賣身買得千年名——論中國人的自殺與名欲

Transitory Life for Eternal Fame: On Chinese Suicide

《史記•剌客列傳》和《戰國策•韓策》都記載聶政（公元前 397年卒）於老母過世，既葬除服之後，隻身由齊之韓，刺韓相俠累（公元前 397年卒）於東孟之會上，為受辱於俠累而去韓流亡的嚴遂復仇，以報嚴遂當年紆尊降貴迢迢上門示好的一番知遇之恩。 聶政行刺俠累雖然得手，但終究無法脫身，最後舉刀皮面抉眼屠腸，自毀形容而死。韓人取聶政屍暴於市，懸賞千金，求其名姓。時日雖久，而無結果。聶政姊榮（公元前 397年卒）聞此事，猜測無名刺客即是聶政。她說：「吾弟至賢，不可愛妾之軀，滅吾弟之名，非弟意也」，於是赴韓認屍。聶榮抵韓境，目睹政屍後，脫口自言：「勇哉！氣矜之隆，是其軼賁育高成荊矣。今死而無名，父母既歿矣，兄弟無有，此為我故也，夫愛身 不揚弟之名，吾不忍也！」乃抱屍而哭，說：「此吾弟軹深井里聶政也！」 亦自殺於屍下。聶氏昆仲的烈行，二千多年來為中國人所熟知、詠歎。從上引聶榮的言談，可知行賢而名不傳，非聶政所願，所以，聶政之為嚴遂拚命，報恩 固是主要的動機，立不負恩義的聲名，當亦是所亟在意。聶榮自己也為了成全乃弟令名，不惜捨命。姊弟兩命，可謂都為殉名。好名本人類通性，自非專見於中國人之間，但為名而不惜捨命，事則不可思議，中國社會卻每多其例，反映名之一物，在中國人的心目中地位特殊。以下拙論即以摘舉此文化特徵，並探究「名」如何引致中國人為之自殺而不疑為主旨。

Though love of fame is human nature, buying fame at the price of one's life is by no means common in Western society. Yet, men dying for fame are found commonly in the course of Chinese history. This reflects the unusual weight carried by the notion of fame in Chinese culture. This article focuses on this subject and analyzes the correlation of suicide and fame in Chinese society. With the exception of the Taoists, the concern for reputation is a common sentiment among the Chinese, regardless of social class, gender, profession, or career. The only difference is that the higher one's social status is, the more pronounced this fixation becomes. To attain widespread fame is even included in a larger Confucian moral project.There are many means by which the Chinese achieved fame. However, in the main stream of Chinese culture, there is an endorsed formula for the establishment of reputation through either of the “three fulfillments,” namely, the fulfillment of virtue, the fulfillment of merit, and the fulfillment of doctrines. Suicide has nothing to do with the fulfillment of doctrines, and seldom has it to do with the fulfillment of merit. But it does frequently have to do with the fulfillment of virtue. Among the Chinese suicides who died virtuously and attained everlasting fame are those who sought fame by fulfilling virtues. What they were concerned about is renown rather than virtue itself. However, what is the inner logic supporting the idea that a good name outweighs physical life? One possible explanation is that it might have something to do with the belief in the sympathetic magic of names, which have prevailed from the Chinese antiquities. Its most conspicuous characteristic is the notion that a person's name constitutes part of his soul. The ancient Chinese believed in the immortality of the soul provided that the name of the dead person is frequently evoked. From the age of “philosophic breakthrough” onward, the superstitious correlation between name and soul faded away from the rational minds. Instead, belief in “spiritual immortality” took place. Immortality can be attained only if one's virtue is remembered and celebrated by the whole society. In this sense, it can be said that those who acted suicidally for the sake of fame were in fact exchanging a transitory life for an eternal one.