论汉字分化中的母字归属机制——对王凤阳先生“常用占简”理论的反思

On the Graphic Attribution Mechanism in the Differentiation of Chinese Characters:A Reflection on the Frequency Determinism of Mr.Wang Fengyang

王凤阳先生曾基于词频统计指出,汉字分化过程中词频决定母字归属,使用率高的词占据母字,使用率低的词则另造新字(即"常用占简")。本文认为其词频统计及相关理论值得商榷。汉字分化中的母字归属总体上受形义统一规律的制约,具体表现为词义性质、字形理据透明度和汉字义符类化情况等因素的影响。词频虽然发挥作用,但其作用方式非"常用占简",而是常用凸显和分化。"常用占简"理论模糊和夸大了"简易律"的作用范围,忽视了汉字形义统一的表意性追求,有必要重新检讨。

In the book of Hanzixu(《汉字学》),Wang Fengyang points out that in the process of differentiation of Chinese characters,word frequency(or sense frequency)is the determine power of graphic attribution,the high-frequency sense should occupy the matrigraph(母字),and the lower one will be kicked out to make a new form.In this essay, we argue that Wang's sense frequency counting is defective,and his conclusion is unauthentic.Actually,the unity of form and meaning(形义统一)plays a dominant part in this problem,which specifically including the nature of the world,the transparency of grapheme motive,and the categorization state of semantographic symbols.