“汉字学三平面理论”申论

Graphic Shape,Constitution and Function:On the Theory of Three Planes of the Science of Chinese Characters by a Synthetic Account

汉字"形音义三要素"说将语言的"音义"拉入汉字学,范围太宽;认为"文字学本来就是字形学",又失之片面。汉字本体应该具有形体、结构、职用三方面的属性,分别从这三个角度考察研究汉字现象和有关问题,可以形成汉字形体学、汉字结构学、汉字职用学三个系统。这三个系统不是并列的,也不是层叠的,而是汉字本体分立却不分离的三个平面,从三个维度共同构成三面一体的汉字学。我们把这种以汉字三维属性为依据而建立的学术体系称为"汉字学三平面理论"。"汉字学三平面理论"把单个汉字的属性分析跟学科体系的平面建设统一起来,主张把汉字材料的分析和各种具体问题的讨论分别放到相应平面的学术系统中进行,避免把不同平面的东西搅和到一个平面而引起种种争议,较好地解决了汉字研究的本体范畴、汉字史发展的多线呈现、史前文字与有史文字的关系、汉字与其他文字的比较等难题,大大提高了汉字学基础知识的解释力,具有重要的理论意义;同时对疑难字词考释、字典编撰修订、汉字教学规范、古籍整理、非汉字研究等具有指导价值,应用前景广泛。

The widely accepted understanding that a Chinese character has three factors,i.e.,form,sound and meaning,took sound and meaning into the account of Chinese Graphology;this has too broad a scope.On the other hand,the view that＂Chinese Graphology is in essence the study of the graphic shape＂is too narrow.For my observation,Chinese characters have three properties of their own：shape,constitution and function.To start from here may in necessity attain three branches of it,that is,the study of Chinese graphic shape,the study of Chinese graphic constitution and the study of Chinese graphic function,each forming a system of its own.These three systems do not stand in parallel,nor in layer,but three independent but not severed planes of the noumenon of Chinese Character.In other words,they constitute what the Chinese Graphology should concern.This may be termed ＂the Three-Plane Theory of Chinese Graphology＂.A dozen years of research of ours have proved that this theory,and the study of Chinese graphic function in particular,has both important theoretical and widereaching practical values.