The Textual Criticism and Exposition of the Concept of ＂the Subject Has No Choice but to Stop Living When the Monarch Orders Him to Do That＂
Abstract：The concept of ＂the subject has no choice but to stop living when the monarch orders him to do that＂ appears in the novels of the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, and it comes into being with comprehensive basis of folk culture. The concept is more popular in the Qing Dynasty; it often appears in the novels and operas which were created during the time from Kangxi to Qianlong. The concept has its deep theoretical origins. From the pre-Qin days to its birth, it has undergone some related concepts as follows： ＂although the monarch is not benevolent, the subject daren＇t disobey the monarch＂, ＂the mon- arch is the principle of the subject＂, ＂although the monarch is not benevolent, the subject has to pledge loyalty to the monarch＂. During the Ming and Qing Dynasty, monarchical power was absolutely strengthened and infinitely intensified and it is the realistic background of the appearance and spread of the concept.
Keywords：monarchsubjectthe Ming Dynastythe Qing Dynastyinterpretation
Publication Date：2011-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 14-18 )