《晏子春秋》「食魚無反」解──兼論先秦「毋反魚肉」之禮儀

Interpretation of“Shi yu wu fan”食魚無反from Yanzi chunqiu: Pre-Qin Etiquette and“Not Turning the Fish Over”

《晏子春秋》中有段關於齊景公與晏子對「食魚無反，勿乘駑馬」的問答與闡述。過去學者以「不要翻動」、「勿食反面」理解「無反」一詞，恐未得其確詁。本文認為「食魚無反」需要聯繫至齊景公所謂「惡其鱢」、晏子所謂的「毋盡民力」，必須在君臣互動、先秦禮儀的脈絡下方能理解。「食魚無反」就是不要將食剩的魚肉放回與他人共用的食器，以免汙染食物，影響他人健康，就是《禮記》〈曲禮〉所載的「毋反魚肉」。齊景公只得其一，認為反魚會使食物腐敗腥臭，晏子則藉機點撥，提醒齊景公要愛惜物資、珍惜民力。

The work Yanzi chunqiu晏子春秋(The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan) includes the explanations on“shi yu wu fan, wu cheng numa”食魚無反，勿乘駑馬(lit.“when eating fish, do not turn it over, and do not ride the inferior horse”) by Duke Jing of Qi齊景公(?-490 BCE) and Yan Ying晏嬰(Yanzi, ?-ca. 500 BCE) in a question-and-answer format. In the past, scholars have largely used“do not turn the fish over”or“do not eat the reverse side of the fish”to understand the term“wu fan.”This article argues, however, that“shi yu wu fan”must be understood within the contexts of the interactions between the ruler and his ministers as well as of pre-Qin rites and etiquette. Specifically, the expression should be related to“e qi sao”惡其鱢(“rotten and fetid”) and“wu jin minli”毋盡民力(“do not exhaust the efforts of the people”).“Shi yu wu fan”thus means not to place the leftover fish back onto utensils shared with others, so as not to contaminate the food and affect the health of others, mirroring“wu fan yurou”毋反魚肉(lit.“do not turn the fish over”) from the Book of Rites禮記. Duke Jing of Qi approached the expression from a simplistic viewpoint, believing that turning the fish over would cause the food to expire, so Yan Ying used the matter to reason with and remind the Duke to cherish materials and human resources.