“鬯”字两系说

A hypothesis on the two types of chang鬯

战国简中原误释为“凶”或“悤”的一个字形,现据清华简等新材料来看皆应释为“鬯”。这类写法的“鬯”上部均有“匕”或其变体作为构形部件,会用匕盛酒或酿酒之意。此系的“鬯”字起源于武丁时期的历组、宾组卜辞,与甲骨文中标准写法的“鬯”在构字理据上有着显著区别,或属两种不同的构形与演进系列。

According to new materials such as the Qinghua bamboo slips,a grapheme which used to be taken as xiong凶or cong悤should actually be interpreted as chang鬯.In the formation of this character,there is a bi匕(ladle)or its variant in the upper part which means to use a ladle to transfer or stir wine.This written variant of chang鬯originated from inscriptions of the Li历group and Bin宾group produced during the Wuding武丁period.It is different from the standard writing of chang鬯as attested in Oracle Bone Inscriptions.They either have distinctive motivation of formation,represent different types of formation,or have underwent different paths of development in history.