老子不是老聃而是老阳

Lao Zi was not Lao Dan but Lao Yang——The Second Study on Lao Zi

尽管长期以来大多数人都认为老聃就是老子,有人认为与李耳是同一个人,也有人认为不是,但事实上却存在颇多疑问。其实,如果对司马迁的记载和各种古代文献中的引述详加辨析,我们便可以发现,老子并不是老聃,而是老阳,很可能只是因为字形相混而传讹。

Although most people have held, for a long time, the idea that Lao Dan is Lao Zi, some people still insist that Lao Dan and Liér are the same person, while others holding the opposite opinion. Actually, many puzzles exist on this issue. If we cite in detail the recordings on Sima Qian and the explanations on various kinds of ancient documents, we may find out that Lao Zi is not Lao Dan but Lao Yang. This confusion might be caused by the fact that the frames of the two Chinese characters are alike.