“仁刑”“顺天”理念与传统中国司法礼仪  

The Concept of Merciful Punishment and Obedience to Heaven(God)and Judicial Etiquette in Traditional China

作　　者：范忠信 FAN Zhongxin

机构地区：[1]华侨大学法学院

出　　处：《暨南学报(哲学社会科学版)》2025年第1期25-45,共21页Jinan Journal(Philosophy and Social Sciences)

基　　金：国家社会科学基金中国历史研究院重大历史问题研究专项重大招标项目“中华法系的历史溯源及当代价值”(23VLS021)。

摘　　要：作为“礼义之邦”暨“礼仪之邦”的传统中国,各级官府在司法中注重通过一定仪式性手续彰显国家的仁义和公平态度。在广义的司法活动中,那些长期“例行公事”地实施的、带有表演性甚至略有滑稽感的“行礼如仪”手续,常常并非查明案件事实、作出或执行判决所必需,仅仅是为了昭示“慎刑”“恤刑”“仁刑”“祥刑”“哀矜折狱”“顺天”“法天”“天人合一”等大义而已。这些手续,是传统中国司法礼仪的重要组成部分。本文拟从公堂以外司法活动中的“斋决”“覆奏”“时令司法”“辞决”“放赦”“祭城隍”“祭厉”等多种仪式性程序入手,对传统中国广义司法活动中的礼仪性程序进行简略梳理,试图阐释这些礼仪程序背后蕴含的传统公正、公平、公开、人道追求,阐释其背后体现的华夏民族司法正义观。This paper is a rough and comprehensive investigation and interpretation of the most common procedures and ceremonies in traditional Chinese judicial activities,which have more formal significance than substantive significance.This kind of procedure and ceremony is called judicial etiquette.Our interpretation will adopt the method of historical jurisprudence.We regard some customary and customary rituals that have long been practiced in traditional Chinese judicial activities,namely,judicial etiquette,as an important part of the national legal system and as the embodiment of national culture or national spirit.This paper intends to make a rough survey and summary of these ceremonial phenomena,and then make a preliminary analysis and interpretation of the national value concept or national spirit deliberately demonstrated by them.As a“state of rites and justice”and a“state of rites and ceremonies”,traditional China,from the court down to the government at all local levels,attaches great importance to demonstrate the country s benevolence and justice and fair attitude through certain ceremonial formalities or procedures in judicial activities.These ceremonial procedures are partly due to national legislation and partly due to the political habits of the past dynasties.In the broad judicial activity,those procedures that are carried out“routinely”for a long time,with a certain performative,even slightly funny sense,have a“ritual”nature.Those formalities are often not necessary for ascertaining the facts of the case,making or enforcing judgments,or they are not primarily intended to undertake such substantive tasks.It is mainly to show that the national judiciary is following the great righteousness of“careful punishment”,“pardon a punishment”,“merciful punishment”,“auspicious punishment”,“justice with pity”,“obey the way of heaven”,“follow the law of nature”,“harmony between human and nature”,and so on.This paper mainly starts with the various ceremonial procedures in

关 键 词：“仁刑”“顺天” 司法礼仪 司法正义 程序正义 

分 类 号：D9[政治法律—法学]