《史记·外戚世家》云:“自古受命帝王及继体守文之君,非独内德茂也,盖亦有外戚之助焉。”外戚在中国古代的历史中是一个非常特殊的群体,他们通过婚姻与皇室结成亲戚,一般是指皇帝的母族和妻族。但是外戚政治并不是外戚存在的必然产物,它是社会发展到一定历史阶段才出现的。这一概念有着特殊的政治内涵,它是指君王的外亲以母后为依托,总枢机之政,握兵戎之要,而专擅国政。西汉末期,王氏外戚 “Historian and relatives of the family” said: “Since ancient times, the emperor and follow the body to keep the monarch, non-independent Nepalese Mao also, cover also has the help of relatives.” "The relatives in ancient Chinese history is a very special group, They formed relatives with the royal family through marriage, generally referring to the emperor’s mother and wife. However, the politics of the outside world is not the inevitable outcome of the existence of the outsider. It is only when social development reaches a certain historical stage. This concept has a special political connotation. It refers to the external pro-kin of the kings who rely on their mother-in-law, the general administration of the cardinal government, the necessity of holding military operations, and the specialization of the government. Late Western Han Dynasty, Wang’s relatives