DOI: 10.66106/ylaba6.20250103 ISSN: 3105-7586

从贤臣到圣人:周公形象在先秦典籍中的建构与演变（From a virtuous minister to a sage: The construction and evolution of the image of Duke Zhou in pre—Qin classics）

李思滢 Siying Li
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Abstract：As a pivotal political figure in the early Zhou Dynasty, the image of Duke of Zhou underwent a layered construction and systematic evolution in the pre-Qin classics. Bronze inscriptions and early historiographer documents from the Western Zhou period portray him as a practical and virtuous minister who stabilized the country and established institutions and regulations. From the Spring and Autumn period onwards, with the loosening of ritual and musical order and the rise of various philosophical trends, the image of Duke of Zhou was gradually endowed with moral attributes, becoming an ideal minister who combines political wisdom and ethical norms. During the Warring States period, the Confucian school further elevated his status, interpreting and reconstructing his deeds to facilitate Duke of Zhou's transition from a virtuous minister to a sage, thus becoming a cultural symbol that bridges the ancient sage-kings and the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. This paper takes core classics from different stages of the pre-Qin period as the research object, combining unearthed documents (bronze inscriptions, Qinghua bamboo slips, etc.) with extant documents for cross-validation. It sorts out the evolution trajectory and stage characteristics of Duke of Zhou's image, analyzes the political needs, ideological trends, and literary writing strategies behind the image construc-tion, and reveals the inherent logic of Duke of Zhou's image transformation from a historical figure to a cultural totem.

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