著作方式“著”的来源与确立

The Origin and Establishment of Zhu as the Term of Authorship from the Pre-Qin Period to the Han Dynasty

“著”本字作“箸”,在先秦时期已出现“书写”“记录”的含义,表示对官方文书、言论事理、历史事件的记录以及图像的铸刻。在先秦文献中“著”强调的是著述的行为,作为“著”的主体的个人作者处于萌芽状态,其作用与地位尚未得到凸显。至汉代,“箸”隶变为“著”,连接作者与作品,表示作品的创作过程,用来描述对思想学说、历史著作、文学作品和经典注释的撰作。在汉代的文献记载中形成了包含作者、著作行为和作品的完整叙述模式,在书目著录中出现了表述作者著作方式的规范形式。个人作者在汉代崛起,“著”作为书籍的著作方式得以正式确立。“著”作为著作方式的确立过程,反映了作者身份的变化与著述意识的觉醒。

The meaning of the word zhu had been changing before it became the term of authorship in the Han dynasty. In the pre-Qin period, zhu was used to describe the recording of government documents, the saints’ thoughts, and historical events, or the carving of images on the bronze vessels. The individual authors did not stand out in these narratives, as the emphasis was put on the behaviors of writing. During the Han dynasty, the word zhu started to link individual authors to specific works. It was used to describe the writing of philosophical works, histories, literary works, and the notes and commentaries of the Confucian classics. As a result, the individual authors came to the fore. The establishment of zhu as the term of authorship, reflected the changes of the conception of authorship and the rise of conscious writers.