『黃帝四經』에 나타난 天道-人事 演繹의 특징

Abstract

First, The way of thinking which deduces the social order from the natural law is one of the most characteristic features of Chinese thoughts. The silk manuscript of Huangdisijing(黃帝四經) excavated in 1973 also has that feature, especially interested in the law of the movement of heavenly bodies and the circulation of four seasons. The law of revolution means growing and withering of all things that have life. This is a theme that run through the whole Huangdisijing. Secondly, in agriculture-based society much understanding of the natural law is connected directly with maintaining one´s existence. Huangdisijing insisted that mankind, a part of the nature, model himself on the natural law practically as well as understand it. The ruler should govern a country according to the times and seasons, Tiantao(天道) or Tianshi(天時), which means making the people do farming in spring and summer, where as mobilize them for public works or campaigns in fall and winter after the harvest. Huangdisijing strongly warns that he would necessarily suffer a corresponding disaster if his governing does not follow the objective law of the times and seasons(天時). The ideas of making a model of the that law is embodied in the monthly policy for that year, Yueling(月令). Huangdisijing did not show elaborate form and abundant materials as shown in the chapter of 'Yueling(月令)' in Liji(禮記) or one of ‘Shieryueji(十二月紀)’ in Ishichunqiu(呂氏春秋). This is because the writer of Huangdisijing aims at explaining of the logical system itself that deduces social norms from of Tiandao(天道) than specifying the details of monthly policy as social norm. Huangdisijing has an idea that two things with similar property sympathize with each other, Lei-tong-xiang-zhao(類同相召, 同類相動) as shown in Ishichunqiu(呂氏春秋). That is, if the ruler performs the policy of winter in spring times, that would bring about natural phenomena of winter season and cause disorders in ecosystem. It is the idea that appears in a large number of materials in those days, too. Thirdly, another metodology which deduces human affairs from of Tiandao(天道) is a strategic use of the objective natural law. According to the law of rise and decline in cosmic dual forces, Wu-ji-bi-fan(物極而反), the present strong will became weak and decline ultimately. Huangdisijing proposed that on the assumption of the reverse situation, the strong nation walk in the process from decline phase to rise one. This strategy begins from Laozi(老子), and is a primary factor that distinguishes Huangdisijing from Confucian thought in spite of the affinity between two in its days. It is interesting, however, that the writer of Huangdisijing didn't apply the law of Wu-ji-bi-fan(物極而反) to the relations of sovereign and subject, which was expected not to reverse by the ruler himself. This is another feature found in the theory of Huangdisijing.