甲骨文“小”“少”释疑

Interpret on "shao"(少) and" xiao"(小) of the Inscriptions on Bones or Tortoise Shells

甲骨文“少”、“小”是否同字 ,争议较大。考察所有用例 ,是解决问题的关键。“少”、“小”不是异体字 ,是一组同源字 (词 ) ,“少”是由“小”派生出来的 ,它一方面继承了“小”的所有义位 ,一方面也发展出“小”

Whether the word 'shao'(少)and the 'xiao'(小)of the Inscriptions on Bones or Tortoise Shells are the same word, today this problem is still suspended. Investigating all the instances is the very key to solve the problems. In fact, 'shao'and 'xiao'arent the variants, however, are words from the same source: 'shao' is derived from 'xiao'--on one hand, 'shao' has inherited all the meanings from 'xiao'; on the other hand,'shao' has developed some new meanings which'xiao' hasnt.