The Daily Life of the Empire:the Interactions Between the Emperors and Their Ministers of the Tang Dynasty in the Ceremonial Straightforward and Euphemistic Memorials to the Throne
As an important way of written communication between ancient emperors and their ministers,various types of memorials to the throne are of great significance to the understanding of the interactions between emperors and their ministers.Therefore,their contents and functions have been frequently discussed in the academic circle.This paper holds that there is no essential difference in content between the straightforward memorial to the throne(表)and the euphemistic memorial to the throne(状).The straightforward memorial to the throne was a full-functional style of memorial writing,while the euphemistic memorial to the throne was originally used as an official document.However,the strong coloration of the euphemistic memorial as an official document determined that it became an independent style of writing,and it came into being at the latest during the Kaiyuan(开元)Period under the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty(唐玄宗).And it always maintained its state as an official document.At the same time,the ceremonial straightforward or euphemistic memorial to the throne represented by giving away the throne or the official position(让),sending greetings to the emperor(贺),and expressing gratitude to the emperor(谢),contained rich contents in its seemingly formatted words and expressions,and reflected the frequent daily interactions between the emperors and their ministers in the Tang Dynasty.These seemingly ordinary interactions might become important components of some political manipulations,and eventually contributed to the trend of some historical events.Meanwhile,these daily interactions can also open a window for us to observe and judge the closeness of the relationship between the emperors and their ministers,showing a more genuine everyday life of the high-rank people in the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Dynastystraightforward and euphemistic memorials to the thronedaily interaction
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