“僭主”一词在希腊文里不一定指坏的统治者,但此说是有条件的。早在第二代希腊僭主政治时期,“僭主”一词就能象今天一样,带有令人憎恨之意。在古典时期,人们对被怀疑企图作僭主的人产生了强烈的反感。但在其他情况下,僭主并不给人以憎恶的形象。确实,一个君主可以被尊称为“僭主”。另一方面,公元前四世纪,哲学家们理所当然地把“王”这个词用于好的统治者,把“僭主”一词用于坏的统治者。然而,其他一些作家(主要是在较早时期)却把这两个词看作是同义词。乍看起来,这是混乱的,但这种混乱并非由来已久。讨论一下“僭主”这个词的希腊语用法,将有助于解释为什么象库普赛罗斯或庇西特拉图这样受人爱戴的统治者可以归于僭主一类。 The word “僭 主” does not necessarily mean a bad ruler in Greek, but this is conditional. As early as the second generation of Greek rule, the word “domineering” was as abhorrent as it is today. In the classical period, people were strongly disgusted with those who were suspected of acting as masters. However, in other cases, the Lord does not give a disgusting image. Indeed, a monarch can be revered as “Lord.” On the other hand, in the fourth century BC, philosophers used the term “king” for good rulers and the term “monarchy” for bad rulers. However, other writers (mainly at an earlier time) regard these two words as synonyms. At first glance, this is chaos, but this chaos is not a long-standing one. A discussion of the Greek usage of the word “僭 主” will help to explain why the beloved rulers such as Cuspotos or Pisitrato can be attributed to the Lord.