Page 9 - 《社会》2024年第6期

社会·2024·6

Abstract：In modern social science research, a indigenous concept is often replaced
by modern disciplinary concepts， making it difficult to bring its meaning and its
research framework to light. Mingfen is a concept that has been replaced by
hierarchy， role， identity， and norms of behavior， so much so that the academic
interpretation of the concept remains shallow. Compared to these conceptual
combinations， the meaning of Mingfen needs to be understood within its own
conceptual combination. This paper therefore argues that in this regard Mingfen is
the operationalization of ritual and etiquette， and that its purpose is to establish a
matching hierarchy of superiority and inferiority in real vertical relationships in
order to maintain daily order. Examining roles or identities， their commonality is
based on “self鄄identity”， while the operation of Mingfen requires establishing“field鄄
identity” in political and social context and reality. What is meant by“field鄄
identity” is that social members can regard the power relationships and interactive
situations in different fields as a unified whole， so that different identities and roles
can be comprehensively ranked in this system. This is possible because Li（ritual）
has a holistic cognitive aspect， and the hierarchical ordering of its ranks is provided
by the ideal of Tian Di Jun Qin Shi （Heaven， Earth， Monarch， Parents， and
Teacher）. The emergence of “field鄄identity” leads individuals to form a cognitive
panorama of power relationships in the whole interactions due to their simultaneous
confrontation with multiple roles. It enables an individual to clearly understand their
own course of action and the appropriateness of their behavior on the one hand，
and on the other hand to have a comprehensive understanding of the hierarchy of
every individual， thereby leading their words and deeds to be less self鄄centered and
more dependent on their status sequence and power. This interconnected pattern，
although it achieves the expected order， stability， and harmony， also constitutes
various potential power struggles in the field鄄identity.
Keywords：Mingfen （status）， self鄄identity， field鄄identity， hierarchical order in a
unified system， pairs of power relations

“名分” 是中国古代政治与社会话语体系中一个十分重要的概念，
现在已极少使用。这足以表明现代政治、社会体制，甚至是日常生活，已
经与古代相去甚远， 也可以据此认定这个概念看似具有历史性而无现
代性。 目前关注这一概念的研究主要集中于历史学的一些分支学科，如
中国伦理思想史、中国政治思想史、中国法律史、中国文化史、中国婚姻

· 2 ·