古文字造字創意之研探－－以人生歷程為範疇

Abstract

本論文欲以古文字與人生禮儀相互結合的方式，經由若干字形的說解，繫聯出人一生中經過的歷程，文中粗分為四大部分，依序簡介如下： （一） 出生孕育階段：人自胚胎開始孕育，一直到胎兒成形墜地，還有幼兒時期的哺育、養育的階段，反映於文字中則有孕、冥、娩、毓（育）、生、嘉、好、字、乳、保等字，期間更關係到男女性別問題，如「嘉」字。另外，古代嬰兒死亡率高，還有因其他原因（殘缺）加以虐殺的，舉棄、巳、改等字為例。 （二） 成人教育階段：自脫離幼兒時期後，人因年歲漸長，開始承擔更多社會的責任，藉由「學、教」二字說明教育的養成，以及社會賦予成年特徵的「冠、筓」二字。直到生理的長成，進入生育後代的「夫、妻」的身分。以此六字代表成人在學習與身分的代表。 （三） 年壽衰老階段：成年是人生巔峰，之後逐漸衰老，開始進入生命的末期，在生理的衰老方面，藉由「老、 、 、耊、 、耆」等字說明。至於年紀老成，而對年齡延長的渴求，則可從「耇、壽、考」加以表現。最後，以「孝」表達子孫能承老的孝道觀念。 （四） 死亡與靈魂階段：人壽命走盡，必進入未知的死亡歷程。古人對於死亡的形體與概念的描繪，可經由「疾、死、喪、歺、葬」等呈現出來，而「化」字則表達對死亡（生命）的轉化。而在靈魂的觀念上，透過對魂、魄與陰陽的關係加以探討，重新釐清其概念。最後，以「鬼、神、厲」三字作為靈魂在人間的形象，並加以討論。之後，附論本文認為與死亡無關的字形。 人自生至死，可短可長，上述的生命歷程不必然人人都能全部經歷，本文僅是就大結構的觀念予以繫聯探索，藉由古文字的引證，以此明白古人遺留下的人生禮儀，其中可藉由如此明白當初造字者的想像與造字創意，以此理解古人的生活與思想。

In this dissertation I intend to connect different periods of a person’s life by defining certain word forms with the interaction between ancient writing and decorum. These periods are divided into four parts as follows: Stage One: Pregnancy and Birth Yun(孕, pregnancy), ming(冥,beginning of delivery), mian(娩, end of delivery)、yu(毓（育）, give birth), sheng(生, birth), jia(嘉, auspicious), hao(好, good), zi(字, to name a newborn infant), ru(乳, breast), and bao(保, protect) represent different periods from the moment an embryo starts to grow, the birth of a fetus, to suckling and nurturing an infant. Among these, the word jia(嘉, auspicious) is related to sexual gender. In addition to these, qi(棄, abandon), si(巳, a dead fetus wrapped in a placenta), and gai(改, attack a dead fetus to change luck) symbolically represent high mortality rates, along with abuse and killing of disabled children in ancient times. Stage Two: Education and Adulthood A human being takes on more responsibilities that society endows upon him as he passes through infancy. In this stage, the two words xue (學,learning )and jiao (教, teaching) demonstrate how a person is educated. Guan (冠, a headgear) and ji (筓,15 of age) signify socialized characteristics in adulthood, and fu(夫, a husband) and qi(妻, a wife) symbolize periods of physiological maturity and the act of giving birth. These six word forms denote an adult’s learning period and his identity. Stage Three: Being old Adulthood is considered the most cherished period in one’s life. Words like lao(老, aged), shu（ , an old man who walks slowly）, dian（ , age spots on an old man’s face）, die(耊, aging), mou（ , mental confusion that aging brings about）, and qi(耆, an old man with contributions) symbolize physiological aging, and neng (耇, age spots), shou(壽, old age), and kao(考, to finish) express the anxiety and longing to elongate life. Lastly, the word xiao(孝, filial piety) is a concept where family members are expected to flatter, respect and obey elders. Stage Four: Death and Soul When life comes to an end, one is faced with the uncertainty of death. The ancients depicted the form and concept of death using words such as ji(疾, illness), si(死, death), sang(喪, mourning), e(歺, a broken bladebone), zang(葬, bury). Hua(化, convert) reveals the transformation from life to death. When referring to the term ‘soul’, I intend to re-clarify it by discussing the relationship between soul(魂魄) and yin-yang(陰陽). In conclusion, gui(鬼, ghost), shen(神, god), and li(厲, harsh) represent the image of souls in the world of mortals. In addition, word forms have been added that are not relevant to death. Of course life can be short or long and not everyone will pass through these proposed four stages. However, by exploring these preeminent concepts and coupling them with those found in ancient writings, more can be known about the decorum that the ancients left behind for us. Understanding can be gained of the imagination of the ancients who first developed words and their systems as well as their creation concepts and eventually, to lead to further comprehension of ancient life and thought.