复仇是中国古代社会经常出现的现象,秦汉时期,有关禁止复仇的法令,经历了一个从无到有的过程,但复仇现象始终未得到有效的遏制。魏晋南北朝明令禁止复仇,所见文献记载的复仇事件也大大少于秦汉时期。这种情况的出现与礼制的变化及礼对法的影响密切相关。礼法结合使魏晋南北朝时期的法讲究法"理",重视生命,法贵得中,宽法倡德,越来越充满了"礼"的精神。在这种结合中,礼对法产生的影响有其不可忽视的积极的一面。在礼的影响下,冷峻严酷的法具有了尊重生命的人性,刚硬的律条注入情和理的灵魂,杀罚止恶的同时又兼道德提倡,从而提高了服务国家政治的效率。
Revenge is often a recurring phenomenon in ancient Chinese society,the decree about prohibition of revenge has a process of establishment in Qin and Han Dynasty.Based on the document recorded,there is no decree about prohibition of revenge in Qin Dynasty,and at the end of Qin Dynasty the law of kill and pay with one’s life exists in name only.Although this condition has changed until the waning days of the Western Han Dynasty,Emperor Zhang after Emperor Ming again implements the Qing Wu Law,so revenge phenomena have not been effectively curbed.Revenge is prohibited by official order in Wei,Jin,Northern and Southern Dynasties,so in the document recorded the revenge events are much fewer than those in Qin and Han Dynasties.This situation has emerged,and an extremely important reason is the change of ritual and the impact of rites on law.Combining rites with law makes the law during the period of the Wei,Jin,Northern and Southern Dynasties be particular about"reason",paying attention to life,moderating law,advocating moral and not advocating law,which are all filled with the spirit of"rites".In that combination,the impact of rites on law has a positive side which is also inconvenient.Under the influence of rites,dourness and severe law have humanity of respecting life,and the soul of emotion and reason has been put into rigid decree.So the law not only could punish and stop the evil,but also have the function of morality advocating,and then improve the efficiency of service for national politics.