The Emergence of Kingship in China: With a Discussion of the Relationship between Kingship and Composite State Structure in the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasties  

中国王权的诞生——兼论王权与夏商西周复合制国家结构之关系（英文）

作　　者：Wang Zhenzhong 王震中;刘浩

机构地区：[1]Collaborative Innovation Center for the Yellow River Civilization [2]the National Innovation Center for Assessment of Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University

出　　处：《Social Sciences in China》2018年第2期5-21,共17页中国社会科学（英文版）

摘　　要：In ancient China,true kingship was supreme rule over all under Heaven by the royal houses of the Xia,Shang and Western Zhou dynasties(the Three Dynasties).It was associated with the Three Dynasties’plural but unified composite state structure,and its birth was signaled by the emergence of the Xia dynasty.At the time,kingship was related to the appellation“king”(王wang),but was not absolutely equated to it.On the one hand,whenever oracle bone and bronze inscriptions and textual records refer directly to“king(s),”the word refers to the Shang and Zhou kings;but on the other,some bronze inscriptions preserve the use of“king”to refer to the chieftains of smaller tribal states in remote areas.When a supreme dynastic ruler bore the appellation“king,”this indicated the kingly power of the royal house;but when the ruler of a small remote state called himself“king,”the word expressed rule over his state.The appellation“king”was used for these two different levels because the Chinese character“王”and the corresponding royal title originated in the shape of the battle axe that symbolized command of armies.The Xia dynasty was not China’s first state,for in the age of Yao,Shun and Yu numerous local states had organized themselves into tribal federations.Xia dynasty kingship,where the king was“common ruler of all under Heaven”(天下共主tianxia gongzhu)developed out of the power wielded by the hegemonic chieftains in the age of very large tribal states.上古中国,真正的王权是夏商西周王朝国家之王支配天下的最高统治权,它与夏商西周三代多元一统的复合制大国家结构联系在一起,它的诞生以夏王朝的出现为标志。在上古中国,王权与王的称谓有联系,但又并非绝对相等同。这一方面是在甲骨文、金文和文献中,凡是直言王者皆指商王周王;另一方面是金文中还存在某些边远地区的小邦邦君也有称王的旧俗。王朝的最高统治者称王,这样的"王"体现的是王朝的王权;个别的边远小国也自称为王,这样的"王"体现的是小国的邦君君权。"王"的称谓之所以并存于这两类不同形态的国家之中,即在于"王"字和"王"的称谓起源于作为军权象征的斧钺,无论是邦君的称谓出现"王"还是天子称王,都是因为王的原始含义是掌握武力者。夏王朝并非中国最早的国家,夏代之前的尧舜禹时代是已形成国家的邦国林立并组成族邦联盟的万国时代,夏王朝"天下共主"的王权渊源于万国时代族邦联盟的盟主权,是由盟主的霸权转化而来的。

关 键 词：KINGSHIP dynastic state composite state structure huaxia system of rites 

分 类 号：D691.2[政治法律—政治学]