秦，“皇帝信玺”封泥
Sealing-clay piece with imprint 'Xi of Emperor for Summoning Officials'(皇帝信玺). Qin Dynasty.
秦汉官印制度的一个重要特点是与高度集权的行政理念相联系，即根本上表现为授官授印，官印颁赐或收缴的同时是职权、官爵授与或削夺的关系。这一特点在战国时代已经形成。《史记·甘茂传》记苏代与齐王的一次对话中说：“夫甘茂，贤人也。今秦赐之上卿，以相印迎之。”这是秦国颁赐官印的一则记载，意思是赐给“卿”的地位的同时授予“相国”的印章。
An important characteristic of the Qin and Han official seal systems is their connection to the administrative concept of highly centralized authority, which in essence exists as the appointment of officials through seal conferral. The conferral or confiscation of official seals was identical to bestowing on or removing from an official his authority, position and title. In fact this characteristic was already present in the Warring States Period; for instance, according to the Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Gan Mao(史记·甘茂传), the state of Qin conferred on Gan Mao the ministerial position of councilor, and a “grand chancellor seal”.
西汉，“扬州刺史”封泥
Sealing-clay piece with imprint 'Yangzhou Governor'(扬州刺史). Western Han Dynasty.
在文武百官印章之上，皇帝御玺、传国玺不仅是皇权所系，而且是国祚的象征。因此，历代王朝将秦代始创“受命于天，既寿永昌”的传国玺奉为至高无上的神物。失玺、夺玺的情节屡见于古代史籍。《南史·孔琳之传》载孔氏说“汉用秦玺，言祚四百”，将玺印与国运联系起来。立国的新主，将制作天子玉玺视为第一要务，《宋书·礼制》就记载了三国时孙吴立国后制作六玺之事：“吴无刻玉工，以金为玺，孙皓造金玺六枚是也”。在没有治玉工匠的情况下，吴国仍然要以黄金来制作天子的六玺。
Outranking the seals of civil and military officials, the personal seal of the emperor and the Heirloom Seal of the Realm not only represented the imperial power but also the symbol of the existence of a dynasty to rule all China. For this reason, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm with the inscription “Mandated by Heaven, the Emperor Leads a Long and Prosperous Live”(受命于天，既寿永昌) was regarded as the divine object of supreme power by all the dynasties in China. Stories about the losing and winning of this seal were frequently recorded in ancient books of history. According to the History of the Southern Dynasty: Biography of Kong Linzhi(南史·孔琳之传), Kong said “the Han Dynasty used the Xi of the Son of the Heaven of the Qin Dynasty and lasted 400 years.” To connect the seal of the emperor to the existence of a dynasty was traditional idea of feudal regimes in China. The founding emperor of a new dynasty always considered the making of the jade seal of the Son of Heaven his first priority. For instance, Sun Hao, the king of Wu in the period of the Three Kingdoms(220-280), had the six seals of the Son of Heaven make with gold when no jade cutter could be found at the time.
新莽，“广汉大将军章”
Silver 'Seal of General of Guanghan'(广汉大将军章).Xin Dynasty.
除了象征意义，官印最本质的属性是职务或官署职权的凭证，也是行使公权过程中不可或缺的特殊工具。
Besides their symbolic meaning, the most essential characteristic of official seals is their authentication of an official position or the authority of an office, and thus as special instruments indispensable in the exercise of public powers.
秦，“浙江都水”，铜.
Bronze seal with imprint 'Supervisor of Water Conservancy Projects in Zhejiang'(浙江都水). Qin Dynasty.
授官授印还表明对主权的宣示。《汉书·王莽传》记载，王莽改立“新”朝后，命五威将王骏等人前往匈奴单于处，收回西汉所赐的“匈奴单于玺”，另授给“新匈奴单于章”，表明由“新”取代汉朝的地位以及归属关系的改变。王莽改铸的少数民族官印还有“新前胡佰长”、“新西河左佰长”等。元始五年（公元5年），王莽曾派遣中郎将平宪等持金币诱使塞外的羌人献地内属，遂以羌人所献鲜水海、允谷之地置西海郡，并制作西海郡虎符石匮用以封藏所颁“符命”，填补了“已有东海、南海、北海郡，未有西海郡”的缺憾（《汉书·王莽传》）。遗存“西海羌骑司马”和“西海沙塞右尉”官印，即是置郡后颁给羌人或汉人的官印。
The conferral of an official seal also indicated possession of a territory and was a declaration of sovereignty. According to the Chronicles of the Han Dynasty: Biography of Wang Mang(汉书·王莽传), Wang Mang, the regent chancellor at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, overthrew the Han Dynasty and established his own dynasty called “Xin”, and subsequently dispatched an envoy to take back the seal of the Xiongnu King that had been conferred by the Western Han on the Xiongnu chieftain, replacing it with the Seal of Xiongnu King of the Xin Dynasty(新匈奴单于帐). This was to declare the replacement of the Han Dynasty by the Xin Dynasty and the change in relevant subordinate relationships. Wang Mang changed the official seals of other ethnic group too: for instance, “Qian Hu Centurion of the Xin Dynasty”(新前胡佰长), and “Xi He Left Centurion of the Xin Dynasty”(新西河左佰长).
新莽，“西海沙塞右尉”.
'Right Commandant of Sha Sai of Xihai'(西海沙塞右尉). Xin Dynasty.
在秦汉官印体制中，官印是官爵等级的标志，也是政治地位的物化标志。此外，还有不同颜色的印绶与上述标志相配合。皇帝、帝后的官印，其印面标准大于百官所用印。这些标准，在实际执行中是十分严格的，即使是滥封官爵、库帑虚空的时期，金、银两个等级的官印，也须要以鎏金、鎏银替代。
In the official seal systems of the Qin and Han dynasty, official seals were symbols of the rank of the official position and physical manifestations of political status. In addition there were also seal ribbons of different colors to match the ranks mentioned above. The official seals of the emperor and empress had a larger imprint part than those of seals used by officials. The rank standards were rather strictly enforced. Even when official positons and nobility titles were conferred to excess and the imperial coffers were almost empty, official seals at the ranks of gold and silver still had to use gold and silver, but as plating.
东汉，“广陵王玺”，金
Gold'Seal of Prince of Guangling'(广陵王玺).Eastern Han Dynasty.
以相应的质材、钮式、文字规格、自名、印绶作为等级标志，实际上赋予印信形态以验示与钤用两方面功能，使印章从外观形制与印文语义两方面都得以彰显出佩用者的官爵与地位。这种繁复但又是明晰的官印形制标准，既是社会等级秩序的反映，也是印章本身在政治生活中重要地位的体现。
In fact, the use of a particular material, knob form, number of characters, name and ribbon to signify different ranks gave the form of a seal two functions – presenting for examination and pressing an imprint. Thus a seal could indicate the official title and status from both its external form and the content of the impression part. These seemingly complex but rather definite standards regulating the format of official seals reflect both the social hierarchy and the important role of seals in political life.
西汉，“皇后之玺”，玉
Jade'Xi of the Empress'(皇后之玺).Western Han Dynasty.
本文节选自孙慰祖：《中国印章-历史与艺术》，外文出版社，2010年。
Sun Weizu: The History and Art of Chinese Seals, Foreign Languages Press, 2010
责任编辑：戴梦岚
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