吏人起源于官府贱民略证

关于吏人阶层的起源问题,现有的几种解释都不是很周全,特别是从官制角度把吏人视为人为压制的结果,这与唐宋之际身份解放的大潮流相违背,显然不合情理。有种种证据显示,吏人的前身应该是官府贱民,这些人在隋唐时期开始加入日渐卑冗的吏职,并可能通过流外制度升入官员行列。唐宋之际,这些人的身份也一样得到很大解放,宋朝对吏人的种种压制措施实际上并没有压低他们的地位,只是取消了他们通过流品制度升入士流的机会。

Proof of Petty Officials Originating From Official Base Men

There are several explanations of the origin of petty official class which are far from satisfactory. It is especially unreasonable to regard petty official as the result of oppression from the angle of official system, which is contradictory with the tide of identity liberation in the Tang and Song Dynasty. There are proofs that petty officials originated from official base men. These men began to join the petty officials in the Sui and Tang Dynasty and could be promoted through certain system. In the Tang and Song Dynasty, the identities of these people were greatly liberated. In the Song Dynasty, the measures oppressing petty official did not lower their status but deprived them of the opportunity of promotion.