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祝盟 Benediction and Vow of Allegiance
古代文體名稱?！白！敝缸＾o，是祭祀時對神贊美、向神禱祝并求得神靈福佑的文辭；“盟”指盟辭，是結盟時以神為證所立的誓約。它們的共同點都是以向神禱請的方式表達意愿和承諾。南朝劉勰認為，禱神的祝辭應該誠懇質樸，不能華麗夸飾；“盟”的目的是訂立盟誓，使神明知曉自己的意愿和承諾，強調結盟的意義和彼此同進退、共存亡的意愿，因此立辭應當坦誠懇切，以感恩神靈的美好話語加強誓約各方的感情聯系。劉勰指出，誓約最終取決于各方的誠信而不是神靈，但美好的祝盟文字有助于培育君子的德行。
Zhu or benediction is a short essay written to pay tribute to gods and seek their blessing. Meng or a vow of allegiance is made by allies to gods. They both express a wish and a commitment to gods. According to Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasties, a zhu should be sincere in tone and plain in wording, without any pomposity or fanfare. A meng, as a vow of allegiance, is intended to let gods know the commitment of rulers to entering into an alliance and sharing weal and woe. Therefore, a meng should be candid and sincere and reinforce solidarity between the allies through a prayer to gods. The success of entering into an alliance, said Liu Xie, depends ultimately on the sincerity of all the parties involved, not on gods. But a beautifully written zhu or meng will help to foster trust in and noble character among the people involved.
引例 Citations：
◎故知信不由衷，盟無益也。（劉勰《文心雕龍·祝盟》）
由此可見，誓約如果不能出自真心，訂立的誓約也毫無意義。
It can thus be seen that a meng or a vow of allegiance made without sincerity would be meaningless. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
◎然非辭之難，處辭為難。后之君子，宜存殷鑒，忠信可矣，無恃神焉。（劉勰《文心雕龍·祝盟》）
誓約的文辭不難寫，難在遵守約定。后世君子應當以背棄誓約的有關史實為鑒戒，恪守忠信的原則才行，不要依賴于神靈。
It is not difficult to write a vow of allegiance. The hard part is honoring it. People in later generations should learn the past lessons of breaking vows of allegiance. One should remain true to one's word and not rely on the grace of the gods. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
推薦：教育部 國家語委
供稿：北京外國語大學 外語教學與研究出版社
責任編輯：錢耐安
