本文主要在于省吾先生考釋卜辭昱（翌）字初形為古刀形的基礎上，將酷肖刀形的翌字與金文刀字、商青銅刀形作具體細致的對比，發現卜辭「翌」字形與商直柄刀及卷頭刀的形制特徵高度吻合，同時亦能在商金文中找到與翌字形體相近的刀字。文中並提出、、朷三字在甲金文中刀、翌偏旁偶有混用的現象。根據以上兩項證據確立卜辭翌字確實像古刀形，于先生之說，可以信從。接著梳理卜辭翌字最初構形應為从日从翌之「■」，最早的用法是指「日」的未來時稱，進而提出「」字是从日从翌（刀）的會意字，用以刀（翌）分日的分日、別日之概念，來表達有別於現在的未來時間詞。在「干支」一常見詞組結合緊密不影響辨義的客觀條件下，省略「日」旁為「翌干支」，並線條化變形各式異寫，至晚期卜辭中增聲符「立」作「■」《合》28950，所从之「■」旁，最終隸變為「羽」形，形成今日楷書之「翌」字。

On the basis of Mr. Yu Xin-gwu’s examination of the oracle bone script character “昱(翌)” that concludes it was originally shaped like an ancient knife, this study compares the knife-like character “翌” with the “刀” (dāo) character in bronze inscriptions and the specific features of Shang dynasty bronze knives, and finds that the form of the oracle bone character “翌” closely matches the characteristics of Shang dynasty straight-handled knives and scroll-headed knives. Additionally, the “刀” (dāo) character that is similar to “翌” are found in Shang bronze inscriptions. The paper also notes that in oracle bone inscriptions, the radicals for the characters■、■、 and 朷 are occasionally used interchangeably with “刀” and “翌.” Based on this evidence, it is established that the oracle bone character “翌” indeed resembles the ancient knife shape, supporting Mr. Yu’s view. Next, it is analyzed that the original form of the oracle bone character “翌” was a combination of “日” and “翌”. Its earliest usage referred to the future days. It is also proposed that the character “■” is a compound ideogram of “日” and “翌”(刀), with the concept of “刀(翌) dividing days,” to signify future time distinct from the present. In context like “■干支” (yì gān zhī), where the combination is close and does not affect the meaning, the “日” radical is omitted, leading to “翌干支” and various forms. In the late oracle bone inscriptions, the phonetic component “立” was added to create “■”, in which “■” eventually evolved into the “羽” shape in clerical script, resulting in the modern standard character “翌”.

甲骨文;翌;溯源;初形

Oracle Bone Script; “翌” (yì); Origins; Original Form