鄭玄 禮學의 이론 구성적 성격 －정현 三禮學과 古禮의 재구성－

Abstract

During the Han Dynasty, courtiers and scholars of Li(Rites) came to recognize the reality of Zhouli(rites of Zhou Dynasty) by studying various materials of the ancient Li, and they rightfully posited the ancient Li to be ‘Lijing (the Classic of rites)’ that contains the ethical values and political ideals of Confucius and Zhou Gong. This implies that for the first time the pragmatic value of the ancient Li was tested and verified on a national level, and that the idealogical legitimacy of the institutions of Li was secured. The scholars of Jinwen(New text) responded by presuming ‘kings’ court rites’ in the light of ‘rites of the Shi(士)’, while the Guwen(Old text) scholars of Li challenged the authority of 『Lijing』 in Jinwen, with the specific illustration of kings’ court rites and lords’ court rites that are abundantly exemplified in Guwen materials and 『Zhouli』. Zheung Xuan thoroughly reexamined and systematically sorted the ancient Li materials. His historical research and comparative analysis of Li consequently resulted in shaping the standardized three classics of Li, that is, 『Zhouli』, 『Liji』, and 『Yili』. He also finalized the study of Li of the Han Dynasty by restructuring the Lijing system of the ancient Li. He placed 『Yili』 inside 『Zhouli』, and positioned the eight-Li system within the framework of the five-Li system. In other words, Zheung Xuan put the individual realm of ethics under the state power, and suggested a model state whose political validity and social ideals are ultimately sought through individual practice of rites. Historical truths and theoretical constructs coexist in Zheung Xuan’s Study on the Three classics of Li, where divergent rites and meanings are mutually clarified and situated within a unified ‘Lijing’ system.