上元夫人：從升仙導師到多情仙姝———道教對中國小説文體發展的貢獻

The Role of Lady High Prime, from a Teacher of Transcendence to a Nymph in Love: Daoism’s Contribution to the Development of the Genres of Chinese Fiction

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

《漢武帝内傳》是早期道教綜合經典傳授、仙藥授受、修道方式和相關古老傳説等諸多要素形成的經典，也被看做具有相當藝術水準的志怪小説作品。女仙上元夫人是這部作品裏的主角之一，以西王母配角身份出現。她接受西王母教示，訓誨漢武帝，向他傳授經戒，是人間帝王的升仙導師。到唐代，在李白等人的詩裏，特别是在裴鉶《傳奇》的《封陟》篇裏，她完全脱卸了神仙面貌，被表現爲一位執著、坦率地追求愛情的多情仙姝。南北朝時期流傳一批西王母女兒（養女）或隨侍降臨（謫降）人世、與人間男子結下姻緣的傳説，從側面提供了這一演變的根據和脈絡。在道教“世俗化”、“藝術化”過程中，從《漢武帝内傳》到《封陟》裏上元夫人形象的這一演變提供了一個典型例子，體現道教對於中國小説文體發展所發揮的重要作用，也是道教影響古代文學發展的一例。

The Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of the Han is an early Daoist scripture that contains elements of scriptural transmission, bestowal of transcendent elixir, cultivation methods, and relevant legends of ancient times. It is also regarded as a fiction of “recording the uncanny” with a high level of aesthetic accomplishment. In the book, the transcendent Lady High Prime is one of the main characters; she debuts in a supporting role of Queen Mother of the West, under the instruction of whom the Lady teaches Emperor Wu of the Han (156 BC-87 BC; r. 141 BC-87 BC) and transmits scriptural teaching and rules. Therefore, she is the teacher of the transcendence-seeking emperor of the human world. In the Tang, however, in the poetry of Li Bai and others, as well as in the “Feng Zhi” story in Chuanqi (Transmission of the Marvels) by Pei Xing, she is depicted as having sloughed off her guise as a transcendent and become a nymph who chastely and straightforwardly pursues love. Relevant legends in circulation during the Northern and Southern dynasties period tell stories about the adopted daughters or attendant maids who descended (or were demoted) to the human world and fell in love with mortal men. They offer an indirect outline of the source and development of this tradition. When Daoism underwent the processes of “secularization” and “becoming an artful representation,” we find a typical example in the changes in the image of Lady High Prime as seen in the Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of the Han and the “Feng Zhi” story. This example illustrates an important impact that Daoism had on the development of Chinese fiction genres. It is also an example of how Daoism influenced classical Chinese literature.