一、乡绅和乡绅自治80年代以来,关于乡绅问题的研究兴盛一时,单就乡绅的称谓就有许多变化,比较有代表性的如颇具政治色彩的“红乡绅”和力图体现时代性的“新乡绅”等。其实,不论如何称谓,乡绅就是乡绅,从绅的原义看,“绅”原是读书人束在外衣腰间的宽带,《论语》记,“子张问行,子曰:‘言忠信,行笃敬,虽蛮貊之邦,行矣。言不忠信,行不笃敬,虽州里,行乎哉?立则见其参于前也,在舆则见其倚于衡也,夫然后行。’子张书诸绅”。可见,“绅”本义是指 I. Squire and Squire Autonomy Since the 1980s, the research on the squire has flourished. There have been many changes in the appellation of the squire alone. The more representative ones are the political-like “red squires” “Xinxiang gentry ” and so on. In fact, no matter how the appellation, the squire is the squire, from the original meaning of the gentry, “gentry ” was originally a scholar beaming in the waistband of the Broadband, “Analects” in mind, “Zi Zhang asked the line, said: Faithfulness, line Duvu, although the barbarian state, the line carry on. Words unfaithful, do not be tampered, although the state, the line is Zai? Legislation is also seen in its participation in the former, in the public see its depends on the balance also , Husband and then line. ’Zhang book gentry ’. Can be seen, ”gentry " is the original meaning