『춘추』에 보이는 존왕(尊王) 의식의 변천 양상

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to clarify the essential meaning of the concept of reverence for the king (尊王) and the political orientation that this concept pursues, as shown in the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋). Furthermore, it also aims to examine the changing aspects of the concept of reverence for the king in the midst of changes in political power during the specific political scenes of Spring and Autumn period. The ultimate goal and ideal of the politics of the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋) is to put an end to the political turmoil of the Spring and Autumn period and achieve the stability and unification of the world, that is, the great unification (大一統) of the world. The establishment of the concept of reverence for the king (尊王) is suggested as the most important measure to achieve this goal. It is because the specific orientation and content of politics can be organized only when the reason for the existence and the status of king (王者), which is the main agent of the great unification, are clearly defined. However, since the Spring and Autumn period’s conditions developed in a completely different direction from the concept of reverence for the king, the goal of the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋), which is the achievement of the great unification based on the concept of reverence for the king, inevitably faced the challenge of a gap between ideals and reality. To solve this problem, the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋) sought a new alternative that consists in recognizing the role of chief of the princes (霸者) while remaining attached to the principle of reverence for the king. In other words, it introduced a new type of political theory to meet the needs of the period through the transformation of the concept of reverence for the king.