《世说新语》中异构同指之称谓:王夫人、谢夫人——兼谈礼敬称谓词“夫人”的历时使用

The Heterogeneous Names Refer to the Same Person in Shishuo Xinyu:Madam Wang,Madam Xie——Also discusses the Diachronic Use of the Honorific Appellation“Furen(Madame)”

礼敬称谓词“夫人”在早期使用中如需明确所指何人,“娘家姓氏+夫人”是最为简洁而又具有指别性的称谓方式,故而一直沿用至后世;而《世说新语》中出现的与此异构同指的“夫家姓氏+夫人”用法,可以表明所适家族并彰显夫人地位,明清时期开始多见。究其各自起因,前者与古人聚族而居密切相关,后者与男尊女卑、嫡尊庶卑有一定联系。而在一个相对封闭的言语环境中,如何选用“夫人”的不同称谓方式,彼此协调而有章可循固然重要,但具有指别性而不致引起误会才是最根本的原则。

The honorific title“furen(Madame)in its early usage usually has the brief form of“wife’s family name+furen”to refer the particular person,so it has been inherited to later times.While in Shishuo Xinyu,there is also the heterogeneous form of“husband’s family name+furen”to refer the same person,in order to show the prominent position of the lady with her husband’s fami⁃ly,and this usage become popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In their respective reasons,the former in related to ancient people’s clan clustered residency,while the latter is related to the hier⁃archical social order and the discrimination between men and women.In a relatively closed speech environment,it is important to choose different ways of addressing ladies coordinate with each other and follow rules,but it is the most fundamental principle to have a distinction without causing mis⁃understanding.