretations and posthumous title titles. They focus on commenting and textual research on the posthumous title words in Yizhoushu Posthumous Title Interpretation, and compiling the posthumous titles of emperors, generals, and ministers. The posthumous title documents of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties still have a great impact on the posthumous title titles of the Song Dynasty. The most famous 20 volumes of Compiling Six Posthumous Titles in the Song Dynasty were compiled in the reign of Emperor Renzong Jiayou of the Song Dynasty. The so-called six posthumous titles refer to the posthumous titles of Duke Zhou, Du Yu's posthumous titles of Spring and Autumn Period, the anonymous Guangshi, Shen Yue's posthumous titles, He Chen's new posthumous titles, and Hu Meng's posthumous titles. The four posthumous titles in the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Guangshi Annals, the Shishi Examples, and the New Shifa were compiled in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. But it is a pity that by the time of the Song Dynasty, these works had been basically lost. And the fragments of posthumous titles in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, which are collected in the ancient books today, are important materials for us to understand the posthumous title system in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
The documents unearthed in Turpan in the 1960s and 1970s preserved the remnants of Shi Fa. By comparing the unearthed Shi Fa with the current handed down literature, we can clearly see the scholars' interpretation and expansion of Shi Fa in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. In addition, the epitaph also left many first-hand materials about the posthumous title inscription in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. When the owner of the epitaph died, his family or subordinates asked the court for a posthumous title. After the court finished discussing the posthumous title, the posthumous title was given to the bereaved family and used in the funeral ceremony. But the distance between the tomb owner's home and the capital is far and near. If the distance is far, there is no time to carve the posthumous title on the epitaph when the tomb is buried. Therefore, this directly led to the empty inscription of posthumous titles on the epitaph of the deceased. In addition, under the realistic writing conditions, factors such as the layout of the stone, the length of the funeral epitaph, the layout of the engraver, the taboo of the family of the tomb owner, and the court's new posthumous titles, especially the taboo of the family of the tomb owner, and the court's new posthumous titles, may lead to different posthumous titles in the epitaph from those recorded in the history books. This provides valuable first-hand materials for us to dynamically understand the role and characteristics of posthumous title law system in the real society at that time.
From the Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the emperor, empresses, concubines, and reclusive figures had important changes in the use of words, the number of words, and the posthumous title system. Beginning with Liu Ying, the son of Liu Bang, posthumous titles were mainly composed of multiple posthumous titles, and the first word was "filial piety". The posthumous titles of the emperors of the Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties were mainly composed of single posthumous titles, and the posthumous titles of the emperors of the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties were mainly composed of multiple posthumous titles, which had a strong independent and distinctive significance. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the ritual pattern of imperial posthumous titles became more and more complicated and institutionalized, but the main ceremonies such as the posthumous titles of officials, the posthumous titles in the southern suburbs, and the posthumous titles on the back of the god did not change.
From the discussion of "Gongyang Biography", "Bai Hu Tong", "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Tong Dian", there was a lot of discussion on the posthumous title of women from the pre Qin, Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. Since the Han Dynasty, if there were no special circumstances, all empresses had posthumous titles institutionalized. Empresses in the early Han Dynasty still followed the principle of "women have no amateurs and will not be given posthumous titles". They were named after their husbands' posthumous titles, such as Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and Empress Lv, Queen Gao. The alternative posthumous title became a mainstream form of posthumous title given by empresses in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and also caused people to gradually attach importance to the interpretation of posthumous titles of empresses and concubines. He Chen's New Posthumous Title Law is divided into three volumes, one of which is unique to women. This is an unprecedented creation in the posthumous title law system in ancient China. In the ceremony of empress posthumous title, the deceased empress was called "Empress Daxing" before the title was determined. In the posthumous title book of Empress Changsun of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, she was not called "Empress Daxing", but was renamed "Empress Changsun". The biggest difference between the place where the empress and the emperor obtained the posthumous title is that "the emperor's posthumous title was made in the suburbs, and the empress's posthumous title was made in the temple", which has always influenced the etiquette of the posthumous title of later empresses. In the posthumous title of empress, "Xuan", "Gong", "Zhao", "De", "Yi", "Mu" and "Xian" are often used.
According to the handed down documents and unearthed epitaphs, there were more posthumous titles for princesses in the Southern Dynasties than in the Northern Dynasties. Some princesses received posthumous titles when they were buried after death, and some posthumous titles after their father and brother got the throne years after death. The posthumous title of the princess is composed of Yi, Ai Xian, Mou, Min, Xuan, Gong, Xian, Zhao, De, Ai, Kang, Hui, Zhen, Kang Ai, Xian, Gong, Mu, Xian Huai, among which Yi, Mou, Mu, Zhao, Xuan and other words are commonly used. Among the posthumous titles of these princesses, most were single word posthumous titles, and only a few were double word posthumous titles.
Prince is the title of the legal heir of ancient Chinese emperors. In the pre Qin period, "if you have a noble title, you will have a posthumous title" was one of the main principles for posthumous titles, while "Prince" did not have a title, and the prince did not have any achievements or amateurs. Therefore, whether there was a posthumous title for Prince has been one of the focuses of discussion since the pre Qin period. Sun Wuxuan (Ming Dynasty), Crown Prince Sun Deng, Crown Prince Minhuai of the Western Jin Dynasty Sima Xuan, Crown Prince Wenhui of the Southern Qi Dynasty Xiao Changmao, Crown Prince Xiaoliang Zhaoming Xiao Tong, Crown Prince Xiao Liangai Xiao Daqi, Crown Prince Xiao Liangmin Huai Xiao Fangju, Crown Prince Jingmu of the Northern Wei Dynasty Tuobahuang and their posthumous titles show that the crown prince died before he won the throne, or died of political struggle, or national disaster; The posthumous titles of Sima Xuan, Xiao Liangai and Xiao Fangju, Prince Minhuai of the Western Jin Dynasty, were posthumously given some time after their death, while the other four were granted posthumous titles immediately after their death. Except the posthumous title of Xiao Daqi, "Ai", was a single word posthumous title, and Sun Deng's "Xuan (Ming)" could not be identified as a double word or single word posthumous title, the rest five people were all double word posthumous titles. Moreover, their posthumous titles are consistent with their deeds, and basically all of them are beautiful posthumous titles.
He Xun, a ritual scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, believed that whether the son of a deceased son was granted a posthumous title depended not only on his age, but also on whether he had "meritorious deeds", which was consistent with the original meaning of the posthumous title.
The posthumous title of the members of the imperial clan was obtained through the procedures of posthumous title invitation, posthumous title discussion, posthumous title granting, etc. The attitude of the Cao Wei, Sun Wu, and the Jin Dynasties towards the imperial clan was different, which led to a completely different attitude towards the funeral ceremony and posthumous title granting after the death of the imperial clan. From the posthumous titles of Feng Chi and Du Guxin, two powerful foreign relatives, after their death, imperial power played a decisive role in the granting of posthumous titles and the beauty and evil of posthumous titles.
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were two ways of obtaining posthumous titles for seclusion: one was private posthumous titles given by family members, and the other was bestowed by the imperial court. Their posthumous titles are basically double character posthumous titles, with the suffix "+Mr." or "+Chushi"; The posthumous titles are mostly compound words combined with "Wen", "Zhen", "Xuan" and "De", which are closely related to their profound talents, noble virtues and renowned virtues and accomplishments. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, those who have no nobility have been called sons, the imperial court has granted Deqiu Garden, and it is clear that the author's posthumous title actually originated from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Although the posthumous title method is part of the ritual system, it has a special significance in the social and political hierarchical structure as an important means for rulers to attract and encourage officials. It is an important part of the bureaucratic system. The academic research on the posthumous title method's impact on the bureaucratic system at that time is not in-depth and specific enough; However, the influence of the development of the bureaucratic system on the changes of the posthumous title law system has not been taken seriously. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was an important period for the development and change of posthumous title system, especially when the posthumous titles of officials changed greatly, while previous studies still had some defaults. This achievement also discusses the posthumous title and posthumous title method of officials in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties from three main aspects.
First, those without nobility can have posthumous titles after death. Mr. Wang Shoukuan has already talked about this. He believes that the reform of the posthumous title system in the Cao Wei Dynasty had the first impact on the ancient system of "where there are nobles, there are posthumous titles", and further points out that the provision of posthumous titles for all officials set by the Jin Yuan Emperor has a great impact on future generations. However, the discussion did not start. The author believes that this change is closely related to the changes in the peerage system during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and there is still room for in-depth discussion. In the Han Dynasty, there were strict regulations on the posthumous titles of the officials. If the officials were marquises, they would be given posthumous titles. Otherwise, they would not get posthumous titles. With the development of the bureaucratic system, the posthumous titles and titles of officials in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties changed. There was a significant change in the status of the posthumous officials. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the provisions of determining the posthumous titles of 100 officials combined with the title and practical achievements (the official title was at or above the fifth grade) cancelled the right of those who only depended on their father Yin to obtain posthumous titles, which was an impact on the ancient system of "where there was a title, there was a posthumous title". During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the identity of posthumous officials also changed. Not only did officials who had nobility before their death receive posthumous titles, but officials who had no nobility before their death also received posthumous titles. This was a major change in the posthumous title system of officials in ancient China. This change is closely related to the change of the peerage system in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the actual posthumous title granting, the merit and virtue of the officials who were in office before their death had a greater impact on whether they obtained the posthumous title and the likes and dislikes of the posthumous title.
Second, the posthumous titles of officials in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were mainly single posthumous titles and beautiful posthumous titles. In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, although the social atmosphere was beautiful with the posthumous title, the official posthumous title was mainly single in the actual process of posthumous title evaluation. Most posthumous titles are beautiful or even, and few are bad. Due to the needs of practical review, the posthumous title words not found in the chapter of Shi Fajie in Yizhoushu were adopted. However, scholars may still have a basis for these posthumous title words when they annotate, deduce, or supplement Shi Fajie.
Third, in the Han Dynasty, the posthumous title was mainly in the charge of the ceremonial officer Dahong Luqing. With the development of the bureaucratic system, the officials of Shangshu Province participated in the process of "discussing posthumous titles" in the posthumous titles given by hundred officials during the Eastern and Southern Dynasties. During the actual evaluation of the posthumous title of the officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Shangshu Province was responsible for reviewing the authenticity of the deeds, and after confirming that the records of the deeds were consistent with the records in the examination book, the deeds were handed over to Taichang Temple. Taichang Qing and Taichang Doctor evaluated the posthumous title of the person according to the deeds; When the posthumous titles of officials were inconsistent with their posthumous exam deeds, the officials of Shangshu Province disputed the posthumous titles of ritual officials according to their posthumous exam deeds, which directly affected the relevant systems of the Tang Dynasty.
This achievement focuses on the combination of archaeological data and handed down documents.
First, by comparing with the existing posthumous title documents, this paper studies the restoration of the posthumous title found in the documents of Turpan, and points out that the posthumous title words that have been lost appear in this posthumous title document. Therefore, the remnants of the posthumous title in Turpan should be the product of the expansion and interpretation of the posthumous title in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The posthumous titles and the number of words of the three Gaochang kings coincide with the posthumous titles of the emperors of the Northern Dynasties of the Sixteen Kingdoms. Combining the historical facts of frequent Confucian exchanges between Gaochang area and the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty and other dynasties, it can be inferred that this remnant of the posthumous title law of the Gaochang period should have spread from the Northern Dynasty regime to Gaochang.
Secondly, on the basis of collecting a large number of posthumous titles in the epitaphs of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it is summarized that the writing of posthumous titles in the epitaphs of this period presents the following nine situations: first, there are posthumous titles in the title of the owner of the epitaph, posthumous titles appear at the end of the epitaph, and some inscribe the words in the posthumous title discussion procedure; Second, although there is no posthumous title in the epitaph, the posthumous title is written at the end; Third, the posthumous title is listed at the beginning of the epitaph, and the posthumous title is no longer mentioned in the text; Fourth, the owner of the tomb has a posthumous title in the history book, but there is no posthumous title in the epitaph; Fifth, the owner of the tomb has no posthumous title in the history book, but has posthumous title in the epitaph; The sixth is the space engraving and supplement engraving of posthumous titles; Seventh, there are posthumous officials, but no posthumous titles; Eighth, the posthumous titles recorded in history books and epitaphs are the same and different; Ninth, my epitaph mentioned the posthumous title of my father and grandfather, which was in accordance with or supplemented by the historical records. Combining the epitaph materials with the posthumous titles in the official history biographies, we investigate the characteristics and changes of posthumous titles in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
(Editor in charge: Sun Kaijia, Huang Wei)
