“倭”字音、义再考

A Restudy of the Pronunciation and Meaning of Wo

"倭"是古代汉人对广义的日本人或政治势力的总称,但就其音、义的认识在中日两国之间长期存在争议,近世一些日本人认为"倭"字含有贬义。本文以中日两国古代文献和史籍对"倭"字的记述和使用情况为例,从"倭"的古代读音和字义以及亚洲其他民族的自称词等方面,对"倭"字进行再分析,认为"倭"字是音注字,没有特别的含义,也是当时和后来的日本人在接受这个音注字后普遍乐意使用的一个自称词,类似于今人所说的国号。对"倭"字义的曲解和排斥,乃是江户时代日本民族主义思潮兴起之后一部分人的事情。

Wo is a collective term used by ancient Chinese to refer to the Japanese or their political power in general But for a long time its pronunciation and meaning have been expounded in a controversial way between China and Japan. Even the contemporary Japanese tend to believe that wo is a derogatory word. This essay analyses the word wo and makes an inference based on archives that record the use of this word in Chinese and Japanese documentations and historical books. A study of the original meaning of wo, its pronunciation in ancient times, the formation of Chinese characters, as well as communication psychology of ancient people, all lead to a conclusion that wo is a phonetic notation that the ancient Chinese used to represent the word Japanese and their political power referred to themselves in general, and also what the Japanese accepted as a way to refer to themselves on a broad basis. It was similar to the name of a country and did not carry any derogatory meaning. The misunderstanding and repulsion to the word wo is actually a result of Japanese nationalism during Edo Period.