从成语的“误解误用”看汉语词汇的发展

On the Development of Chinese Vocabulary from the Perspective of “Misusing and Misinterpreting” Idioms

时常见到对某些成语"误解误用"的批评,但"误解误用"的现象有增无减,个中缘由值得深思。通过分析可以发现,除少量确实属于误解误用外,绝大多数所谓"误解误用"的现象都可以作出合理解释:或者是成语原义使用范围的扩大、缩小和转移,这属于词义引申的范畴;或者是对成语原形的"异解另构",这属于同形异构的范畴。无论是词义引申还是同形异构所产生的新词新义新用法,都符合词汇发展演变的正常规律,所以具有不可扼杀的生命力。之所以有人把它们看成"误解误用",是因为把"不符合原义原用法"当成唯一判断标准,缺乏发展演变的眼光和理性分析的思维。

The misuse and misinterpretation of idioms are much criticized, but they are still on the rise, the reason behind which needs to be probed. Our study shows that besides the few true misuses and misinterpretations, most of them are justified, they are either caused by semantic extension by en- larging, shrinking or transferring the scope of the original meaning, or attributed to the structure which itself is ambiguous and gives rise to different interpretations. Both of them fall in with the law of vocabulary development and thus are vigorous. They are seen as misuses and misinterpretations be- cause ＂being true to the original meaning and usage＂ is taken as the only criterion, which is short of development and evolution view as well as rational analysis.