西汉士人在制衡皇权方面虽颇有建树,但更多的是以批评家的态度,从精神上加以劝导,而在现实政治上却显得力不从心。不同于西汉士人在政治上的无力感,士大夫集团在东汉政坛上与代表皇权的宦官、外戚势力鼎足而立,表现出极强的政治影响力。这与东汉选官制度下对经学的特加推崇有着十分紧密的联系。本文试图从东汉的 Although Western scholars did a great deal in balancing the imperial power, they were more mentally persuaded by critics and less effective in the real politics. Different from the sense of powerlessness of the Western Han scholars in politics, the group of doctor and scholar stood in the same position with the eunuchs who represented the imperial power in the Eastern Han political arena and showed strong political influence. This is closely related to the special esteem of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty. This article attempts from the Eastern Han Dynasty