"白兔捣药虾蟆丸"含义辨析

Analysis on the meaning of "White rabbits pounding herbs and toads pilling"

汉乐府诗中有"白兔捣药虾蟆丸"的记载,汉代画像亦有相应的图像表现,以往有学者认为白兔所捣之药是以蟾蜍或蟾酥为原料的"虾蟆丸"。然而,通过对文献、图像及出土实物的分析显示,"白兔捣药虾蟆丸"的含义是虾蟆与白兔共同捣不死之药,揉制成丸,其中的"丸"并非名词,而是动词。虾蟆和白兔一样,都是动作的实施者,而非入药的原料。

The poem "white rabbits pounding herbs and toads pilling" was recorded in Han Yuefu(Folk) poetry,and the corresponding images were also appeared on the pictorial stones of the Han Dynasty.Some scholars held the opinion that the herbs the white rabbits pounded was "toad pills",and the "pill" was made of toad venom or the other components of toads.By analyzing literature,the images and unearthed objects,this paper concludes that the meaning of "white rabbits pounding herbs and toads pilling" is that white rabbits and toads work together to make the elixir pills.The word "pill" in the poem is a verb rather than a noun.Toads,like white rabbits,are the agent of actions.They are not the raw materials for elixir pills.