中国历史上“版图”一词源流考正

Origin of the Word“Territory”in Chinese History

“版图”关涉国家政治,并与土地、赋税等制度紧密相关,是非常特殊与重要的文档名词。“版图”一词为《周礼》作者所创制,在《周礼》中即表现为两种涵义:阍寺名籍与府宅图、百姓户籍与地图。但是该词的使用,始于战国,历经秦火、新莽覆灭、玄学压制等一波三折,存在800年以上蛰伏期。到唐代以经取士后,方获得稳定发展。在两千余年演化过程中,其使用情况大体可分为创制与蛰伏期、接续期、增长期、延续期、高峰期五个阶段。宋代出现最重要、使用量最多之引申义“疆域”,此后“疆域”义渐压倒《周礼》原义,并延续至今。明清时期“版图”渐完成通俗化进程,现代仍然表现出旺盛生命力与发展趋势线。

“Domain(Ban tu)”concerns national politics and is closely related to land,taxation and other institutions,which is a very special and important document noun.The word originated from Zhou Li,of which the early meaning was two:the roster of gate keepers in the palace and house map and household registration and map.But its use began in the Warring States period and its development process went through twists and turns,such as the fire of Qin Dynasty,the collapse of Xinmang and the suppression of metaphysics,existing more than 800 years dormant period,then obtained stable development only in the Tang Dynasty.In the evolution of more than two thousand years,its use can be roughly divided into five stages:creation and hibernation,succession,growth,continuation and peak,with the most important and mostly used extended meaning“territory”appeared in the Song Dynasty.Since then the meaning of“territory”gradually overwhelmed the original meaning in Zhou Li and continues to this day.“Domain”gradually completed the popularization process during the Ming and Qing Dynasties,and still shows vigorous vitality and development tendency in modern era.