摘要
"知/智"二字的本字是甲骨文中已有的从"()"(矢)、"口"的"()"字,可以直接隶定为"知".该字在甲骨文中用作动词,在"知乞骨"句中表达占卜之前加工卜甲、卜骨,或解释为钻孔加工.在殷商的信仰中,"知乞骨"绝对是一件神秘之事:神灵认可这些卜骨,并同意只有在经由这些卜骨沟通时,巫师才可以使用这些卜骨.由此,我们或可以推论,"知"字最早的意义,是在具体形容加工卜骨的同时,也表达甲骨能获得灵验之图谋,可用作神秘沟通之媒介.通过"知"这种神秘的加工行为,一般的龟甲和牛骨成为可知天意的卜甲、卜骨.在青铜器铭文上也出现"知/智"字,用来表达与崇高界的神秘沟通.战国楚简和传世文献也表达"知/智"含有神秘知通之意.所以,通过殷商以后"知/智"字的用义,可以看出该字以甲骨文"知"字为源头.从西周晚期以来,"知"字有"知""(智)""(暂)""(盤)"等数种写法,这些字形的字义都相同,所以它们都是"知"字的异构,在意义方面与神秘、明智等本义仍保留有一定的关系.
Abstract
The original character of"知/智"(knowledge/wisdom)is the oracle bone character"()"comprised of parts"()"(矢)and"口",the modern shape of which is"知".The oracle bone character"知"is used as a verb in the sentence"知乞骨"to express the processing of divination armor and bones before divination,or to interpret it as drilling and processing."知乞骨"is certainly a mysterious thing.In Yin Shang beliefs,the gods recognized these bones and agreed that the shaman could use them only when communicating through them.From this,we may infer that the earliest meaning of the word"knowledge"was to describe the processing of the divination bones and to express the idea of the oracle bones being used as a medium for mystical communication.Through this mysterious act of"knowledge",ordinary tortoise shells and cow bones became oracle tortoise shells and oracle bones that could be used to know the will of heaven.The word knowledge/wisdom also appears on bronze inscriptions to express the mysterious communication with the higher realms.Therefore,the use of the character"知/智"after the Yin and Shang dynasties shows that the character is based on the oracle bone character"知".Since the late Western Zhou Dynasty,the knowledge/wisdom has been written as"知""(智)""(暂)""(盟)".The meaning of all these characters is the same,so they are all variations of the character"知".
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