“颂”本义新探

New research on the original meaning of “Song(颂)”

"雅颂"之"颂"是中国古代文学中一个重要概念。根据《说文解字》及其他材料可知,"颂"字本义是"容貌",后来才假借表"雅颂""歌颂"之"颂"。"雅颂"之"颂"在先秦的本字是"讼",它才是探究本义的关键所在。"讼"在《说文解字》中的两个义项为"争"与"讼"(歌颂),它们分别引申自早期的"刑狱之讼"与"祭祀之讼",而这两个早期义项表现的都是"将大事激动地告于上级及众人"的语言行为,由言语内容、言语方式及言语接受者三方面语言要素可以证明这一共同点,而这正是"讼"字最初始的本义。"讼"的相关同源词("公"组词)在含义上有旺盛(即兴旺繁盛的体性特质),纷动(即不平静的内在态势),迸发(即迸升而高、散发而广的外在趋向)的词义特征,这正与"讼"的最初始本义相契合,具体则体现为此处三类词义特征与上述三方面言语要素的对应,以此可辅证之前对"讼"本义的猜想。在后世,讼的"颂(讼)诗""颂(讼)扬"义逐渐由原表"容貌"义的"颂"字假借表示,以至最终"颂"被当成了表示两义的本字,而这又导致了学者在解释"颂(讼)诗"时常联系"容貌""形容"进行发挥,形成了以"容"释"颂(讼)诗"的错误思路。

“Song（颂）” is an important concept in Chinese ancient literature. According to Shuowenjiezi and other materials, it could be known that originally, “Song” meant “looks,” and later it presented the meaning of “eulogizing” by rebus ways of hymns and eulogies. In pre-Qin period, ＂eulogizing” in hymns is presented by “Song（讼）,” and in Shuowenjiezi, it has such two original meanings as “dispute” （debate, litigation） and ＂sing praise of＂ （in pre-Qin period it refers to “Feng””Ya””Song” in Books of Songs）. These two derived respectively from “litigation（狱讼）” and “eulogizing（ 讼）.” And their original manifestations both refer to the linguistic behavior of “disclosing important things to the superior or populace,” which can be proven by such three language elements as the content, form and recipient of the parole. And here lies the original meaning of “Song.” Relevant paronyms to “Song（讼）” have such semantic features as “vigorous” which refers to its physical feature, “restless” which means its intrinsic state, and “spurting” which is extrinsic tendency. All these happen to match the original meanings of “Song.” Specifically, these three semantic features match the above three elements of parole, which can further testify the previous guess of the original meaning of “Song.” In later ages, “Song（讼）” in odes and eulogy has been gradually represented by “Song（颂）” in “looks（容貌）,” so much so that “Song（颂）” is finally taken as the original word with both meanings, which often cause scholars to associate “looks（容貌）” and “description（形容）” when explaining eulogistic poetry or “poetry of Song（颂）”, hence forming the wrong thought of interpreting “eulogy” with “looks.”