학술논문
중국 선진시기 귀신관념의 형성과 전개 연구 : 『說文解字』“鬼”部를 중심으로 / The Formation and Development on the Cognition of Ghosts in Pre-Qin China
Document Type
Dissertation/ Thesis
Author
Source
Subject
Language
Korean
Abstract
선진시기 중국인들은 귀신을 인간사의 吉凶禍福을 주재할 수 있는 절대 권력의 신으로 여겼다. 따라서 그들을 신봉하고 공경하는 것으로 禍를 면하고, 진정한 保佑를 받아 福을 얻길 기도하였다. 이는 선진시기의 보편적인 귀신관념으로 인간만사는 물론 자연현상까지도 모두가 신의 섭리에 따라 움직인다고 믿었다. 최대 권력신인 天帝를 중심으로, 사방의 만물을 주관하는 地祇, 先祖와 聖人을 뜻하는 人鬼 등 세 방면으로 나누어 신봉하였다. 선진시기 귀신관념의 발생은 당시 중국인들의 낮은 인지로 자연계와 인간 자신의 수많은 현상에 대한 합리적인 해석이 불가능하여 신비한 현상이라 여기고 인간과 다른 어떠한 추상적인 물체를 결합하는 등의 과오로 형성되었다. 또한 각 시기마다 명칭의 차이는 있지만, 鬼神을 王權과 政權에 조화를 이루어 백성의 민심을 다스리고, 조상을 홀대하지 않고 공경하기 위한 수단으로 사용되었음을 알 수 있다. 따라서 귀신관념은 점차 구체화되고 정형화되어 사람들로 하여금 불가항력적으로 그 힘이 막강해져 인간이 범접할 수 없는 존재로 여겨지게 된다. 이러한 귀신관념은 사회 곳곳에 영향을 끼치게 되어 선진시기에 출토된 甲骨文과 金文, 竹簡 등에서 살펴볼 수 있고, 詩經, 書經, 周禮, 左傳 등의 전래문헌에서도 살펴볼 수 있었다. 또한 문화 현상과 문화 총체를 품고 있는 한자에까지 대단한 영향을 끼쳐『說文解字』“鬼”部 분석을 통하여 선진시기 사람들에게 형성된 귀신 인식과, 귀신에 대한 경외, 귀신 관념의 전개에 대하여 살펴보았다.
In Pre-Qin China, ghosts were believed as the gods who wielded absolute power over people’s fortunes. Due to their ignorance of natural phenomenon and human condition, the people of China lacked a reasonable interpretation of ghosts. Believing that the ghosts were gods, they worshiped them for divine help and escaping disasters. Based on their belief that ghosts were gods that controlled everything in the world, their cognition of ghosts in Pre-Qin China defined the gods: the central gods, called the creator or the gods in the sky, the gods of earth who rule over the ground, and the gods of ancestors or the gods of spirits as sages. Even though the term of ghosts were somewhat different, excavated sites such as the oracle bone script, Chinese bronze inscriptions, and the bamboo and wooden slips support the fact that Pre-Qin Chinese truly believed that ghosts were gods. Classic of Poetry, Classic of History, Rites of Zhou, Zuo Zhuan give evidence that prove ghosts were gods was one of the measures led China to be in peaceful harmony with sovereign and political power. As time proceeded, the cognition of ghosts materialized and standardized, and then reached into an irresistible force. Under these circumstances, the cognition of ghosts affected Chinese literature in a way that included the cultural phenomenon or wholeness. As a result, the analysis of Shuowen Jiezi would help answer why Pre-Qin Chinese were in awe with ghosts, how they expressed their awe and ghosts’ figures, and the cognition of ghosts as the gods had changed.
In Pre-Qin China, ghosts were believed as the gods who wielded absolute power over people’s fortunes. Due to their ignorance of natural phenomenon and human condition, the people of China lacked a reasonable interpretation of ghosts. Believing that the ghosts were gods, they worshiped them for divine help and escaping disasters. Based on their belief that ghosts were gods that controlled everything in the world, their cognition of ghosts in Pre-Qin China defined the gods: the central gods, called the creator or the gods in the sky, the gods of earth who rule over the ground, and the gods of ancestors or the gods of spirits as sages. Even though the term of ghosts were somewhat different, excavated sites such as the oracle bone script, Chinese bronze inscriptions, and the bamboo and wooden slips support the fact that Pre-Qin Chinese truly believed that ghosts were gods. Classic of Poetry, Classic of History, Rites of Zhou, Zuo Zhuan give evidence that prove ghosts were gods was one of the measures led China to be in peaceful harmony with sovereign and political power. As time proceeded, the cognition of ghosts materialized and standardized, and then reached into an irresistible force. Under these circumstances, the cognition of ghosts affected Chinese literature in a way that included the cultural phenomenon or wholeness. As a result, the analysis of Shuowen Jiezi would help answer why Pre-Qin Chinese were in awe with ghosts, how they expressed their awe and ghosts’ figures, and the cognition of ghosts as the gods had changed.