Study On Quoting Shuowen Items Of The Four Leishus In The Sui And Tang Dynasties

Shuowen Jiezi written by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty is the first work of the Science of Chinese Character. It’s the first time to edit the book according to character’s pictogram. It has already been for almost 2,000 years. In the meantime, many scholars changed some words according to their thoughts and craftsmen made some mistakes during copying this book. We haven’t seen the original book so far, so we don’t know what had happened during the process of circulation. These are the problems researchers pay attention most and the reason why we chose this subject.We haven’t seen the original book and the full version of Shuowen Jiezi in the Sui and Tang dynasties. The study of Shuowen Xue before the Song Dynasty was very few due to lacking of materials. This is what needs to be research and supplement. To explore the history of "Shuowen Xue", study the circulating evolution and the version of"Shuowen Jiezi" before Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’ version, recover the original appearance of "Shuowen Jiezi". It’s necessary to make full use of books and records which quoting Shuowen before the Song Dynasty,collate and analyze, make the comprehensive and in-depth research and get rid of the way of study focusing on Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’ version,which we name "Yin Shuowen Study"."Yin Shuowen Study" is a new field of study in academic circles that has been paying more attention."Yin Shuowen Study" means compiling and researching Shuowen mainly through books and records quoting the ancient version of Shuowen before the Song Dynasty. In order to compile the ancient version of Shuowen, we study all kinds of situations and problems of versions during the process of circulating, and then collate and supplement current version of Shuowen. The study aims to access to the original appearance of "Shuowen Jiezi" and perfect the history of Shuowen study before the Song dynasty. This paper’s work is a part of "Yin Shuowen Study",which lacks basis.The Leishu of Sui and Tang dynasty are not only earlier than Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version, but also collect many kinds of books. The Leishu have dual characteristics of "encyclopedia"and "information compilation", the materials in that always close to primary books and records. Some of the Leishu include different kinds of knowledge, and the others focus on one kind of knowledge.The Leishu spreading to now which include different kinds of knowledge mainly have four books:Beitang Shuchao by Yu Shinan in the Sui dynasty, Yiwen Leiju by Ouyang Xun and Chuxueji by Xu Jian in the earlier Tang dynasty, and Baishiliutieshileiji by Bai Juyi in the middle Tang dynasty. This four Leishu spread widely, so many books and records recorded in them have been saved and attract attention of academic circles. There are more than 510 items of Shuowen in four Leishu, involving 109 radicals and 394 character-categories of Shuowen (the Chu25 and Chu26 including 111 items,the data was counted individually because of the complicated situation), but only about 20% items are same to Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version. This situation is worth noticing, so we decided to study this phenomenon.The ideas and methods in this paper are as follows:Firstly, we compile the quoting Shuowen materials of the four Leishus of the Sui and Tang dynasties exhaustively. Secondly, we study the same quoting Shuowen items among the four Leishus,and collate the corresponding items among quoting Shuowen materials,Xu Xuan、 Xu Kai’version and the incomplete hand-written copies in the Tang dynasty by the way of comparative analysis. We summarize the similarities and differences, and comb all the variant characters. Lastly, we comprehensively use the way of the Science of Chinese Character, Xungu Science,Chinese phonology and Chinese traditional philology, refer to the previous books and records and research results, analyze all the variant characters,make quantitative and qualitative study to compile and supplement the current version Shuowen. On this basis, we try to comb and find the development and evolution track of Shuowen, to study the version problem and find the original appearance of Shuowen.The whole article consists of seven parts:Chapter one:Introduction describes the reasons of selecting the theme, refers the concept of "Yin Shuowen Study",and introduces the present situation,current problems and development direction of "Yin Shuowen Study".It also introduces basic situation, document value of the four Leishu of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the connection between this paper’s study and "Yin Shuowen Study".Chapter two:The compilation which the four Leishu of the Sui and Tang dynasties quote Shuowen Jiezi, we compile 510 items of Shuowen Jiezi that quoted by this four Leishu. The compilation includes 68 items of Beitang Shuchao, referring Shuowen Jiezi’s 33 radicals and 61 character-categories; 154 items of Yiwen Leiju, referring Shuowen Jiezi’s 53 radicals and 148 character-categories (1 character is same to new added characters of Xu Xuan’s version,4 characters aren’t included in Xu Xuan’s version.);259 items of Chuxueji, referring Shuowen Jiezi’s 70 radicals and 238 character-categories (the Chu25 and Chu26 including 111 items, the data was counted individually because of the complicated situation.);29 items of Baishi Liutie, referring Shuowen Jiezi’s 19 radicals and 27 character-categories.Chapter three:The comparative analysis between the items which the four Leishu of the Sui and Tang dynasties quoted Shuowen Jiezi and Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version. According to Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version and incomplete manuscripts of the Tang dynasty, we compare 510 items of Shuowen Jiezi that quoted by Beitang Shuchao,Yiwen Leiju,Chuxueji and Baishi Liutie, and then analysis the similarities and differences, study qualitatively by textual research and sort. The results of comparative study are as follows:1.There are 94 items(18.65%) which the four Leishu of the Sui and Tang dynasties quoted Shuowen Jiezi and Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version quoted are completely identical.2. There are 16 items (3.17%) same to Xu Xuan’s version.3.18 items(3.57%) are same to Xu Kai’ version.4.The other items(almost 80%) are different from Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version.These different items have an important meaning and value to the study of Shuowen.Via comparison, we find that the existing order of Shuowen Jiezi has some problems(such as missing out of words,redundancies of words,wrongly written characters and disorder phenomenon),and the quoting materials of Chuxueji can make up the order of Shuowen Jiezi.Chapter four:The comparative analysis to corresponding quoting items of Shuowen among the four Leishu of the Sui and Tang dynasties.We comb and analyze the same items (72 teams) of quoting Shuowen in two or more than two books among Beitang Shuchao, Yiwen Leiju, Chuxueji and Baishi Liutie. By referring to the quoting case of the former period or the same period’s books and records, we find the evolution track and explore their reasons. On this basis, we search the circulation of the manuscript of Shuowen in Sui and Tang dynasties, and provide enough evidences to recover the original Shuowen Jiezi.Chapter Five:Textual research on quoting Shuowen items of the four Leishu in the Sui and Tang dynasties. The major work is to study and do textual research on the other quoting Shuowen items except for the same items of the four Leishu, in order to collate the existing Shuowen based on quoting Shuowen items. According to conservative statistics, there are 151 quoting Shuowen items (15 items from Beitang Shuchao,47 items from Yiwen Leiju,84items from Chuxueji,5 items from Baishi Liutie, these items take nearly one third of total quoting Shuowen items of four Leishu) that can be used to collate and supplement Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’version.There are 105 items (9items from Beitang Shuchao,31 items from Yiwen Leiju,49 items from Chuxueji,16 items from Baishi Liutie, these items take one fifth of total quoting Shuowen items of four Leishu) which cannot be judged,but we can use them to make the further study of Shuowen and provide the reference. There are total 256 items and takes nearly half of quoting Shuowen items. These evidences are enough to prove the important value for Shuowen, Shuowen study and the history of Shuowen Xue.Chapter Six:Analysis of variant characters that "Shuowen Jiezi" quoted by different version of the four Leishu in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Study the differences and similarities between Songben’s photocopy of the Beitang Shuchao and the SiKu QuanShu version, Yiwen Leiju collated by Wang Shaoying and the SiKu QuanShu version, Chuxueji collated by Si Yizu and the SiKu QuanShu version, Songben’s photocopy of the Baishi Liutie and the SiKu QuanShu version, and search for the reasons of different version.Chapter Seven:Concluding remarks. We summarize the basic situation of quoting Shuowen of the four Leishus in the Sui and Tang dynasties and some thinking and ideas in research. We plan the follow-up works, prospect the further study.The main innovation of this paper:1.We compile all-round materials of quoting Shuowen of the four Leishus in the Sui and Tang dynasties. We propose the "Yin Shuowen Study" for the first time, and make the research according to this.2.We make full use of XuXuan、XuKai’version and incomplete manuscripts of the Tang dynasty, and use the way of the Science of Chinese Character, Xungu Science, Chinese phonology and Chinese traditional philology comprehensively. Referring to the books and records and research results of the Qing dynasty, we make philological studies of ancient texts and analyze quoting Shuowen of the four Leishus in the Sui and Tang dynasties,and try to comb the development and evolution track of Shuowen Jiezi, and make quantitative and qualitative study to compile and supplement the current Shuowen Jiezi, and search the edition of Shuowen before Xu Xuan、Xu Kai’s version, and study the version problem and try to find the original appearance of Shuowen Jiezi in a certain range3.Question the integrity of existing "the order of Shuowen Jiezi", and point out some mistakes and losses there, and make use of "the order of Shuowen Jiezi"quoted by Chuxueji to complete "the order of Shuowen Jiezi". Put forward the viewpoint about the style and forms of character-category of Shuowen.The main deficiency of this paper:The treatment of 111 items of Chu25 and Chu26 quoted by Chuxueji might cause dispute.This paper doesn’t collect different edition of the four Leishus in Sui and Tang dynasties completely.As a result, we can’t get the all variant characters which in Shuowen quoted by Leishu, it may affect the objectivity of conclusion.