Shizhoupian

The Shizhoupian (Chinese: 史籀篇; pinyin: Shǐzhòupiān) is the first known Chinese dictionary, and was written in the ancient Great Seal script. The work was traditionally dated to the reign of King Xuan of Zhou (827–782 BCE), but many modern scholars assign it to the State of Qin in the Warring States period (c. 475–221 BCE). The text is no longer fully extant, and it is now known only through fragments.

The Shuowen Jiezi entry for zǐ (子 "child", showing the Small Seal Script (top right), ancient script (top left), and Zhòuwén Zhou Script (bottom left) forms.[1]

History

The Shizhoupian dictionary, which was probably compiled sometime between 700 BCE to 200 BCE, originally consisted of 15 chapters (篇 piān), but six were lost by the reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han (25–56 CE) and the other nine chapters, except for scattered references, were lost by the Jin dynasty (266–420).[2]

Title

Until recently, it was thought that the dictionary title referred to Shǐ Zhòu (史籀 "Historian Zhou"), who allegedly served as Grand Historian (Tàishǐ 太史) in the court of Western Zhou King Xuan (r. 827–782 BCE). Both the c. 78 CE "Treatise on Literature" chapter of the Book of Han and the 121 CE Shuowen Jiezi postface record that King Xuan's "Historian Zhou" compiled the Shizhoupian.[3]

The philologist Wang Guowei (1877–1927) disputed this traditional account with epigraphical evidence that the structure and style of the Shizhoupian characters did not match inscriptions from the Western Zhou period.[4] Wang also doubted that zhòu (籀) was a person's surname, interpreting it to mean dú (讀, "to study and understand the meaning of books; to read"), and concluded the dictionary title was likely taken from the first sentence Taishi zhoushu (太史籀書, "the Grand Historian reads the records").[5][6][7]

The linguist Táng Lán (唐蘭, 1901–1979) hypothetically identified Shi Zhou (史籀, "Historian Zhou"), who is only recorded in Shizhoupian contexts, with the differently named Shi Liu (史留, Historian Liu) listed in the Book of Han chapter on "Notable Persons Past and Present".[5] In the Zhengzhang system of Old Chinese reconstructions these two words were pronounced *l'ɯwɢs (籀) and *m·ru (劉). An ancient ding tripodal cauldron in the collection of the Shanghai Museum mentioned a Historian Liu from the correct historical period.[8]

Modern scholars believe that zhou (籀) does not refer to a person, but means "read; chant". The lexicographer Liu Yeqiu (劉叶秋) suggested that the word shi (史) may refer to the title given to students in ancient times who could recite 9,000 characters, with the title thus translated as "Shi (Reciters') Chants".[2]

Zhou script

The term zhòuwén (籀文, Zhou Script) refers to the 220-some examples of ancient characters from the Shizhoupian that are quoted in the Han dynasty character dictionary Shuowen Jiezi.[9] The zhouwen characters have been described as generally symmetrical and balanced, and are on average (although not always) more complex than the later seal characters.[5] They contain many swirls and circles in place of later squared or rectilinear forms.

References
  1. Qiu 2000, p. 73.
  2. Creamer 1992, p. 111.
  3. Galambos 2006, pp. 154–155.
  4. Qiu 2000, pp. 72–77.
  5. Qiu 2000, p. 74.
  6. Chén 2003, p. 17.
  7. Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn pp. 1677, 1259.
  8. Chén 2003, pp. 17–19.
  9. Qiu 2000, p. 72.

Sources
  • Chén, Zhāoróng 陳昭容 (2003), 秦系文字研究 ﹕从漢字史的角度考察 [Research on the Qin Lineage of Writing: An Examination from the Perspective of the History of Chinese Writing], Academia Sinica, Institute of History and Philology Monograph, ISBN 957-671-995-X.
  • Creamer, Thomas B. I. (1992), "Lexicography and the history of the Chinese language", in Zgusta, Ladislav (ed.), History, Languages, and Lexicographers, Niemeyer, pp. 105–135, ISBN 978-3-484-30941-8.
  • Galambos, Imre (2006), Orthography of early Chinese writing: evidence from newly excavated manuscripts, Budapest monographs in East Asian Studies, vol. 1, Department of East Asian Studies, Eötvös Loránd University, ISBN 978-963-463-811-7.
  • Qiu, Xigui (2000), Chinese writing, trans. by Gilbert L. Mattos and Jerry Norman, Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China and The Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, ISBN 978-1-55729-071-7. (English translation of Wénzìxué Gàiyào 文字學概要, Shangwu, 1988.)
  • 漢語大字典. Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn, 1992. 湖北辭書出版社和四川辭書出版社 Húběi Císhū Chūbǎnshè and Sìchuān Císhū Chūbǎnshè; Taiwanese reprint (traditional characters) from 建宏出版社 Jiànhóng Publ. in Taipei. ISBN 957-813-478-9.
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