政治是先秦諸子關懷的一塊重要區域，先秦諸子對理想的人君之資格及典範常有論述。本文認為戰國中晚期，中土最重要的人君圖像當是堯舜與黃帝，堯舜是孔子以下，儒家一貫支持的人君形象，黃帝則是戰國黃老學派特別標舉出來的理想人君。本文利用三十多年來新出土的文獻，指出儒家特重堯舜，乃在人倫典範與禪讓政治兩個層面。黃老學派特別標舉黃帝，其目的在於天子的壟斷「通天」資格，以及執行刑德的能力。而刑之大者，莫過於戰爭。本文的結論指出堯舜代表道德政治，黃帝則代表權力政治，兩者的形象皆從原始的神話論述轉化而成。本文也指出黃老學派的性格實以黃帝為主，這是一種適應戰國時局的積極政治哲學。

Politics is one of the main discourses in pre-Chin philosophical schools. Philosophers of defferen schools thematized the criteria of different effective Kingship and constructed various models of the ideal ruler. This paper holds that the most important image of kingship are Yao-Shun and Yellow emperor in pre-chin China. Since Confucius, Yao-Shun have been constantly regarded as the unique ideal rulers. Nevertheless, Yellow emperor gradually emerged as an increasingly important character in middle warring states period. This paper uses some new materials of excavation in mainland China to explore the meaning of these two images of ruler. The main features of Yao-Shun were their status of ethical paradigm in Confucian tradition, as well as their insistence on the policy of shangrang transmission as the only legal method of government; both built up the ideal Confucian politics. In contrast, the significance of the image of Yellow emperor was his salient characteristics of empathy with Heaven, and the unique capacity of practicing the cycle of peace and violence. War is unprecedently regarded as one of the inevitable laws of nature. In conclusion, this paper holds that Yao-Shun stand for the moral politics whereas Yellow emperor embodies the power politics. These two figures evolved form mythical thankings, Yao being transformed from heavenly God of sun, Yellow emperor form combinations of heavenly and earthly God. The image of Yellow emperor was later adopted by one branch of Taoism and was combined with Lao Tzu to form the so-called Yellow emperor-Lao Tzu Taoism. This paper also discussed why the Yellow emperor-Lao Tzu School could be regarded as a positive philosophy of politics.