《詩》“碩鼠”訓詁新考

A New Research on Shuoshu(碩鼠)in the Book of Songs

對於《詩·魏風·碩鼠》中“碩鼠”所指爲何種動物,歷代學者觀點不一,一般多以爲指“大鼠”,這是兩千多年來占主導地位的觀點,但也有學者認爲當指“雀鼠、䶂鼠、鼫鼠”或“螻蛄”等動物。本文全面梳理了歷史上的相關觀點,結合現代動物學知識,考證《詩》“碩鼠”的確指:“碩鼠”與具有五技的“鼫鼠”無關,從習性看也不當指“螻蛄”,仍應理解爲“大鼠”。具體所指可能是褐家鼠、社鼠或是東方田鼠。本文還對鼫鼠、鼯鼠和螻蛄等動物的名實關係作了梳理,認爲螻蛄之所以被稱爲“鼫鼠”,當是由於異物同名;具有五技的“鼫鼠”和“鼯鼠”也没有關係,兩者因爲字形相近且都能飛行(滑翔)而常被人混淆。

Scholars in history had different opinions on which animal Shuoshu(碩鼠)in the Book of Songs referred to.While the predominant opinion for almost 2000 years was that Shuoshu(碩鼠)referred to large rats,some still argued that Shuoshu(碩鼠)should be reckoned as Queshu(雀鼠),Jueshu(䶂鼠),Shishu(鼫鼠)or mole cricket.This research attempted to investigate these different opinions in order to make certain which animal Shuoshu(碩鼠)in the Book of Songs actually referred to with modern knowledge of zoology.Shuoshu(碩鼠)had no relation with Shishu(鼫鼠),a kind of rat with five skills,and should not be regarded as mole cricket in terms of animal behaviors.Shuoshu(碩鼠)should still be interpreted as large rats,and to be more specific,it could be Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout,Niviventer confucianus Hodgson or Microtus fortis Buechner.The relations among Shishu(鼫鼠),flying squirrel and mole cricket were also clarified in this research which pointed out that Shishu(鼫鼠),a kind of rat with five skills in classic texts,might be a kind of legendary animal.