“尔所”“尔许”探源

Probing into the Sources of Ersuo(尔所) and Erxu(尔许)

东汉以来先后出现的"尔所"与"尔许"是数量指示词,"尔所""尔许"并非来源于汉译佛经的"是所",也不是由"尔"后附"所/许"构成的。"尔许""尔所"的源形式是"X所/许"数量表达式,其中的"尔"来自具有性状指示功能的"尔"。由"X所/许"数量表达式变化为数量指示词"尔许""尔所",是基于"X所/许"结构式的数量表达变化为数量的指示,"所/许"也由"X所/许"数量表达式内的约量助词变化为指示词"尔所""尔许"的后附性词内成分。"尔所""尔许"部分存留了来源形式的意义,并形成了新的功能。

The numeral demonstratives ersuo( 尔 所) and erxu( 尔 许) came into being around and after East Han period, which were formed neither from shisuo(是所) in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures nor by the synchronic combination of er(尔) and suo/xu(所 / 许). The source construction of ersuo and erxu were X+suo/xu(X+所 / 许)denoting quantity, in which xu came from a trait demonstrative in the same form. This change involved a category shift from quantity expression to quantity deixis, during which the former approximate quantity particle suo/xu was grammaticalized into an internal component of the lexical items ersuo and erxu. The original features lingered in later forms served as a basis deriving new meaning and function.