On Synonyms in Ancient Chinese

The study of synonyms in ancient Chinese started late. Starting from the 1960s, with Mr. Wang Li's Ancient Chinese as the main representative, in the 1980s and 1990s, many scholars began to pay attention to synonyms, with Bai's Discrimination of Synonyms in Ancient Chinese as the representative. With the deepening of the research project, many problems related to synonyms have been studied, which has an important impact on the study of synonyms and vocabulary in ancient Chinese.

I. Definition of synonyms

From the name, synonyms refer to a group of words with the same meaning in vocabulary. However, in the actual use of language, there are few words with the same meaning, feelings and colors. Therefore, the synonyms mentioned by Zhang in Introduction to Lexicology refer to one or several words with different pronunciations and the same meaning. These meanings represent the same concept, but they may be different in supplementary meaning, stylistic features, emotional color and usage (including collocation with other words). However, Jiang believes that synonyms are only the same in concept (namely rational meaning), but not necessarily the same in supplementary meaning (namely implied meaning), style characteristics, emotional color, collocation relationship and so on. Therefore, synonyms are not two words with exactly the same meaning. If two words have exactly the same meaning, they are called equivalent words; if two words have similar meanings, they are called synonyms. Mr. Jiang put forward the concept of equivalent words to replace our traditional concept of synonyms.

We believe that synonyms mean that two or more words have the same or similar meanings in a rational sense, and their implied meanings can be different. For example, the four words of death, death, death and collapse all express human death in a rational sense, but they are different in an implied sense. Death is the death of nobles, the death of people, the death of doctors and the death of the son of heaven.

Second, the causes and ways of synonym formation

Language is constantly developing and changing. Through the investigation and analysis of specific synonyms in ancient Chinese, we can draw the conclusion that the development and change within the language is the main reason for the generation of synonyms, and there are several ways to produce synonyms:

(A) the differentiation and extension of meaning

Vocabulary is constantly changing with the development of society, and the change of vocabulary is mainly reflected in the constant change of meaning. For example, some words have no synonyms, and the appearance of synonyms is the result of lexical extension. There are two main types of lexical expansion:

First, after extension, the extended meaning of one word coincides with the original meaning of another word or words, forming a group of synonyms. Like the arrow, the original meaning of the arrow is a kind of bamboo name. Because it applies to the shaft of the arrow, it is gradually used to refer to the weapon originally pointed by the arrow. "Yang Xiong Dialect" Volume 9: Arrow, the so-called "arrow from the relationship to the East". Arrows become synonyms. In addition, there is such a thing as skin, which originally refers to animal skin, and skin refers to human skin. With the development and change of language, skin has more and more extended meanings, and it also means human skin, so the two forms synonyms.

Second, after extension, the extended meaning of one word coincides with the extended meaning of another word or words, forming a group of synonyms. For example, foot soldiers are a group of synonyms. The original meaning of a scholar is an unmarried man. "The Ministry of the Literati said", too. Duan Yucai's Note: Scholars and events overlap, which is somewhat extended. Those who can do things are called scholars. Scholars become synonymous with boys. Poem Feng Wei on Man: Ordinary people have lost their lives. Confucius: A scholar is called a person. The extension of benevolence and righteousness refers to the soldiers in chariots, which are different from the soldiers as infantry. "Twenty-eight Years of Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong": Yu Zi invited Dou Bo to fight, saying, Please fight with the gentleman, and Jun Feng will watch. Later used as a general term for soldiers. The original meaning of soldiers is weapons and weapons. Speaking and writing department: soldiers and weapons. Chapter 31 of Laozi: Soldiers are ominous tools. From the meaning of weapons to those who hold them, that is, soldiers. Zuo Zhuan Xiang Gong Yuan: Defeated soldiers are on the mountain. Soldiers are infantry. The latter refers to soldiers. Thus, soldiers become synonyms. In addition, there are synonyms such as rank, killing and beating.

(B) Dialect differences

In modern Chinese, different dialect areas were formed because of geographical location and national culture, but in fact, in ancient Chinese, dialects existed for different geographical reasons. Unified concept, due to the differences between dialects and regions, when dialect words in one place enter the dialect vocabulary system in another area and are understood, accepted and used by local people, then dialect words that refer to the same object or express the same concept can form synonyms. Due to political, economic and cultural exchanges, as well as the choice of language, later, some dialect words entered the lingua franca. Dialect words may still have dialect color when they first enter the common language, but if they are used without observation for a long time, they will be integrated into the common language and used together with the common language to form synonyms. Such as "Shuo Wen Mu Bu": Yi, so Tu Ye. The Qin Dynasty was called a cave, and Kanto was called a cave. According to Xu Shen's records, at that time, for such a tool used for daubing, Qin dialect called it a utensil, and Kanto called it a utensil; Ship and boat, both words refer to ship and boat, the main means of transportation on the water. Say: boat, boat also. Another boat, another boat. But they come from different dialects. Ship is the dialect of Kansai, and boat is the dialect of Kanto. However, with the late Warring States period, Qin became more and more powerful and strengthened the politics, economy and culture of the East. The word ship gradually penetrated into the culture of the Central Plains and became synonymous with the ship.

(3) the specific social environment

We know that language is used for communication and will be influenced by social development. Different historical periods will form different historical languages, in other words, languages are social. Because in ancient China, the feudal dynasty was deeply influenced by Confucianism, and the use of vocabulary was often constrained by etiquette. Due to continuous use, some of them have gradually settled down, and the widespread use of features is mainly formed in the following aspects:

1, with different status. In the same way, the monarch calls his subjects gifts, and his subordinates send gifts to his superiors. The same is death, the emperor is called collapse, the literati is called pawn, and the civilians are called death. It also means that the tomb emperor called the tomb, others called the tomb, and so on, all of which reflected the status differences between ancient people.

2. Distinguish between emotional colors. The Confucian culture in ancient China will be people-oriented, emphasizing the sovereignty and wisdom of the monarch, and reflecting the role of individual subjective consciousness in reality. Often, the judgment of things is emotional, reflecting personal praise or blame. If it also means killing, punishment will have the taste of justice and praise to punish evil and promote good, while killing will have the taste of derogatory.

(D) the use of rhetorical devices

The use of rhetorical devices can make some unrelated words synonymous. In order to impress readers, the ancients used some rhetorical devices to increase the expressive force of the article. The meaning produced by the use of rhetoric is often temporary and should not be regarded as sememe. But after a rhetorical device is used for a long time, the meaning of the word is gradually fixed. Through the use of rhetorical devices, words have the same or similar meanings, thus forming synonyms.

1, figurative rhetoric. Brother is synonymous with brother. Su Zhe's Letter to Brother in Prison: I secretly mourn his ambition. I can't beat the Brotherhood, so I risked my life. Flesh and blood are synonymous with relatives. In addition, grave has another synonym, which means: the earth rises from the ground like a grave. "Shuo Wen Twain Bu": Grave, tomb also. Duan Yucai Note: This nonsense is also true. In other words, the tomb is flat and the grave is high. Vocabulary: grave, grave. The field is the tomb and the earth is the ridge. Thereby forming synonyms of this group of grave.

2. Metonymy rhetoric. For example, Du Kang is synonymous with wine. Cao Cao's short song: Du Kang is the only one who can solve the problem. In this way, this group of synonyms for Dukang wine was formed.

At present, the theoretical construction and concrete research system of ancient Chinese synonyms are still in the initial stage, and there are still many research gaps in its concrete research. It is believed that with the deepening of research and the continuous enrichment and improvement of basic work such as typical corpus collection, the study of synonyms in ancient Chinese has broad prospects.