韓愈〈子產不毀鄉校頌〉一文，究竟作於何時？有何寓意？前人評注甚簡，說法不一，未能闡其微旨。筆者細讀韓集，參看史籍，發現此文不只是為太學事件、欲開言路而作，更是針對德宗朝「有君無臣」之病象而言，寓有規諷君、相，與懷念陸贄、陽城之深意，卻每為人所忽。故特撰此文，先就古籍相關記載與韓愈所用典故加以考察，了解子產其人，做為討論基礎；而後詳論德宗朝「有君無臣」之病象，並就陸贄之堪擬子產與韓愈之感念陸贄舉證析述；最後再針對太學生乞留陽城事件加以考察，釐清繫年疑點，並據相關詩文、韓愈行蹤，及其與陽城之關係，推論為此撰文之可能性。透過此一探究，當可補充前人之說，以供參考。

There have been various theories on when and why Han Yu wrote “In Praise of Zi Chan’s Preserving Local Schools.” This paper attempts to answer these questions by examining historical records, Han Yu’s poems, and the social and political background of his time. The reign of Emperor De of the Tang dynasty was known for “turning a deaf ear to the ills of the times,” “dictatorial rule,” and “indifference to problems of the people.” This and other facts suggest the date of authorship to be between the year Zhenyuan eleven (A.D. 795) and Zhenyuan 20 (A.D. 804), with the most likely time being the winter of Zhenyuan 15 (A.D. 799) or slightly thereafter. Not long before then, the students of the Imperial College beseeched the emperor to retain the wise Yang Cheng as prime minister. It was also then that Han Yu went to the capital to convey New Year felicities on behalf of the governor of Xuzhou. He witnessed the government’s high-handed suppression of public opinion and felt deeply saddened that the emperor not only failed to listen to the vox populi, but also failed to retain Yang Cheng. This is most likely why he praised the wise ruler during the Chun-Qiu Period, Zi Chan, as “a model leader.” He mentions Zi Chan’s preserving local schools and respecting elders (both being sources of public opinion), inviting advice, and the evil King Li’s censorship of public opinion in the Zhou dynasty. It is clear that he wrote in order to urge Emperor De to reverse his policy. Han Yu’s purpose was definitely more than the promotion of education. He also meant to admonish the emperor, satirize the succeeding prime minister, venerate the former one, and maybe even commemorate Lu Zhi.