本文以最早記錄民間所傳述荊軻刺秦王的文本《燕丹子》為研議對象，考述是書的敘事原理和主要意識，以理解此政治事件傳續和被再塑的文化成因。已知先秦時於士人間所流行於社會建立功業，以求取生命以另類形式存續後世的思維，成為荊軻以付出性命執行政治暗殺的動機，除受到燕國人傳誦外，也獲取亦經歷秦國攻伐與亡國境遇的諸國同情，入漢後仍能廣被傳揚。此事於流傳間版本雖異，惟至少於漢末已有《燕丹子》集結漢以來的諸種說法，能呈現此故事在民間傳播的梗要。復由「英雄歷程」的概念分解是書的結構與意涵，發現其中視燕丹子所遇到的「異象」乃出於「天啟」，引申出其後刺秦王乃出於天意的結果，讓此一政治暗殺近於愚昧的過程，轉變成荊軻實現永恒生命的方式，適能引發若高漸離之徒的效法和追隨，讓英雄的精神得以回歸，成為實踐生命意義的「典型」。復次，漢人也將荊軻的激越行為，解釋成公羊學中復仇之義的實證，能合禮教的規範，也可彰顯荊軻當存有忠義的本質，即道德感的展現，至於刺秦中所發生的各樣異象，能由天人交感以詮解，使得荊軻此行成為對違逆天道者即秦王的警示，建立起善惡對立的概念。由此，荊軻不復是歷史中被視作失敗的例證，在身後取得游移於仕進及志節間的士人共鳴。然此否認個人成就決定於其社會貢獻的非主流思維，自難抵禦往後知識份子汲取和尋求社會地位及認同的想法，以致漸趨不傳，隱沒了失落英雄的身影。

This paper analyzed the principle of narration and the major consciousness of Yan Dan Zi, in order to understand why the assassination of Emperor Qin by Jing Ke, a political event, was shaped into the cultural causes of a hero's journey. It is known that during the pre-Qin era, it was popular among scholars to create exploits, in order to gain a permanent record in history, in exchange for the thinking of spiritual immortality. This thinking became the motivation of Jing Ke in paying his life for the political assassination of Emperor Qin. The account of this action was not only popular in the country of Yan, but gained sympathy and understanding in countries attacked by the Qin. This book treated the encounter of strange things by Prince Yan Dan as apocalyptic and interpreted the assassination of Emperor Qin as the will of Heaven. It, therefore, allowed the all but foolish behavior of political assassination became Jing Ke's way of achieving an eternal life. It aptly caused people, such as Gao Jianli, to imitate and follow, and became the typical case of practicing the meaning of life. Secondly, the Han people also interpreted the impulsive behavior of Jing Ke as an illustration of revenge in the Chinese Classic and was in the norms of propriety and demonstrated Jing Ke's nature of loyalty. As for the strange phenomena happened during the assassination of the Emperor Qin, they can be interpreted as the interaction between Heaven and human. This interpretation enabled the consideration of behavior of Jing Ke's assassination of Emperor Qin a warning to those, such as Emperor Qin, who defied the ways of Heaven and established the concept of opposition of good and evil. Consequently, it totally reversed the evaluation of Jing Ke's failure in history.