金文“咎”字补说

A Supplementary Explanation to the Character Jiu in Bronze Inscriptions

元尊、元卣铭文中旧释为“”的字应该改释为“咎”,毓祖丁卣铭文中旧释为“”的字应该是“咎”“火”二字,这几处铭文中的“咎”均应读为亲属称谓“舅”。商、西周时期的“舅”指的是母之兄弟,“高舅”可能是对母之兄弟的尊称,东周时期的“舅”可能指母之兄弟,也可能指妻之父或夫之父。青铜器铭文中记载的为舅举行祼祭和作器祭祀的情况,在一定程度上可以反映出中国上古时代对于舅权的重视和尊崇。

In the inscriptions of Yuan zun元尊and Yuan you元卣,there is a character that used to be transcribed as yuan ■,which should be reinterpreted as jiu咎.There is a character in the inscription of Yuzu ding you毓祖丁卣that used to be transcribed as jiu ■,which should be reinterpreted as jiu咎and huo火.The character jiu咎in these inscriptions should be read as the kinship title jiu舅.In the Shang and Western Zhou periods,jiu舅was referred to a mother s brother,and gaojiu高舅might be a honorific title for a mother s brother.In the Eastern Zhou periods,jiu舅might refer to a mother s brother,a wife s father or a husband s father.Bronze inscriptions record the holding of guanji祼祭and the making of ritual vessels for jiu舅,this may reflect the importance and respect for the power of jiu舅in ancient China.