突破汉字固有表达的重围——从《古事记》序文说起

Breaking the Inherent Expression of Chinese Characters——From the Preface of“Kojiki”

《古事记》的编纂工作,从技术层面上讲,从一开始就面临着如何使用汉字对口传文学进行笔录这一十分棘手的问题。如果完全餮用大陆文明的结晶汉字所带来的便利,凝聚着大和民族灵魂的口传文学势必因采用不当的笔录形式而丧失殆尽。面对洪水般汉字的围困,日本古代的文化精英们展开了殊死的突围。

Using Chinese characters to record Japanese oral literature has presented a very difficult technical problem since the start of compiling the Kojiki It would have been quite convenient if using Chinese characters entirely, while at the same time, it might also have led to the loss of the true oral literature which represented the soul of Yamato. Confronted with this serious issue surrounding the use of Chinese characters, the cultural elites of ancient Japan started a desperate breakout to safeguard the soul of Yamato.