本論文主要關注魏晉南北朝之際，俠在身分與行為上，經歷何種轉變。有鑑於《魏略・勇俠傳》後，中國歷史上幾無為俠立傳之史書，使得前人對於俠之研究大多集中於先秦兩漢，又或唐傳奇以後經文人潤色，充滿神異色彩的俠文學作品，魏晉南北朝俠之真實樣貌反倒成為旁落的主題。 六朝時，「俠」字所指涉的語意，以及俠的活動方式，正經歷輻射的過程，相比於兩漢，來得更加多樣化。過往《史記》、《漢書》雖因立場之別，導致馬、班二人對游俠褒貶不一，然兩漢游俠大多以廣交四海、不分親疏賑濟百性、行事作風剽悍等特性聞名，並且多數活躍於鄉野之間，與百姓互動密切。六朝之俠則難以據以上原則判別，雖可供參考的史料相對稀少，仍可推敲出具有依附豪強、投奔軍伍等特性。在政權快速轉換的時期，漢人族群內部，以及胡漢之間的衝突擴大，從而導致戰爭不斷，軍閥的部曲當中，便不乏俠的蹤跡。各類俠雖未必如兩漢游俠般，有具體的姓名或事蹟傳世，但以軍人、地方豪強之部曲、塢堡主等身分穿插出現，形成另類的特色。甚至俠不僅作為一種身分使用，更是不分士庶，年少輕狂時期的行為寫照，不盡然具有強烈的民間性。 有鑑於以上特質，俠往往不受政府所青睞，甚至被統治者視之為寇讎。加上在六朝士族掌權的社會，行事乖張且粗暴了私怨的任俠風氣，並非社會上主流，此可能是俠在史書中逐漸銷聲匿跡的主因。俠在六朝歷史中看似並不活躍，實則不然。此時期雖未有俠風熾盛之說，但俠對於社會風氣、戰爭卻有不可忽視的影響。本論文借助史書原典、詩、文、二手文獻，聚焦在真實出現於歷史上之俠，以及與俠相關之人物，對六朝之俠進行一全面性剖析。;This thesis primarily examines the transformation of the identity and behavior of Xia（俠）during Six Dynasties（Wei， Jin， and Northern and Southern Dynasties）（六朝，即魏晉南北朝）. Since the ‘Gallant Xia’ in “Wei Lue”（《魏略・勇俠傳》）， there have been virtually no historical works in China that provide dedicated biographies of Xia. Therefore， previous scholarship has largely concentrated on Pre-Qin（先秦）and Han（漢）periods， or on the mythologized literary depictions from Tang dynasty（唐）——which embellished and imbued with fantastical elements by literati. In contrast， the historical reality of Xia during Six Dynasties has been relatively marginalized.
Xia of Six Dynasties occupied a crucial transitional phase， exhibiting an image distinct from their predecessors. While the authors of Shiji（《史記》）and Hanshu（《漢書》）held differing perspectives on You Xia（itinerant knights）（游俠）——leading to a mixture of praise and censure.Xia of Han period were generally characterized by their extensive social networks， offering aid to people regardless of personal ties， and displaying bold， even violent behavior. They were predominantly active in rural society， and maintaining close interactions with common populace. In contrast， despite the historical evidence is relatively sparse， Xia of Six Dynasties displayed a marked tendency toward affiliating with powerful local magnates or enlisting in military ranks. During this era of rapid dynastic turnover， intensifying conflicts， both within Han nationality and non-Han ethnicities resulted in incessant warfare. Within the retinues of warlords， people can discern the presence of Xia. While they may lack of identifiable names or individual biographies in records， they emerged in the historical record as soldiers， retainers of local power-holders， and lords of fortified manors， thus forming a distinct pattern. Moreover， Xia during this period were not merely a social category. They could also represent a phase of youthful defiance across both elite and civilian. On the other hand， compared with You Xia in Han dynasty， they might lack the strong grassroots orientation.
Given that Xia embodied both righteous and unrighteous traits， they were frequently viewed unfavorably by state authorities and even regarded as adversaries. Furthermore， the social atmosphere was dominated by aristocratic clans， the ethos of Xia might be relegated to the periphery， which likely accounts for its relative disappearance from formal historiography records. Despite in the absence of flourishing Xia traditional culture， they exerted an undeniable influence on social norms and nature of warfare. By synthesizing official historical sources， poetry， prose and secondary sources， this thesis concentrated on historical records that documented Xia and related figures， aiming to provided a comprehensive analysis of the historical Xia in Six Dynasties.
