日本語における漢語の意味変化に関する一考察 —「深刻」を中心に—

Abstract

日文中存在著大量的與中文相同的漢字語彙，其中不乏許多與中文的語義相同，然而，一部分的漢字語彙在日文環境中長年累月的使用後，逐漸發展出日文特有的語義，而呈現出跟中文同字卻不同義的情況。 其中「深刻」一詞就屬於此，同為中日兩語言中都存在的語彙，卻在現代兩語言中呈現出截然不同的語義。在中文中，「深刻」通常會用來表達文字、影像等內容等令人難忘，如：印象深刻， 然而在現代日文中「深刻」卻常被用於形容災害、危機等的程度甚劇等方面使用。然而將時間倒回較早的1900年代，兩語言的「深刻」卻有著較相近的用法，且在日中兩語言個字的字典中，皆記載著「用刑殘酷」的意思，因此推測兩語言的「深刻」或許存在聯繫。本研究為了釐清兩語言中「深刻」的淵源，使用了各時代的語言資料，抽出各時代中「深刻」的使用例，再以『日本國語大辭典』中的意思將其分類，並以百年為單位進行考察。 根據調查結果，日語的「深刻」約在1400後期開始在日語中被使用，且當時多在解讀中國典籍的註釋書「抄物」中出現，並與當時中文「深刻」的意思相同，多為「用刑殘酷」。然而，在後續的使用期間，原本的中文意思並未在日文中穩妥扎根，而使作為與中文關聯性強的意思，在漢文的解釋，字典中使用並逐漸式微，而日文獨特的意思則約出現在1700年代左右，並在後續的使用中逐漸過張其語意及範圍並在1900年代左右成為日文中主要的意思。 通過本調查，「深刻」即使在現代中日兩語言中的語義雖有相當大的出入，但根據時代的演變來看，兩國語中的「深刻」卻有不可分割的歷史淵源。根據對各個年代的調查，將日文「深刻」的各個年代演變歷程加以明確，為本研究中重要的成果所在。

A large number of Chinese-character (kanji) words exist in the Japanese language, many of which share the same meanings as their counterparts in Chinese. However, some of these kanji words, after being used in the Japanese linguistic environment over a long period of time, have gradually developed unique meanings specific to Japanese, resulting in cases where the same characters bear different meanings in the two languages. The word “深刻” (shin koku) is a representative example. While this word exists in both Japanese and Chinese, its meanings in the two modern languages differ significantly. In Chinese, “深刻” is typically used to describe something deeply memorable, such as in the phrase “印象深刻” (deep impression). In contrast, in modern Japanese, “深刻” is often used to describe the severity of disasters, crises, or other serious matters. However, if we turn back the clock to the early 1900s, we find that the usage of “深刻” in both languages was more similar. Dictionaries of both Chinese and Japanese from that time record the meaning “harsh punishment” or “cruel punishment,” suggesting a possible historical connection between the two. To clarify the origins of “深刻” in both languages, this study collected usage examples from various historical periods. These examples were categorized according to the definitions found in the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (The great Japanese dictionary), and examined by century. The investigation revealed that the term “深刻” began to appear in Japanese after the late 1400s, primarily in annotation texts (shōmono) that interpreted Chinese classics. At that time, the word shared the same meaning as in Chinese, often referring to cruel or severe punishment. However, this original Chinese meaning did not firmly take root in Japanese over time. Instead, while the meaning closely related to Chinese gradually declined—surviving mainly in classical Chinese contexts and dictionary entries—the uniquely Japanese meaning began to emerge around the 1700s. From that point onward, it expanded its semantic range and eventually became the dominant usage in Japanese by around the 1900s. This study shows that although the meanings of “深刻” in modern Chinese and Japanese differ significantly, there exists an inseparable historical connection between the two. By tracing and clarifying the semantic evolution of “深刻” across different historical periods in Japanese, this research makes a significant contribution to the understanding of semantic change in Sino-Japanese vocabulary.