Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese: A Companion to Grammata Serica Recensa

450 Pages·2009·33.978 MB·English

by  Axel Schuessler

K 3425 3985
Chinese language
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“Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese succeeds admirably in the goals the
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author has set for it. The introduction is the clearest and most useful document of its s
(Contined from front flap) s
kind I have seen in recent years. It lays out in relatively few pages what others have l
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heretofore taken reams to express. The body of the work gives the reader the entire r A
syllable inventory of Old Chinese in a clear and useful format. The index and finding
important addition to Karlgren’s work is lthough long out of date, Bernard
list are well organized and allow quick access to the material in the text. I predict
an intermediate layer midway between Karlgren’s Grammata Serica Recensa
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the Old and Middle Chinese periods that it will become a standard handbook for sinologists in general, just as Kalgren’s MINIMAL (1957) remains the most convenient
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Grammata Serica and Grammata Serica Recensa have been during the past sixty
known as “Later Han Chinese” (ca. sec- work for looking up Middle Chinese
I
years.”—W. South Coblin, University of Iowa d
ond century AD). The additional layer N (ca. AD 600) and Old Chinese (be-
OLD CHINESE
makes this volume a useful resource for fore 200 BC) reconstructions of all
L
“The present work will fill the need for an updated and easy-to-use source for I
those working on Han sources, espe- graphs that occur in literature from
citing the various historically reconstructed stages of Chinese. It retains the basic AM
cially poetry. the beginning of writing (ca. 1250
and LATER
structure of Karlgren’s early works with one big difference: the inclusion of an
T BC) down to the third century BC. In
A
additional historical stage, Later Han Chinese. Schuessler’s work will allow a much
This book is intended as a “compan- the present volume, Axel Schuessler
E
ion” to the original Grammata Serica wider audience to access the most important result of Chinese historical phonology, L HAN CHINESE provides a more current reconstruc-
especially those not interested in specializing in the study of historical phonology. R
Recensa and therefore does not repeat tion of Old Chinese, limiting it, as far
It will also be a helpful resource for the linguist who, although familiar with the O
other information provided there. as possible, to those post-Karlgrenian
linguistic literature concerning Old Chinese, often needs a convenient way to look H
Matters such as English glosses and phonological features of Old Chinese
L
up reconstructions. Even those given to a more speculative turn of mind may well A Companion to
references to the earliest occurrence that enjoy some consensus among
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find that their work is greatly facilitated by Schuessler’s book. I believe that in a short D
of a graph can be looked up in Gram- today’s investigators. At the same time,
Grammata Serica Recensa
time Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese will become a standard reference N
mata Serica Recensa itself or in other the updating of the material disregards

on the active sinologist’s bookshelf.”—Jerry Norman, University of Washington
relevant dictionaries. The great accom- C more speculative theories and propos-

plishment of this companion volume C als. Schuessler refers to these mini-
H
is to update an essential reference and mal forms as “Minimal Old Chinese”
Also in the ABC Chinese Dictionary series H
thereby fulfill the need for an acces- I (OCM). He bases OCM on Baxter’s
sible and user-friendly source for citing IN 1992 reconstructions but with some
ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese
the various historically reconstructed N changes, mostly notational. In keep-
Axel Schuessler E
stages of Chinese. ing with its minimal aspect, the OCM
E
2007, 678 pages S forms are kept as simple as possible
Cloth ISBN 978-0-8248-2975-9 SE and transcribed in an equally simple
E notation. Some issues in Old Chinese
This is the first genuine etymological dictionary of Old Chinese written in any
phonology still await clarification;
language. As such, it constitutes a milestone in research on the evolution of the
Axel Schuessler is professor Axel Schuessler hence interpolations and proposals of
Sinitic language group. Whereas previous studies have emphasized the structure of
emeritus at Wartburg College in RGA limited currency appear in this update.
Waverly, Iowa. the Chinese characters, this pathbreaking dictionary places primary emphasis on the er C
sounds and meanings of Sinitic roots. Based on more than three decades of inten- ca
emo Karlgren’s Middle Chinese reconstruc-
sive investigation in primary and secondary sources, this completely new dictionary n m
sm tions, as emended by Li Fang-kuei, are
places Old Chinese squarely within the Sino-Tibetan language family (including a p
a widely cited as points of reference for
a
close consideration of numerous Tiberto-Burman languages), while paying due t
an historical forms of Chinese as well as
regard to other language families such as Austroasiatic, Miao-Yao (Hmong-Mien), i
So dialects. This emended Middle Chinese
and Kam-Tai. en
r is also supplied by Schuessler. Another
it
co
a
ISBN 978-0-8248-3264-3
Jacket design: Santos Barbasa Jr.
90000 (Continued on back flap)
University of Hawai‘i Press ABC Chinese Dictionary
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888 9 780824 832643
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
Minimal Old Chinese
and Later Han Chinese
ABC CHINESE DICTIONARY SERIES
Victor H. Mair, General Editor
The ABC Chinese Dictionary Series aims to provide a complete set of convenient and reliable reference
tools for all those who need to deal with Chinese words and characters. A unique feature of the series
is the adoption of a strict alphabetical order, the fastest and most user-friendly way to look up words in
a Chinese dictionary. Most volumes contain graphically oriented indices to assist in fmding characters
whose pronunciation is not known. The ABC dictionaries and compilations rely on the best expertise
available worldwide and are based on the application of new strategies for the study of Sinitic languages
and the Chinese writing system, including the first clear distinction between the etymology of words, on
the one hand, and the evolution ofs hapes, sounds, and meanings ofc haracters, on the other. While aiming
for conciseness and accuracy, series volumes also strive to apply the highest standards of lexicography in
all respects, including compatibility with computer technology for information processing. Some of the
dictionaries in this series are concerned with different varieties of modern Chinese, whereas others pres
ent the latest scholarly findings concerning earlier stages of development. All are aimed at facilitating the
research and reading of scholars and students alike.
Published Titles in the Series
ABC Chinese-English Dictionary (desk reference and pocket editions)
Edited by John DeFrancis
ABC Dictionary ofC hinese Proverbs
Edited by John S. Rohsenow
ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
Edited by John DeFrancis
An Alphabetical Index to the Hanyu Da Cidian
Edited by Victor H. Mair
Handbook of'Phags-pa Chinese
W. South Coblin
ABC Etymological Dictionary ofO ld Chinese
Axel Schuessler
Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese: A Companion
to Grammata Serica Recensa
Axel Schuessler
Minilllal Old Chinese
and Later Han Chinese
A Companion
to Grammata Serica Recensa
Axel Schuessler
University of Hawai'i Press
Honolulu
© 2009 University ofHawai'i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
14 13 12 11 10 09 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schuessler. Axel.
Minimal old Chinese and later Han Chinese : a companion to Grammata serica recensa / Axel Schuessler.
p. cm. - (ABC Chinese dictionary series)
ISBN 978-0-8248-3264-3 (hardcover: alk. paper)
1. Chinese language-Ancient Chinese. 600-1200-Phonology. 1. Karlgren. Bernhard. 1889-1978.
Grammata serica recensa. II. Title. III. Title: Companion to Grammata serica recensa.
PL1201.S352009
940.54'4910943-dc22
2008061455
University ofHawai'i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and
meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Council on Library Resources.
Camera-ready copy prepared by the author.
Printed by Edwards Brothers. Inc.
CONTENTS
PREFACE ................................................................................................................. ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... xiii
GSC ENTRIES ......................................................................................................... xv
TRANSCRIPTIONS .................................................................................................. xix
SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................... xxi
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... I
APPROACHES TO THE HISTORY OF CHINESE .................................................. I
1.1 Alphabetic records ........................................................................................ I
1.2 The comparative method and internal reconstruction ......................................... 2
1.3 The philological approach ............................................................................. 3
1.4 Segments of a Chinese syllable ....................................................................... 3
1.5 Ancient stages and dialects ............................................................................ 4
2 MIDDLE CHINESE AND THE QIEYUN .............................................................. 5
2.1 The rime dictionary Qieyun ............................................................................ 5
2.2 MC notational systems .................................................................................. 6
2.3 Middle Chinese tones .................................................................................... 6
2.4 The QYS (MC) medials and 'Divisions' ~ ....................................................... 7
2.5 Problems with the Qieyiln and Middle Chinese ................................................. 9
3 OLD CHINESE: PHONETIC SERIES .................................................................. 10
3.1 Composite graphs ....................................................................................... 10
3.2 The Xiesheng principle ................................................................................ II
3.3 Incongruous series ...................................................................................... 12
4 OLD CHINESE THROUGH INTERNAL RECONSTRUCTION ............................ 12
4.1 The distribution of QY initials ...................................................................... 12
4.2 MC initial y- .............................................................................................. 13
4.3 MC palatal initials ...................................................................................... 13
4.4 Me medial wand u ..................................................................................... 13
4.5 OC consonant clusters and *r ........................................................................ 14
4.6 OC syllable types A and B: QYS Div. III and medial yod .................................. 16
5 OLD CHINESE THROUGH THE XIESHENG SYSTEM ........................................ 17
5.1 Initial consonants ....................................................................................... 17
5.2 Chongniii doublets ...................................................................................... 20
5.3 OC sources of MC tones ............................................................................... 22
5.4 Summary of OC rimes ................................................................................. 25
5.5 Summary of OC initials ............................................................................... 26
6 MINIMAL OLD CHINESE: PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA ................................... 27
7 LATER HAN CHINESE .................................................................................... 29
7.1 Phonemes .................................................................................................. 29
7.2 No consonant clusters .................................................................................. 29
v
CONTENTS
7.3 Palatalization of certain velar consonants ....................................................... 29
7.4 Tones and vowel length ............................................................................... 29
7.5 LHan Final -s ............................................................................................. 30
7.6 Vowel bending or warping ........................................................................... 30
8 HAN PERIOD SOURCES ON PHONOLOGY ....................................................... 31
8.1 The Shuowenjiezi ........................................................................................ 31
8.2 Sound glosses ............................................................................................. 32
9 INTERPRETATIONS OF IRREGULAR PHONETIC COMPOUNDS ....................... 34
9.1 Premises .................................................................................................... 34
9.2 Illustrations for premises and assumptions ..................................................... 35
10 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 39
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 40
oeM rime *-a Yu bi! J.iit:g~ ................................................................ 45
2 OCM rime *-ak Duo bi! ~:g~ ............................................................... 64
3 OCM rime *-aIJ Yang bi! ~$ .............................................................. 75
4 OCM rime *-::> Zhfbi! Z$ ...................................................... ··· ...... 91
5 OCM rime *-::>k Zhi bi! ~$ ............................................................... 107
6 OCM rime *-::>1) Zheng bil ~$ ................................ '" ....................... 114
7 OCM rime *-e Zhfbil 3t$ .............................................................. 119
8 OCM rime *-ek Xfbi! ~:g~ ................................................................ 129
9 OCM rime *-el) Geng bi! fJl::g~ ............................................................ 135
10 OCM rime *-0 Hou bi! 1~$ ............................................................. 145
11 OCM rime *-ok Wii bi! .§!$ ............................................................. 156
12 OCM rime *-01) Dong bi! *:g~ ........................................................... 162
13 OCM rime *-u You bi! ~$ ............................................................. 170
14 oeM rime *-uk Jut! bi! .$ ............................................................... 185
15 oeM rime *-ul) Dong bil ~$ ........................................................... 190
16 OCM rime *-au Xiao bil W$ ........................................................... 193
17 OCM rime *-auk Yao bi! ~$ ............................................................. 205
18 oeM rime *-ai Ge bil ~$ (1) .......................................................... 210
19 oeM rime *-oi, *-wai Ge bil ~$ (2) .......................................................... 219
20 OCM rime *-et, *-es Yue-n bil J'j ~$ (1) ................................................ 225
21 OCM rime *-at, *-as Yue-n bil J'j ~$ (2) ................................................ 230
22 OCM rime *-ot, *-wat, *-os, *-was Yue-n bil J'j ~$ (3) .................................. 239
23 OCM rime *-en Ymin bU 7t$ (1) ...................................................... 244
24 oeM rime *-an Yuan bU 7t$ (2) ...................................................... 251
25 OCM rime *-on, *-wan Yuan bil 7t$ (3) ...................................................... 264
26 OCM rime *-i, *-::>i Zhfbil ~~$ .............................................................. 275
27 OCM rime *-::>i Wei bil 17'&:g~ (1) ........................................................ 286
28 OCM rime *-ui, *w::>i Wei bil 17'&$ (2) ........................................................ 290
29 oeM rime *-it, *-i(t)s Zhl bil 1i$ .............................................................. 296
30 OCM rime *-::>t, *-::>(t)s Wil bil to/1:g~ (1) ........................................................ 305
31 oeM rime *-ut, *-u(t)s Wil bil to/1$ (2) ........................................................ 311
vi
CONTENTS
32 OCM rime *-in Zhen bil J!:$ ............................................................ 316
33 OCM rime *-;m Wen bil )($ (1) ....................................................... 325
34 OCM rime *-un, *-w~n Wen bil )($ (2) ....................................................... 333
35 OCM rime *-ap, *-ep He bil :ffii$ .............................................................. 341
36 OCM rime *-am, *-em Tan bil ~$ ............................................................. 346
37 OCM rime *-~p, *-ip Qfbil ~'€fB ................................................................ 354
38 OCM rime *-~m, *-im Qfn bil 15t$ ............................................................. 359
GSR NUMBER = GSCNUMBER ............................................................................... 369
PINYIN INDEX ....................................................................................................... 375
TABLES
Table 1-1: MC Div. 3/3 without OCB medial *r ....................................................... 21
Table 1-2: OCM final *-s ..................................................................................... 24
Table 1-3: Karlgren's voiced final *-g .................................................................... 24
Table 1-4: LHan vowel bending ............................................................................ 30
Table I-I: OCM rimes *-al), *-ak, *-a in QYS categories .......................................... 45
Table 2-1: Comparison of OCM rimes *-al) , *-ak with *-el), *-ek ................................. 64
Table 4-1: OCM rimes *-{)I), *-~k, *-~ in QYS categories ........................................... 91
Table 7-1: Comparison of OC *-i, *-e and *-ai in QYS Divisions .............................. 119
Table 8-1: OCM rimes *-el), *-ek, *-e in QYS categories ......................................... 129
Table 10-1: OCM rimes *-01), *-ok, *-0 in QYS categories ........................................ 145
Table 13-1: OCM rimes *-ul), *-uk, *-u in QYS categories ........................................ 170
Table 16-1: Comparison of OCM rimes *-auk, *-uk, *-(i)au, *-(i)u ............................. 193
Table 17-1: Comparison of OCM rimes *-ek, *-ak, *-auk, *-uk .................................. 205
Table 20-1: OCM rimes *-en, *-et, *-e(t)s in QYS categories ..................................... 225
Table 21-1: OCM rimes *-an, *-at, *-a(t)s, *-ai in QYS categories .............................. 230
Table 25-1: OCM rimes *-on / *-wan, *-ot / *-wat, *-oi / *-wai in QYS categories ........ 264
Table 26-1: OCM rimes *-i, *-~i, *-ui and *-~ in QYS categories ................................ 275
Table 28-1: OCM rimes *-un / -w~n, *-ut and *-ui / -w~i ........................................... 290
Table 30-1: OCM rimes *-;;m, *-{)t, *-:;)(t)s, *-:;)i in QYS categories .............................. 305
Table 31-1: OCM rimes *-ut, *-w~t, *-wit, *-ui, *-u(t)s, *-w~i, *-w:;)(t)s, *-wi(t)s ........... 311
Table 32-1: OCM rimes *-in, *-it, *-(t)s, *-i in QYS categories .................................. 316
Table 33-1: OCM rimes *-in, *-:;)n, *-it, *-:;)t ............................................................ 325
Table 34-1: OCM rimes *-un, *-w:;)n, *-win, *-ut, *-w:;)t, *-wit. ................................... 333
Table 35-1: OCM rimes *-am, *-ap, *-em, *-ep in QYS categories ............................. 341
Table 38-1: OCM rimes *-~m, *-:;)p, *-im, *-ip in QYS finals ..................................... 359
vii

PREFACE
Bernhard Karlgren's Archaic Chinese (= Old Chinese, OC) as presented in his standard work
Grammata Serica Recensa (GSR) of 1957 has long been outdated. This present manual is an
attempt to update GSR with a relatively simple "Minimal Old Chinese" (OCM, for OC
Minimal) which incorporates those features on which there is broad agreement among
investigators today. Though this manual can be thought of as a Grammata Serica Recensa
update, I will refer to it as Grammata Serica Companion (GSC) for short.
The perception of the mysterious nature and confusing state of OC has been shaped by
several factors. First, GSR does not present the data in a transparently organized fashion, so
that only patient scrutiny reveals what the OC system is, behind Karlgren's bewildering
diacritics and phonetic symbols. The ordinary user has to take Karlgren's, or anyone's,
authority at face value. Secondly, the experts' arguments are so specialized and arcane that
only the initiated are in a position to follow them. The Introduction to this manual attempts to
provide an overview over some of the terms and issues, demystify OC if you will, so that
outsiders may have some notion of the data, sources and theories on which expert arguments
are based. Thirdly, superficially scholars do not seem to agree on much, because they debate
unclear issues and not the many features of OC on which there is a tacit consensus. Further
more, old settled issues in Middle Chinese (MC) and OC phonology are periodically raised
again so that the non-expert must conclude that almost all about OC is still up in the air.
Since the publication of GSR, historical linguists have tried to simplify and systematize
Karlgren's reconstructions, have suggested emendations or their own OC systems which
sometimes look as different from each other as if they were different languages. Compare, for
example, (P: = Pulleyblank):
Karlgren GSR Baxter 1992 Sag art 1999 Pan 2000 OCM
'today' 4 kL~m k(r)j~m -im krwm bm
'remember' ~ ni~m nims [am~_ ]anem-s mqlUIms nfms
r
'offspring' tsi~g tsj~? "tsi? splw· ts~?
'plum' $ 1i~g rj~? b-rw· r~?
'offense' ml dz'w~d dzuj? sblul· dzui?
'think, be' 'liE dLw~r wjij bt(~)-wij wi
'little bird' 1E ~Lw~r btU[j] P: kwj~l tui
After Karlgren, the field seems to have fallen apart. The occasional user of OC material
probably finds it difficult or impossible to tell which OC proposals are just an author's latest
theories, ideas and speculations, and what is actually widely accepted.) For the purposes of
OCM, we will attempt to separate generally agreed OC features from more speculative and
probing hypotheses - however valuable and insightful they may be - which are often
presented in such definitive language that an unsuspecting reader may think he now has the
OC language in front of him to work with.
Witness comments like this by the Indo-Europeanist Douglas Adams: "There are a number of
I
'competing' systems of [OC) reconstruction (Karlgren, Pulleyblank, Li) whose inherent likelihood and
mutual interrelationships can baffle the outsider" (JIES 23, 3e4, 1995: 401).
ix