漢晉法律的清約化之路

The Evolution towards a Legal System of Conciseness during the Han and Jin Periods

漢律的繁雜主要包括兩方面：一方面是字數之「繁」，一方面是分類之「雜」。字數之「繁」與書寫材料有關，化「繁」為「約」是簡牘時代的特定要求。分類之「雜」既包括法律體系的混亂，亦包括具體篇目下法條的混亂，變「雜」為「清」必須解決法律的分類問題。同時，變「雜」為「清」又是化「繁」為「約」的前提條件。漢人改律，缺少「分類辨物」的方法論以及學術理論化的氛圍，無力做到對法律進行合理的分類，只能機械地刪減律條，最終陷入循環往復的怪圈，「歷年無成」。曹魏時期，名理學的出現提高了修律者的抽象思維能力，也推動了分類學的發展。曹魏定《新律》，重在「都總事類」，對法律的分類做出了決定性貢獻，徹底解決了漢律「雜而不清」的問題，並通過「但用鄭氏章句」部分解決了「繁而不約」的問題。西晉修律，一方面繼承《新律》既有成果，另一方面借助玄學「得意廢言」、「辭約旨達」的新方法，撰修《泰始律》重在壓縮律條字數，從而實現了晉律的「文簡辭約，旨通大綱」，徹底解決了漢律「繁而不約」的問題。經過數百年的探索和實踐，中國古代法律終於完成了從「繁雜」到「清約」的蛻變。

The main problem of the legal system in Han dynasty was being prolix and disorganized. The problem of prolixity was a result of the writing materials, and changing this prolixity into conciseness was deemed necessary in the age of bamboo clips. The problem of disorganization was not only about the legal system as a whole, but also about some particular clauses. Bringing order to this disorganization requires well-defined legal categories. The methodic reorganization of the legal system also served as an important factor in solving the issue of prolixity. During the entire Han dynasty, the absence of taxonomy and relevant academic theory resulted in the inability to make systematic classifications. Consequently, thoughtless deletion of legal clauses created a vicious cycle, resulting in a failed attempt of revolutionizing the legal system. In the Wei dynasty, the advent of Minglixue (theory of names and logic) helped to promote the development of taxonomy in China. The formulation of Xin lü was under the principle of focusing on classification (du zong shi lei), which made a decisive contribution to the classification of the law, and completely solved the former problem of disorganization. Besides, by adopting Zheng Xuan’s explanations, Xin lü also partly solved the problem of prolixity of the Han laws. Inheriting this tradition from Xin lü and embracing principles of Chinese metaphysics such as simplicity and conciseness, Taishi lü in the Western Jin dynasty focused on limiting the number of legal clauses as well as number of words used. In short, legal system in the Jin dynasty was much more concise and organized.