6.1232, Disc: Chinese Etymology

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Mon Sep 11 05:54:10 UTC 1995


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LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-1232. Mon Sep 11 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  310
 
Subject: 6.1232, Disc: Chinese Etymology
 
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1)
Date:  Thu, 07 Sep 1995 13:56:06 CDT
From:  goertzen at rrnet.com ("Stanley G. Goertzen")
Subject:  Chinese etymology
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Thu, 07 Sep 1995 13:56:06 CDT
From:  goertzen at rrnet.com ("Stanley G. Goertzen")
Subject:  Chinese etymology
 
Chinese HISTORY ~{J7~} (Part 1)
 
[Note: This discussion  originated on CHINA, the Chinese  Studies list,
<listserv at PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU>.   I  am posting it  here because I would
be grateful  to  receive  any  responses from  the  general  linguistic
community.  Hz coded Chinese text is enclosed between tildes and  curly
brackets ~{  ~}.   For those who don't have  an Hz viewer or who  don't
read Chinese,  I hope  this will not  be an  obstacle to following  the
discussion. -S. Goertzen]
 
In  an   earlier  discussion  on  the   Shuowen  dictionary   (100  AD)
~{K5ND=bWV~},  Stephen Carlson  raised  the  question of  the  semantic
development of the Chinese word for "history" ~{J7~}.
 
Here is the Shuowen definition and character analysis.
 
SW078.001 ~{J7#,<GJBU_R2!#~} Shi3, ji4 shi4 zhe3 ye3 :
                             Scribe, one who records affairs.
~{4SSV3VVP!#~} [the character is derived] from a "hand holding
               [center" ... to be discussed]
~{VP#,U}R2!#~} "center" != "correct" [Is this something "correct"?]
 
At the  outset,  I will  try  to follow  the translations  in  Bernhard
Karlgren's  _Grammata  Serica  [Recensa]_;  but  it  will  soon  become
apparent   they   are   provisional   and   generally   inadequate  for
etymological research, and later we'll have to improvise.
 
The word shi3  ~{J7~}, "scribe, historian,"  is defined  by Shuowen  in
terms of the word  shi4 ~{JB~}, "to serve, affair."   The character for
shi3 ~{J7~}, "historian,"  is also  (as Karlgren hints)  an element  in
the character  for shi4 ~{JB~}, "to  serve."  Though the  similarity is
less obvious in modern forms  of the characters, the Seal forms  reveal
that both characters contain  essentially similar elements.   The "hand
(~{SV~}) in shi3  is a variant  of the  "hand" (~{ef~}) in  shi4.   The
upper element ~{VP~}  in shr4 ~{JB~} appears to represent the remaining
portion  of shi3 ~{J7~}, less the horizontal line across the top.   The
modern forms of the characters look like the following:
 
            ;;'                            ;;'
   ,        ;;       ,          ,,,,,,,,,,,;;,,,,,,,,;;,
   ;;''''''';;'''''';;;                    ;;
   ;;       ;;      ;;              ;;''''';;''''';;'
   ;;       ;;      ;;              ;;     ;;     ;;
   ;;,,,,,,,;;,,,,,,;;              ''''''';;'''''''
   '' ,     ;;      ''            ,,,,,,,,,;;,,,,,,,;,
       ;,  ;;                              ;;      ;;
        ';,;'                   ''''''''''';;'''''';;'''
         ,;';,,                   ,,,,,,,,,;;,,,,,,;;
      ,,;'    '';,,,                       ;;      ''
 ,,,'''           '';;;;'             ''';;;'
 
 shi3: historian, history           shi4: serve; affair
 
The upper  element has  been variously  interpreted as  standing for  a
writing instrument, a record, a  vessel for keeping scores  in archery,
and the  like.  It  has also been  interpreted to mean that  historians
should "hold  to a  'central' ('impartial')  or 'correct' course";  but
the important facts are that  these characters are almost  identical in
structure and  they  are  also  used interchangeably  in  early  texts.
Given the high  degree of phonetic and graphic similarity between these
two  words and  their  respective characters,  we  need to  resolve the
question of their etymological kinship, if any.
 
Wang   Guowei   (1877-1927),  in   his   essay   "Explaining   History"
~{Mu9zN3#,JMJ7~} (reprinted in  SWKL ~{K5ND9EAV~} p. 1262),  noted that
these  two characters are not distinguished in the Book of Documents or
the   classical  Odes,   but   eventually   came  to   be   graphically
distinguished on  semantic grounds around the time of  the Qin (255 BC)
and Han  dynasties.  In his  view, the original ~{J7~}  "historian" was
essentially  a  "bookkeeper,"  whose  earliest  duties  included  score
keeping  at gaming events  as well.   Wang believed  that the character
initially depicted a  hand holding a  vessel or  receptacle (for  score
keeping at archery contests),  but concludes  the character could  also
depict a  "hand  holding a  book,"  (a  bookkeeper), analogous  to  the
character  for yin3  ~{R|~}  which depicts  a  "hand holding  a writing
instrument."
 
~{J7WV4SSV3VVPReN*3VJiV.HK#,SkR|V.4SSV3VX/U_M,RbRS!#~}
~{RsHK274G=TRTJ7N*JB#,JGIPN^JBWV!#V\3uV.FwHgC+9+6&7,Iz6X6~Fw#,~}
~{OgJBWwJB#,4sJ7WwJ7#,J<1pN*6~WV!#~}
 
Burton  Watson,  in  his  excellent  general  introduction  to  Chinese
historiography  (_Ssu-Ma Ch'ien:  Grand Historian  of China_,  Columbia
University Press,  New York, 1958),  wrote: "Even the original  meaning
of the character  for historian has long been misinterpreted because of
the mistaken  explanation of it  given by the  Latter Han lexicographer
Hsu Shen" in the Shuowen dictionary.  Watson says the  Shuowen "defines
_shih_   as  'one  who  records  affairs',"   but  he  reads  Shuowen's
explanation of  the character as  a hand holding  "middle" (zhong), and
says  that  this "middle"  is  in  turn  defined  by  Shuowen  to  mean
"correct" (zheng).   In  a footnote  he cites Wang  Guowei's essay  and
says  Wang "reached the conclusion that  it represents a hand holding a
vessel used  to  contain tallies  at  archery  contests, and  that  the
official  designated by  this character  in Shang  times was originally
charged  with the  duty of keeping  track of  hits at  these contests."
Watson concludes: "From this  we may surmise, though  concrete evidence
is  lacking, that the _shih_ officials  later enlarged their activities
to the keeping of records in general."  (Watson, ibid., pp. 70 &  220.)
 
Watson's dismissal of the  Shuowen explanation  is premature and  based
on  the  questionable   interpretation  of  the  meaning  of  zheng  as
"correct."
 
The   Shuowen   commentator,  Zhu   Junsheng   (1788-1858)   ~{Vl?%Iy~}
identifies the  basic meaning  of zheng1  ~{U}~}  as the  "center of  a
target" ~{:nVPR2~}.  (Cp. GSR833j and  Mathews' 351(i).)   Ode 106, the
second  stanza, reads ~{VUHUId:n~},~{2;3vU}Yb~},  "Shooting all  day at
the target,  And never  lodging outside the  bird-square" (James Legge,
_The Chinese Classics_).  Legge  notes that zheng1 "denotes  the square
in the  centre of  the target,  in the  centre of  which again was  the
figure of  a bird  called Zheng."   This "bird-square"  may be  equated
with "bulls-eye," but it was apparently square,  or RECtangular (versus
Watson's corRECt), rather than circular.   It seems very  unlikely that
the  author of the  Shuowen, who  dutifully cites the  Odes in numerous
definitions, would have been unaware of this interpretation.
 
Zhu Junsheng (~{Vl?%Iy#,K5NDM(Q66(Iy~}) explains the original meaning
of "zheng" ~{U}~} as a target.
 
~{U}#,JGR2!#~} [The modern meaning of zheng is "correct"]
~{04#:4KWV1>Q551N*:nVPR2!#~} It was originally the center of a target.
~{Os7=PN!#~} It depicts a rectangular shape.
~{<4T;4SV9#,R`J8KyV9R2!#~}... it is a repository of the arrow.
~{J\J8U_T;U}#,~} The receptor of arrows is called zheng.
~{>\J8U_T;7&#,~} The deflector of arrows is called fa.
~{9JND74U}N*7&!#~} Hence the anagram (reverse) of zheng is fa.
 
The Shuowen entry  immediately following "zheng" (SW031) is its anagram
(zheng reversed) and antonym.
 
SW031.004 ~{7&#,4:Go4+T;74U}N*7&!#~}
Duan: ~{Ws4+P{J.NeDjND!#~} ~{@qJ\J8U_T;U}#,>\J8U_T;7&!#~}
 
Duan  Yucai  (1735-1815)  ~{6NSq2C#,K5ND=bWVW"~}  cites  the  Zhou  Li,
~{V\@q#,4:9Y#,35FM~} noting that  the "receptor (target) for  arrows is
called zheng,"  and the  "contraceptor  (shield) for  arrows is  called
fa2."   Again, it  is clear that  the author  of the Shuowen  must have
understood  this interpretation  of  "zheng" as  "target," specifically
the rectangular "center" portion of the target.
 
Zhu Junsheng also explains the meaning of "zhong" as target.
 
~{VP#,:MR2!#~} Zhong means moderate, harmonious.
~{9EQ5VPN*:MU_DKVPWVV.W*W"!#~} This meaning is zhuanzhu (a trope).
~{Fd1>Q551N*J8sgU}R2!#~}  It was originally a target for arrows.
~{Vx:nV.U}N*VP#,9JVP<4Q5U}!#~} Therefore zhong is defined by zheng.
 
"Zhong"  ~{VP~}  and  "zheng"  ~{U}~}  denote  the   same  thing,  both
referring to a  target (receptacle  for arrows).   Shuowen's definition
is therefore redundant, reinforcing the  meaning of zhong in  the sense
of "target."
 
However, the issues raised by Burton  Watson and Wang Guowei do not  go
to the heart of the  etymology of "history."  Wang sheds some  light on
the  nature  of the  some  of  the  earliest  official  duties  of  the
historian,  and Watson  attempts to  show that  the original  character
must have  signified these duties  in some way.   Shuowen's explanation
is not, after  all, inconsistent  with Watson's  interpretation.   Yet,
even if both  of these  scholars are correct  about the  duties of  the
office and the  structure of the character for "historian," these facts
are at  best only coincidentally  relevant to the etymological  meaning
of the word.   The denotations (real-world  referents) of words can  be
shifty things,  but the  connotations of  etymologically related  words
usually continue to  resonate a common  meaning which  often cannot  be
reduced to  the denotation  or referent  of a  single member  word.   A
"doctor",  for  example, may  denote  a medical  practitioner,  but the
connotations   of   its   etymologically   related   words   (doctrine,
indoctrinate,  dogma,  etc.)   indicate  its  original  meaning   as  a
"teacher" rather than a medicine man.
 
Of considerably more etymological interest  is Shuowen's explanation of
the character for  "history" as ~{4SSV3VVP~} a "hand _holding_ zhong (a
target)."   This is  not the  typical formula  for ~{;aRb~},  "semantic
compounds,"  cong X, [cong]  Y.  I will  propose that  chi2 ~{3V~}, "to
hold," is actually a  key etymonic expression here.   It is the  act of
"holding" that  dominates the  sense of this  and related  words, as  I
hope  to demonstrate.   (In this connection, it  may be  of interest to
note that  the  English word  "target" is  itself the  derivative of  a
root, *dergh-, with a very similar meaning, "to grasp.")
 
An important  consideration in  the investigation  of these  characters
(and Chinese  characters in  general) is  the sequence  of the  Shuowen
bushou  ~{2?JW~},  "Section  Headings"  (misnamed  "radicals").     The
Shuowen  sequence  has  been destroyed  beyond  recognition  by  modern
radical  dictionary  makers,  presumably  in  the  interest  of  reader
convenience.    The character  for  shi3  ~{J7~},  "historian," is  now
misclassified under the "mouth"  radical, which has nothing whatever to
do  with the  meaning or  structure  of this  character,  except for  a
deceptive  superficial resemblance  to  a part  of  it.   Moreover, the
character for  shi4 ~{JB~},  "service, office,"  is also  misclassified
under a modern radical (the  "hooked down stroke"), which  again shares
only a  deceptive superficial  resemblance to  a part  of it.   In  the
original Shuowen  sequence, the  character for  shr4 ~{JB~},  "service,
office,"  (SW078.002)   immediately  follows  the  character  for  shi3
~{J7~},  "historian," (SW078.001),  and what  is  more, "historian"  is
the real radical in "service"!
 
SW078.002
~{JB#,V0R2!#~}
~{4SJ7#,V.J!Iy!#~}
 
In view  of the  Shuowen analysis,  Karlgren's remarks  (GSR 971,  975)
about the  "fundamental" similarity  of the  earliest inscriptions  for
these characters  are rather gratuitous  and superfluous; but  Karlgren
also dismantled the  SW sequence in favor  of a  phonetic  arrangement.
In   addition  Karlgren   was   extremely  skeptical   about  Shuowen's
definitions  and   generally  ignored   Shuowen's  character   analyses
altogether.   It was his  position that the  phonetic reconstruction of
the earliest stage  ("archaic" = "old")  of Chinese  together with  the
study   of  Chinese   etymology  ("word   families")   would  lead   to
significantly new advances in our  understanding of Chinese linguistics
and  literature.   However,  it  has yet  to be  demonstrated  that his
methods of  inquiry are really  superior to the  methods of traditional
Chinese lexicography and phonology in this regard.
 
The character for shi4 ~{JB~}, "service, office,"   is not only derived
from the  character for shi3  ~{4SJ7~}, "historian," but  the two words
are etymologically  related!    This is the  view of Zhang Binglin  and
Akiyasu Todo (and perhaps others I haven't consulted yet).
 
Zhang  Binglin  (1877-1927)  ~{UB1~AZ#,NDJ<~}  in  _Wenshi_,  Part  8A,
writes:
 
~{<GV>V.Ref\HiSVN*J7#,<GJBU_R2!#~}
~{J784f\HiN*JB#,V0R2!#~}
~{9YV0V.Ref\HiSVN*@t#,VNHKU_R2!#~}
~{J7 at t=Tf\HiN*J9#,AnR2!#~}
 
Akiyasu Todo (_Kanji  Gogen Jiten_, Tokyo,  1965, No.  13) proposes  an
etymological kinship  between "history"  and "service"  with the  basic
meaning,  TATSU, TATERU,  "to stand,  set  up, erect,  establish," with
some interesting semantic implications which I hope to discuss later.
 
Finally, the  abbreviated phonetic in  shi4 ~{JB~}, "service,  office,"
is zhi1 ~{V.~}, "to  go; it;  genitive and attributive"  marker.  In  a
future  post I  will  attempt to  explain,  in semantically  consistent
terms, how this abbreviated phonetic  is the ultimate phonetic  in chi2
~{3V~}, "to  hold,  support," the  key  etymonic  term in  the  present
series.   Furthermore, I will  propose to show  how zhi1 ~{V.~} is  yet
again  the  ultimate phonetic  and  etymonic  element  in shi1  ~{J+~},
"poetry."  If I  succeed in this, then  Burton Watson's statement  that
"Ssu-ma  Ch'ien's concept  of history  was essentially  poetic" may  be
prophetic;  for it may be that  in prehistoric China, before the advent
of  the scribe-historians, when  history was  still an  oral tradition,
HISTORY  and  POETRY   were  still  undifferentiated  words   and  were
essentially one and the same genre!
 
We can learn a great  deal about the graphics, phonology and  semantics
~{PN#,Rt#,Re~} and  etymology  of   Chinese  words   from  the  Shuowen
dictionary, especially  Duan Yucai's  edition.  While  Duan did  indeed
credit many of his linguistic  insights to his knowledge  of phonology,
he did  not  find  it  necessary  to  devise  a  separate  phonological
notation for  that purpose.   For  his purposes, it  was sufficient  to
cite  the Middle  Chinese fanqie ~{74GP~}  spellings from  the Guangyun
~{9cTO~} rhyme  dictionary  along with  the  Old Chinese  rhyme classes
~{9ETO2?~}  .  I am more than willing  to cite the more modern phonetic
and  phonological  notations  of  Karlgren,  Pulleyblank,  Baxter,  and
others, but  I  would  rather to  do  so  only  if and  when  it  seems
necessary  in order  to  gain some  important  new insight  beyond that
which we could otherwise gain simply by following Duan.  So far I  have
found very  few  cases in  which  the newer  phonologies  significantly
advance our understanding of Chinese etymology.
 
My research is very much  ongoing and comments will be  most gratefully
appreciated.
 
A convenient guide  to the Middle  Chinese fanqie  spelling system  and
William  Baxter's Middle  Chinese  notation can  be  found at  the URLs
listed below.
 
Stan Goertzen
goertzen at rrnet.com
- ------------------------------------------------------
 *** A Middle Chinese Spelling Construction Kit ***
http://www.rrnet.com/users/goertzen/mcb5.html (in Big5)
http://www.rrnet.com/users/goertzen/mcgb.html (in GB)
email: listserv at mail.w3.org (no subject required)
source http://www.rrnet.com/users/goertzen/mcb5.html
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