页码的诞生:中国古籍上的页码及其使用

The Origin and Development of Page Numbers in Ancient China

“页码”是现代书籍中最不起眼,但又最不可少的要素之一。不过,这种要素并非随书籍出现而出现。中国书籍中最早具有部分页码功能的可能是简册时代的“简号”,但简号与页码又有很大差别,使用也不广泛。纸质时代后的最初数百年中,中国书籍的主要形态是卷轴,但卷轴却没有使用过任何页码符号。较多使用页码的是梵夹装,但数量也不是很大。雕版印刷时代,中国书籍第一次大规模使用页码。这应该是中国书籍独立产生的页码,与同一时期西方书籍上的页码没有关联。普及后,页码对书籍的阅读和利用产生了深层次影响。但和西方页码系统相比,中国自主产生的书籍页码系统有一定缺陷。近代以来,随着西方文明的引入,中国书籍上的页码系统逐渐被取代。

The page number is one of the most inconspicuous but indispensable elements in modern books,but this element did not appear with books.The earliest symbol with partial function of page numbering in Chinese books probably was the Jian Hao(简号)in the era of the booklet,but the symbol was very different from the page number,and was not widely used.In the first few hundred years after the paper age,scrolls,the main form of Chinese books,did not use any page numbers.The most used page number was in the form of Fanjiazhuang(Buddhist-classic binding),but also not widely used.The reappearance of the foliation on Chinese books may have been derived from block printing,and its function is to ensure that the paper is in order.As the symbol became popular,page numbers had a deep impact on the reading and utilization of books.However,Chinese books independently generated pagination system has certain defects compared with the Western pagination system.In modern times,with the introduction of Western civilization,the page numbering system on Chinese books was gradually replaced.