试论“寅”字本义及字形演化轨迹

Evolution of the Fount and Meanings of 寅 (yin)

“寅”字字形的演化与本义有着极为密切的联系。甲骨文“寅”字借“矢”字字形表达“进、疾”的本义,后来“寅”字为了表现出箭矢射出时的速度,字形增加了矢的符号进行分化,后再将矢的符号分为左右两部分,金文又将矢头夸大书写。战国的简帛书是字形分化的分水岭,并与小篆与之同步演化,箭矢头部与下部分离,演化成宀,后来被隶书传承下来。现代汉语中,寅字的本义与引申义逐渐隐没,只保留地支中的第三位这一假借义。

The evolution of the fount of the Chinese character,寅(yin),is closely related to its original meanings.In oracle with the fount of矢(shi),which means an arrow,it has the denotation of shooting or moving fast.Afterwards in order to indicate the speed of an arrow shot,shape of character"矢"was added to distinguish.and diverged from its fount which is separated into two part,the left and the right.As a character inscribed on the ancient bronze objects the beginning of its first stroke was carved in a fancy way.The manuscripts on the silk during the Warring States is regarded as the watershed of the divergence of the Chinese characters and evolves along with the Small Seal writing style.The head of矢is separated into upper part and lower part,which is written as宀and adopted by Clerical Calligraphy(a writing style)and remains what it is today.In modern Chinese,寅only refers to the 3rd earthly branch of the 12 Terrestrial Branches borrowed from its original meanings without its original and extended meanings.