逻:用于表示以自然天险为边境的界碑--《大唐西域记》汉译地名研究札记

Luo:Boundary Marker with Natural Barrier as the Border--Reading Notes on the Research of Chinese Place-Names’Translation in Buddhist Records of the Western World in the Tang Dynasty

《大唐西域记》汉译地名出现的逻字,一方面是西域语的音译,具有标音作用;另一方面,又包含意译因素,表示名称所指对象,处于自然天险的边缘,以高山大川等作为边界。这类名称涉及作为边界的西域邦国、城邑、山水,集中分布在南亚次大陆北端,以古代北印度、覩货逻故地居多。作为邦国、城邑、山水、边境的天险有葱岭、印度河、喜马拉雅山等,都是高山巨川。书中的逻字暗含边缘、遮拦两种意义,在词语义项演变链条中处于重要环节。

The Chinese place-name’s translation“Luo”in Buddhist Records of the Western World in the Tang Dynasty is,on the one hand,a transliteration of Western Region language,which has a transcriptional effect;on the other hand,it also contains a free translation element,which means that the object referred to by the name is on the edge of natural barrier,with mountains and rivers as the boundary.Such names refer to the country,city and town,mountain as well as river in the Western Regions,and are concentrated at the northern of the South Asian subcontinent,mostly in ancient North India and the former place of Panhuoluo.The natural barriers of the country,city and town,mountain as well as river are the Pamirs,the Indus and the Himalayar,which are huge mountains and rivers.The character“Luo”in the book implies two meanings:marginal and obscured,which is at an important link in the evolution of words meaning.