作為一種俗文學，變文以庶民為巿場需求主力，在國土分裂、皇權衰微的時代，是否應反映庶民的集體意識，而這種庶民意識與文人創作中之所見，是否有所異同，是本文想要探討的問題。本文採共時性研究，以亂世、戰爭之背景的變文為主要討論範圍，藉由英雄人物的人格形象分析及國君形象的變異現象，解釋敦煌變文中所見之亂世庶民意識。敦煌變中文的楚漢相爭，劉邦、項羽所爭者乃個人霸業，是英雄實踐個人雄渾生命目標的時代；取材自《史記》的人物，如伍子胥、王陵、季布、李陵，多為個人英雄的形象，或銜君之命而馳騁，或隱忍以再造個人命運，經常在「上報國家」的意識型態中掙扎扭曲。張義潮、張淮深二人的功績，繼承文經武略的英雄傳統，同時出現群體英雄的現象，二張叔侄及歸義軍，象徵英雄滙聚力量，同氣連枝，具有共同目標，獻十六州歸順大唐，其功業符合「上報國家，下安黎庶」、「保境安民」的期望，亂世中，唯有匯聚廣大的力量，才可能期待平亂安定的生活，與《三國演義》桃園三結義、兄弟同心、奉漢正統，及《水滸傳》梁山聚義、接受招安的英雄形象相類，而時代更早，是文學中出現集體英雄的開始。國君多重的化形象，不論是褊燥器狹、耽逸宴樂、貪好美色或是五行法術、仙道果報，國君與英雄豪傑的形象對立激化，瓦解君臣知遇之合的可能，成為威逼的惡力，解構深層結構中的和諧對稱，也化人們心目中的朝廷威望與國家尊嚴，這是敦煌變文中流露的亂世哀音。

As a kind of folk literature, Bianwen (transformation text) was aiming at common people as the target group. This paper explores whether Bianwen should reflect the collective consciousness of common people and whether the subaltern consciousness was different from the literary creation during the period of territorial fragmentation and declined imperial power. Using a synchronic approach, the paper mainly discusses Bianwen against the backdrop of turbulent times and war through analyzing personality images of heroes and the image variation of monarchs, in order to explain the subaltern consciousness during the turbulent times seen in Dunhuang Bianwen. The Chu-Han Contention was recorded in Dunhuang Bianwen. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought for their respective individual hegemony at a time when heroes practiced and pursued their own ambitious life goals. The content described the famous figures recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, for example, Wu Zixu, Wang Ling, Ji Bu, and Li Ling were all depicted as heroes who on their emperors’ orders fought or forbore to reconstruct their destinies, frequently struggling in their ideology of “serving the motherland”. In the late Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen with great military achievements inherited heroic traditions with both civil and military capabilities. In the meantime, a group of heroes arose. Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen, who were related to each other as uncle and nephew, pledged allegiance to the righteous army, symbolizing that heroes gathered and strived for the same goal of contributing to the Sixteen Prefectures and paying allegiance to the Tang Dynasty. Their contribution and achievements met the expectation of “serving the motherland and stabilizing the condition of the common people” and “defending people’s homes and bringing peace”. During turbulent times, only through united, could people desire to suppress rebellions and achieving stable lives. The images of characters depicted in Bianwen were quite similar to the Trio Brothers of the Peach Garden, who unite in a concentrated effort to revive the Han Dynasty in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the Liangshan Heroes, who unite to rebel but finally accept amnesty and service the imperial court in Water Margin. However, the characters described in Bianwen appeared in earlier eras, which was the beginning of collective heroes in literature. The multiple images of monarchs, including narrow-mindedness, hedonism, salaciousness, or indulgence in Taoist magic arts and regimen, were completely opposite the heroes’ character images, further disorganizing the potential appreciative and cooperative relationship between the ruler and his subjects. The monarch came to be depicted as a bullying aristocrat, wielding vicious power. Dunhuang Bianwen deconstructed the harmony and symmetry in deep structures as well as alienated the imperial prestige and national dignity among the common people, which was like a dirge in the turbulent times.