An explanation of the graphs yu, du and di in chu bamboo manuscripts: With an excursion on the related issues in paleography and historical linguistics
释楚简中的儥、䢱、觌: 兼及古文字学和古音学的相关问题
Guolong Lai 来国龙

Abstract 摘要
This paper calls for a more rigorous methodology in the studies of paleography and excavated manuscripts and for a closer marriage between paleography and historical linguistics. I use one example (the case of the decipherment of the graph yu, “to sell,” in Chu manuscripts) to illustrate the limits of the current methods and how a more rigorous method—including the application of the new development in Old Chinese phonology—can help paleographers to do better in their interpretation of excavated texts and to better understand language and graphic changes. I also use this example to argue that the mistake the scribes made in the manuscripts could be used as evidence for sound change in early China.

本文通过考释战国楚简从“𡍬”得声的儥、䢱、觌等字，讨论古文字考释的方法论问题。古文字研究，尤其是出土简帛研究，应当在方法上更严谨，密切注意文字、文献的时空背景，结合历史语言学研究的新成果，以现代语文学的方法，分析、解释文字的“讹误”及演变。本文对战国楚简疑难字“儥”字字形之所以写成从人从𡴎从贝，尤其是何以从“𡴎”，提出两种可能的解释：一，儥字所从的“𡴎”是因为儥字的声符“六”被写成像“𠂤”的字形，以致误“𡴆”为“𡴎”；另一种可能是，“𡴎”是“𡉣”字的同音替代字，而“𡉣”字是由儥字的声符“坴”讹变而来。这两种情况都可能反映了当时由于读音改变而造成的字形变化。最后，本文强调，古文字研究在用通假解释文字关系时，应该注意通假字的共时性。

Subject Keywords 关键词

yu (“to sell”) du and di 儥、䢱、觌 “Graphic alteration” and phonetic change “形讹”与音变“Graphic borrowing based on rough phonetic similarity”“音近通假” Synchrony of loan graphs 通假字的共时性

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