Nine Chapters of the Law

The basic legal code of the Han dynasty, created by Xiao He, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang (206-195 BC), was based on the laws of the Qin dynasty. During the reign of Wen Hou (445-396 BC) of the Warring States Wei dynasty, Li Xi created the Fa Jing, which has six chapters (thieves, bandits, prisoners, arrests, miscellaneous, and specific laws), which were later renamed the Law by Shang Yang of the Warring States Qin dynasty, and it is said that Xiao He later added three chapters (household, housing, and stables) to make it a nine-chapter Law. Since it has already been lost, the contents are unclear. However, through the compilation of lost Han texts since the Qing dynasty, over 200 articles of Law have been confirmed, and some articles are thought to be equivalent to the Nine-chapter Law.

[Kazuyuki Tsuruma]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、漢の高祖劉邦(りゅうほう)（在位前206～前195）のとき、相国である蕭何(しょうか)が秦(しん)代の法をもとにつくった漢王朝の基本的法典。戦国魏(ぎ)の文侯（在位前445～前396）時代に、李悝(りかい)の作成した『法経』6編（盗、賊、囚、捕、雑、具法）が戦国秦の商鞅(しょうおう)によって律と改められ、のちに蕭何が戸、興、厩(きゅう)3編を加えて九章律としたと伝えられる。すでに散逸してしまっているので、その内容はつまびらかではない。しかし清(しん)朝以来の漢律の逸文輯集(しゅうしゅう)作業によって二百数十条の律文が確認されており、九章律に相当すると思われる条文もみられる。

［鶴間和幸］

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