Explications of Four Difficult Characters Related to Steelyards in Dunhuang Manuscripts
studying phonetic loan words,analyzing the form of certain characters,and applying dialect words as proofs,this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of several difficult words related to steelyards in Dunhuang manuscripts.The analyzed words are:shi/xin 士/杜心,cheng sheng/chan秤笙/产,chengchu 秤厨,and shuhuang/laxing 鼠皇/巤星.Analysis of these words has concluded that the original writing of shixin 士/杜心 should be shixin 柿心,which means"the core of the persimmon tree";chengsheng/chan秤笙/产 should be chengjing秤茎,which means"weighing beam";chengchu秤厨 should be chengchui秤锤/鎚,which means"a sliding weight used in a steelyard";and shuhuang/laxing鼠皇/巤星 should be laxing 镴星,which indi-cates the tin gradations marked on the beams in steelyards.Explicating these characters will aid scholars in further studies of manufacturing centers in the Dunhuang area during the Tang and Five Dynasties periods.
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