释表鸟名的“猩猩(狌狌、生生)”——兼谈佛源外来词的词义演变

On the Bird Name "Sheng Sheng (猩猩,狌狌 and生生)″:Semantic Changes of Loanwords with Buddhist Origin

在汉译佛经中,"猩猩"表示一种人首、能言的鸟,其语源为梵文"Jivam-jivaka",又可译作"命命""共命(鸟)"等;表该义的"猩猩"词形多样,写本、刻本或碑刻中又作"狌狌""生生"""等。而在中土,汉语固有词"猩猩(狌狌、生生)"则是指一种人面、能言、因酒丧身的兽。由于两者具有某些完全相同的词形"猩猩(狌狌、生生)",在语义上也有"人面、能言"等共同的语义因素,引发人们的联想和混淆,将表兽名的"生生"的语义特征"因酒丧身"移植到了表鸟名的"生生"之中,最终合璧为汉化佛词"生生",表示"一种因酒丧身的鸟"。"生生"词义的演变反映了某些佛源外来词受到词形相同、语义相近等因素的影响,移植了与之相关的汉语固有词语的义素,从而呈现出汉化与合璧的特点。

Driven by the introduction and popularity of Buddhism,agreat number of Buddhist scriptures have been translated into Chinese since the Eastern Han Dynasty.Those translations,with strong colloquial characteristics,are the products of language contact and possess some features that differ from the traditional Chinese literature.Therefore,Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures are significant materials for studying language contact and the ancient Chinese used from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty.For the past few years,the language of Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures has been a hot academic topic in the studies of history of Chinese language.Its semantic changes,particular use of words and the interior system behind it are especially favoured by scholars.In some dictionaries for Buddhist scriptures,such as Xuan Ying Yin Yi (《玄应音义》)and Hui Lin Yin Yi (《慧琳音义》),there are records of a bird called″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″,which has a″human head″and has″the ability to speak″.The meaning of the bird name″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″is totally different from that of the mammal name″Sheng Sheng (猩 猩,which means the orangutan)″commonly used in Chinese.Through investigation,it is found that the bird name″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″is recorded in Buddhist scriptures like Fo Shuo Hua Shou Jing(《佛说华手经》),Shi Song Lü (《十诵律》)and Chu Yao Jing (《出曜经》).Different translations of the same word in Buddhist scriptures provide clues for exploring the exact meaning of the bird name″Sheng Sheng″ (猩猩)and its origin.In the Buddhist scriptures like Fo Shuo Bodhisattva Xing Fang Bian Jing Jie Shen Tong Bian Hua Jing (《佛说菩萨行方便境界神通变 化 经》),Fang Guang Da Zhuang Yan Jing (《方广大庄严经》)and Da Tang Xi Yu Ji (《大唐西域记》),″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″is also translated as″ming ming (命命)″,″gong ming (共命)″and″gong ming bird(共命鸟)″.All those words are loanwords from the Sanskrit word″Jivam-jivaka″.In scripts,engravings and stele inscriptions of different ages,the bird name″ShengSheng(猩猩)″is also written as″Sheng Sheng (狌狌)″,″Sheng Sheng (生生)″,or″Sheng Sheng ()″,among which″Sheng Sheng (生 生 )″was perhaps the first loan translation adopted by Buddhist translators.As″Sheng Sheng (生 生 )″represents a bird,the Chinese character component″鸟″which means a bird was added to″生″to create the new word″ ″.In no later than the Tang Dynasty,″Sheng Sheng (生生)″,and″Sheng Sheng ( )″were copied and printed as″Sheng Sheng (狌狌)″or″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″because they shared the same pronunciation.There is a bird name″Sheng Shengbird(生生鸟)″in Dunhuang documents which refers to a kind of bird that have been caught because of drinking.Among the native vocabulary of Chinese,the mammal name″Sheng Sheng (猩猩 or the orangutan)″can also be written as″Sheng Sheng(生生)″or″Sheng Sheng (狌狌)″.In no later than the Han Dynasty,the word″Sheng Sheng (猩猩)″in Chinese culture has been given the characteristics of″being addicted to alcohol and thus being captured″. As they have the identical pronunciation and writing and share the characteristics of″the ability to speak″and″a human head″,the bird name″Sheng Sheng (猩猩,狌狌 and生生)″in Buddhist scriptures and the mammal name″Sheng Sheng (猩猩,狌狌 and生生)″in Chinese language mixed their meanings to form the word″Sheng Sheng bird″(生生鸟)that means″a bird caught after drinking″.This special word,as a combination of Sanskrit and Chinese in semantics,can be regarded as a compound word of Sanskrit and Chinese at the semantic level.Its emergence embodies the Sinicization of the Buddhist words,that is,the Buddhist words with the Sanskrit origin transplant the semantic elements of some Chinese words and show a trend of Sinicization in semantic changes under the influence of Chinese culture and Chinese vocabulary.The internal mechanism for the emergence of such special words is that certain foreign words and Chinese words have the same pronunciation and writing.Those special words are typical materials for us to study the semantic changes of foreign words and their internal laws,and the cultural exchange and contact between Chinese and foreign languages.