钲、铙异同的文献学考察

Review on Cheng-ku and Cymbal by Philology

考古学界对钲、铙的名称与区别问题一直颇有争议。从文献典籍的相关记载来考察,钲与铙在外形上虽然很接近,但并非同物异名。它们的区别主要是在用途上,铙用于止鼓,起到指挥退军的作用;钲的作用是与鼓配合,使鼓声断而有节、断而有续,以达到指挥布阵或作战的目的。

There has been a long debate on the lexical relationship between the two words Cheng - ku and cymbal in Chinese archaeological circles. Cheng- ku and cymbal are not the same thing with different names by studying their similarities and differences in Chinese classic, though there are many similarities in their shape. The differences of them are given in the paper that Cheng- ku was used to stop the drum as signals for army retreating, while cymbal was used to cooperate with drums and make the sounds of drum rhythmic in order to command the army.