说“道”

On Dao(道)

文章用现代语言学的研究方法,分析"道"的词义从"路"到"说"的演变过程。在"道"的使用频率基础上,得出两个结论。一是"道"的词义演变是一个缓慢的过程。有"说"义的"道"在先秦的主导用法是与"言"等名词合用,秦汉以后才脱离"言"单独使用。二是根据现代语言学理论对词性转换的认识。文章穷尽分析"道"的动词用法,指出具体的"道"(路义)和抽象的"道"(方法、规律义)都可以用作名-动转换的名词词根,由此衍生出"道"为"推崇"的动词义项。现有辞书、文献把先秦句子中的"道"理解为"说"的,大多都可以诠释为与"推崇"有关的词义。

This paper argues two main points. First, the development of the meaning of the character dao （道） from ROAD to SAY is a slow process. In pre-Qin documents, dao（道）＂say＂ is predominantly used in conjunction with nominal expressions such as yah ＂word＂. Second, based on an exhaustive analysis of the verbal use of dao（道）in classical texts, we argue that both the concrete dao（道）＂road＂ and the abstract dao（道）＂method＂ serve as root to noun-verb conversion, giving rise to meanings such as lead/follow, dredge （rivers）, praise, and act righteous.