《閱微草堂筆記》官署中冥報故事的意義

The Significance of the Karma Story in“Yue Wei Cottage Notes”

《閱微草堂筆記》是一部藉幽怪以警世的書，作者紀昀於人生暮年寫作此書，他認同民間已有的果報觀念，相信冥冥之中有鬼神監督個人行為的善惡，並施予獎懲；他以親身的見聞，驗證「神道之不誣」。其出入官場多年，深知公衙中的官長、胥吏對下官、小民掌有生死榮辱之大權，故在《閱微草堂筆記》中載錄多篇發生在公署中官吏身上的神異傳聞，提醒官吏時時自我警惕，存善心、積德行。 本文擬藉這些故事，探討作者詮釋之態度。通過本文的討論，除了可反映清初社會的官場文化、民間信仰外，對於掌有他人身家安危的官署成員，亦得以有更多的認知。清初的官署活動場域陳舊，幕賓書吏眾多，主客觀的因素使得冥報之說於此間盛行。而官吏的作為既攸關人我的禍福存亡，也反映了社會現實的隱微之處。紀昀浮沉宦海，嫻於世情，有著老練而圓融的處事經歷，能夠洞見人心。紀錄敘述這些故事，就有著譏諷官員、針砭胥吏、勸懲他人，儆勵自我的多重意義。他藉官署中的因果報應抒發一己之感慨，並希望能發揮警世、淑世的作用。

'Yue Wei Cottage Notes'' is a book to warn and educate people through ghost stories. The author, who had written this book at his old age, agreed with the notion of karma and believed that there are spirits somewhere in the world to judge good and evil, offer rules of personal conduct, and give rewards and punishments. This article intends to borrow these stories to explore the author's interpretation and his attitudes toward the stories. This article is also designed to reflect the contemporary officialdom culture and folk beliefs of the early Qing society. Besides, more understanding is given to the power of the officials of the government offices during that period of time. In early Qing dynasty, there were a mass of government officers and their working and activity fields were old, so the concept of karma was very popular. During that time, the government officials were believed to have the control of people's lives and fates, and this was what the social reality reflected. In his book, Ji Yun recorded these stories, ridiculed officialls, criticized the clerks, advised people, and encouraged himself. He used his official karma to express his feelings and hoped that it could offer an example to the precarious world.