《史記》筆下的「長者」

The Image of “Elderly” in Sima Qian’s Shi Ji

太史公之記載「長者」一類人物，並非純粹以正面或負面形象來描述，亦非如論者所言以諷刺專制君主為目的。《史記》所載，反而是在秦漢巨大的社會背景下，對「長者」多層次的形象特徵予以捕捉，來彰顯一種時代人格形態的轉化。太史公特意引導讀者深思，進一步透過史實，建立起西漢長者的「立體」形象。因此，本文首先蒐集現存可見的兩漢文獻中，涉及「長者」的相關描述，試圖探討在西漢中葉以前「長者」是否已有共識。此後集中展示太史公在《史記》中對長者的描述，並分析長者形象的轉變和發展，試圖拓清太史公筆下長者的定義、內涵、形象和核心價值所在。

This paper discusses the image of elderly during the Han dynasty, with a focus on different historical writings from the Han era, mainly Sima Qian’s Shi Ji. The main body of the paper falls into three areas. First, I undertake a brief comparison of the image of “elderly” in Shi Ji and in other Han texts,that discussi the concept of “elderly.” Second, I provide an overview of the changes and the development of the “elderly’s” image in the Shi Ji. This includes all records of “elderly” found in the Shi Ji. The latter will be fully investigated in this paper. Lastly, the paper clarifies the definition and meaning of “elderly,” to give a full picture of the concept pf “elderly” in Sima Qian’s Shi Ji.