药名文学的源流、传承原因及评价

Origin, Reasons for Passing down and Evaluation of Literature of Drug Names

药名文学是古代涉医文学的重要组成部分。它发端于南朝,是魏晋人将药名作为一般语汇使用这一语言现象水到渠成的结果,同时也与当时中药学的进步及形式主义诗风有关。唐宋两代药名文学有三方面的发展。元明清时期则出现了药名创作与叙事文学结合的现象。药名文学之所以能传承千余年而不衰,是因为古代文学家普遍拥有医药知识,并以药名文学的新形式来展示这种知识;此外,中药药名繁多,且具有文化意蕴,也是药名文学长期传承的重要因素。对药名文学,不能因为它有文字游戏的一面而简单地加以否定。

The literature of drug names is an important part of the ancient medical literature. Originating from the Nan Dynasty, the literature of drug names was formed as a result of ancient people's using drug names as common words and was related to the progress of Chinese pharmacology and the poetic style of formalism. The literature of drug names in the Tang and Song Dynasties developed in three aspects. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the creation of the drug names was combined with narration literature. The fact that the literature of drug names have passed down from generation to generation has much to do with the fact that medical knowledge was possessed generally by the ancient litterateurs, who exhibited this knowledge with the literature of drug names. Another factor for the passing down of the literature of drug names is the numerous names of Chinese drugs with cultural implications. We should not repudiate the literature of drug names simply because it somewhat resembles paronomasia.