从考古学角度看“鼎”字的本义

On the Original Meaning of the Character“Ding”from an Archaeological Perspective

对于甲骨文“鼎”字的本义,学界大都从训诂及甲骨文献角度对其进行阐释。“鼎”字是象形字,有相应的器物可参照,因此应用考古学角度研究器物功用及发展,并将其与“鼎”字相对应,可以得出较为准确的结论。甲骨文“鼎”字字形■分别依据方鼎及扁足圆鼎所造,此二字的本义亦与其所依据器物用途相关。■字与祭祀相关,而■字本义则是指实用器中的鼎。■二字的发展演变亦与器物鼎的发展演变紧密联系。

There is a significant controversy in the academic community regarding the original meaning of the word“ding”.But most of them are interpreted from the perspectives of exegesis and oracle bone literature.The Ding character is a pictographic character with corresponding artifacts to refer to.Therefore,the application of archaeological typology to study the function and development of artifacts corresponds to the type and evolution of the“Ding”character.A more accurate conclusion can be drawn.The two common“Ding”character shapes‘■’and‘■’in oracle bone inscriptions are respectively based on square Ding and flat foot round Ding,and the original meaning of these two characters is also related to the purpose of the objects they are based on.The word‘■’is related to sacrificial offerings,while the original meaning of the word‘■’refers to the tripod in practical utensils.The development and evolution of the characters‘■’and‘■’are also closely related to the development and evolution of the utensil tripod.