儒家思想與皇帝制度的關係長期以來是歷史學研究的焦點，自不迨言。此課題尤其環繞在儒家思想是否提供了皇帝制度的「專制」要素。筆者雖無鑰匙可以打開此研究之堂奧，使讀者一窺全貌。但希望能從「儒家經典詮釋」的新視野，探究儒家學術若作為一種「政治詮釋學」，並非有固定的內涵，須視歷史中的行動者如何根據其所處的歷史脈絡，受其策略影響。而儒學作為一種政治論述，主要是透過儒家經典詮釋。故「經典詮釋」、「政治論述」與皇帝制度（所謂「專制」）間的關係當是十分複雜的。本文藉由《儀禮．喪服經傳》中的「舊君」條的分析，探討漢唐間的儒者如何詮釋其文字、符號與其所蘊涵的學術傳統。藉此探討漢唐間的儒者如何藉由儒家經典詮釋以創造其自認為合理的政治秩序。而有關「舊君」條的討論，本文的重心在於士大夫如何運用載於經典中的「舊君」制度以建構士大夫社會中的人際關係，尤其是其中的君臣關係，而此類君臣關係的理解與建構都牽涉到皇帝制度中的「官僚制」的諸要素。故本文也藉此分析漢唐間以官僚制為主軸的皇帝制度的政治秩序的內涵，以說明其原理並非成型於春秋、戰國而實施於秦始皇，其原理在漢唐之間仍被儒者不斷利用經典詮釋以重新界定。

It is conceived that the interaction between political ideas, political actions and Confucian texts is complicated. The present essay cannot provide a comprehensive understanding about this subject. I would like to discuss a text, ‘for former prince,’ from Book of Etiquete and Decorum. I figure out how the Medieval Confucian agents understood its meaning, such as the classical prince-minister relationship, and how they used its linguistic symbols to construct their ideal political orders. By this case study, I would like to illustrate some features of Confucian political hermeneutics and their impacts on the political order. This essay also argue that political ideas concerning the ideal type of Huang-di polity is not fixed and finalized in the philosophical works in the Warring-states age. Even the movement of Confucianism in the Western Han made the Confucian texts the holy canons, the political ideas about the Huang-di polity were still evolving, interacted with contemporary Confucian political discourses.

皇帝制度；經典詮釋；禮制；喪服禮；政治秩序；君臣關係；舊君；漢六朝隋唐

Huang-di polity; Confucian hermeneutics; state cults; funeral costume; political order; prince-minister relationship; former prince; medieval China