“蹈其背以出血”中“蹈”字注释辨析

The Annotation of the Word “Dao” in the Sentence “Daohis back to make Haemorrhage”

《汉书·苏武传》中有一个颇受训诂学关注的句子:"蹈其背以出血。"其中,关于"蹈"字的解释争议颇多。人教版中学语文课本释为"蹈"之本义即"踩";杨树达先生则释之为"搯",即"用手轻轻拍打背部";郭在贻先生解释为"刮痧"。各家说法均有其独到之处,又略显不足。从字的本义出发,结合历史事实,方能对"蹈"字的释义有一个明晰的认识。

In The Biography of Su wu inHan Shu(History of the Former Han Dynasty),there is a sentence which has been paid much attention to by exegetics:it is"Dao his back to make Haemorrhage."The interpretation of the word"dao"is controversial.In the Chinese language textbook for middle schools released by People’s Education Press,it is interpreted as the original meaning of"dao",namely"stepping on";Mr.Yang Shuda interpreted it as"gently patting the back with his hands";Mr.Guo Zaiyi interpreted it as"scraping".Each interpretation has its own originality,but slightly inadequate.Only by tarting from the original meaning of the word and combining historical facts,canwe have a clear understanding of the interpretation of the word"dao".