“晨举脂烛”解诂

Gloss and Emendation on “Holding Candles at Dawn”

描述武王克商的"晨举脂烛"一语多次出现在典籍中,而现代辞书对"晨"的解释基本统一为日出前后天色已明的一段时间,此时仍"举脂烛"作战实在令人费解。经过考证,"晨"在古汉语中的时段是凌晨3-5点,天仍未亮,因此才会出现"晨举脂烛"作战一说。

The phrase ＂holding candles at dawn＂ appeared many times in the ancient books when describing King Wu＇s fights with King Shang. However, in different modern dictionaries and works, ＂dawn＂ is always explained as the time around sunrise when the sky is already wide bright. It is strange to ＂hold candles to fight enemy at the sunrise＂. By analyzing historical documents, it is found that the time of ＂dawn＂ refers to the early morning around 3-5 o＇clock. Thus, ＂holding candles at dawn＂ holds water.