武丁的憂懼：從殷卜辭所見「害王」貞問試論商中晚期王位繼承制度變革

Wu Ding’s Fears: Royal Succession and Its Transformation in the Middle-Late Shang Dynasty, as Seen in the“Harm the Monarch”Divinations

武丁時期甲骨卜辭中常見「某某害王」的貞問，通過對這類「害王」相關辭例進行統計，可知貞問的對象集中於祖乙至父乙列位先王。諸先王所處商中期以「兄終弟及、弟傳兄子」為繼嗣傳統，而武丁繼位是對此傳統的一次重大顛覆，直接剝奪了原本其諸祖、父後代及諸兄的繼承權。「害王」卜辭的貞問傾向應是商王武丁及其卜人集團對此憂懼不安心理的一種呈現，史傳高宗「亮陰不言」三年也是其繼位初期所遇困境的真實寫照。此外，「中宗」稱號集中出現於父子相傳繼承制最終確立的康丁、武乙之世。結合傳世與出土文獻材料，「中宗」之稱關涉太戊、祖乙、武丁三王。根據新的材料與研究，太戊應為小甲、雍己之弟（《史記．殷本紀》），祖乙則為河亶甲之弟（《漢書．古今人表》），是唯二在兄終弟及繼承法下傳子的先王。故而我們推測「中宗」應該是父傳子成為主流繼承制的歷史轉折之下，商王對前代傳子先王所追尊的特殊稱號，抑或可以視為一種制度變革下尋找歷史根據的政治行為。

In oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty, divination charges containing the phrase“harm the monarch”occur with notable frequency. Statistical analysis shows that these divinations are directed primarily toward royal ancestors from Zu Yi to Fu Yi. During the middle Shang period, succession generally followed a fraternal pattern—“the younger brother succeeds the elder, and the throne then passes to the elder brother’s son.”Wu Ding’s accession, however, constituted a major break with this tradition, effectively excluding the descendants of earlier royal lines and his brothers from succession. The prevalence of“harm the monarch”divinations may therefore reflect the anxieties of Wu Ding and his diviners concerning the legitimacy and stability of his rule. The traditional account of Emperor Gaozong’s three years of silence may likewise preserve a memory of the difficulties he faced early in his reign.
Furthermore, the temple name Zhong Zong appears prominently during the reigns of Kang Ding and Wu Yi, when father-to-son succession had become firmly established. Drawing on both transmitted and excavated sources, this study argues that Zhong Zong refers to three earlier rulers—Tai Wu, Zu Yi, and Wu Ding—who, despite prevailing fraternal succession norms, transmitted the throne to their sons. It is therefore proposed that Zhong Zong functioned as a retrospective honorific title bestowed by later Shang rulers at a historical turning point, serving to legitimize the emerging patrilineal system by invoking precedents from the past.