大熊猫古名研究

ANNOTATION ON THE OLD CHINESE NAME OF GIANT PANDA

有关在中国古籍中是否曾出现过对大熊猫的某种谓称问题, 以往曾有"騶虞"说、"貘"说、"貔貅"说, 等等, 认为"騶虞"和"貘"的说法不足采信, 对于"貔貅"说, 作者通过考证, 提出清代以前的"貔貅"并非指大熊猫, 而清初《译峨籁》一书中谓称之"貔貅"实为该书作者转述峨眉山人所称"皮裘"的借音而转义, 即使是指大熊猫, 也只是在一相对极其狭小的历史时空范围之内可供援引; 另一方面, 并不排斥在中国历史上某个时期, 曾一度出现过对大熊猫相对准确的记载和描述, 而这一点有待于更多的考证与发掘。

hused to be thought that ＂Zou-yu＂ （＂貔貅＂）, ＂Mo＂ （ ＂貔＂）, and ＂Pi-xiu＂ （ ＂貔貅＂ ） appeared in ancient and old Chinese documentations are to represent the old Chinese name of the Giant Panda. Nevertheless, when looking very carefully at the context of those ancient and old Chinese books, files, and documents, and checking the meanings of those characters and words described in dictionaries, from those very old ones of the pre-Qin dynasties to the ones in modem age, it might reach to such a conclusion that those characters and words are hardly to be evidentially qualified or identified representing either the current Giant Panda or the old Chinese name of Giant Panda. Furthermore, we also found out that though in a relatively rather poorly known book, tided ＂Yi-e-lai＂ （《译峨籁》） and issued in early Qing Dynasty before 1663, the description of the animal called ＂Pi-xin＂ （ ＂貔貅 ＂ ） sounds somewhat like the Giant Panda, however, according to the author of the book, Hu Shi-an, that that is the use of an old and elegant - sounded name ＂Pi-xlu＂ （ ＂貔貅＂ ） of an hearsay animal onto the animal ＂Pi-qiu＂ （ ＂皮裘＂ ） as so - called among those local people in E＇ meishan （Mt. E＇ mei ） in that age. Whereas, it is still hopefully predictable that in the long Chinese history there might be some much more reliable records and descriptions of the Giant Panda, which would depend on further new findings to be revealed in the field of Chinese archaeology in future.