唐代的雇傭勞動

HIRED LABOR DURING THE T'ANG DYNASTY

本文所討論的「雇傭勞動」，是指由身分自由的雇農與傭工等勞動者，所提供的有償勞動。由這種勞動所引起的契約、工資等雇傭關係，也在討論之列。雇傭勞動雖然很早就在我國歷史上出現，並在秦漢以迄魏晉南北朝八百年間屢見不鮮。

The practice of hiring labor appears very early in Chinese history, and there are numerous examples of it as early as Ch'in and Han times. Then again, prior to the T'ang dynasty, it was only sporadically employed; it had yet to become either commonplace or systematized. Meanwhile, the distinction between free-lance. and slave labor is frequently impossible to make. The increased popularity of using hired labor during the T'ang period, on the one hand, demonstrates the gradual flowering of handicraft industries and commerce, while on the other hand, demonstrating the long-term transformation of T'ang China's socio-economic structure.