『史記』の構成と終始五徳説

Abstract

The Shih-chi is written from the viewpoint of the circular theory of history 循環史觀, which reflects the system of cognition that the creation and destruction repeat each other eternally, shared commonly by the people of antiquity. According to the Shih-chi, history began with the Yellow Emperor 黄帝 and then developed into a succession of dynasties, each of which enjoyed the protection of one of the five elements. The fall of a dynasty is due to either cataclysm or tyranny, a notion also common in the folk legends of the time. With the tyranny of the First Emperor of Ch'in 秦始皇, the greatest catastrophe befell and destroyed the civilization continued since the Yellow Emperor. Soon, however, from the chaos emerged Liu Pang 劉邦, who by slaying a serpent realized the cosmos and brought new life to China. What the author of the Shih-chi intended to write was a history of one full cycle, beginning with the Yellow Emperor and coining to Han Wu-ti 漢武帝, the ruler of his time. Both of them, thought he, enjoyed the protection of the element earth ; accordingly, he consciously tried to draw a parallel between the deeds of the two. The theory which tries to explain the succession of dynasties in terms of the five elements is being usually referred to as the wu-hsing hsiang-sheng 五行相勝説. The author of the Shih-chi, however, terms it as the wu-te chung-shih shuo 五徳終始説 or the theory of five virtues. The Shih-chi, it can be said, was written on the basis of this theory and the Taoist philosophy.