摘要
目前有关"帝"字之本义的观点有十数种之多,其中"花蒂说"或"根蒂说""束柴说""十字说""北极说""通天树说""神柱说"等影响较大,比较小众的观点还有"女阴说""人形说""玄鸟说""祭台说""太阳说"等。这些观点基本都是从文字学、文化人类学、神话学以及民俗学等视角得出的结论,缺乏民族文化发生学的深层基础。基于辨方正位、校准节气之现实需求的上古"测天术"是中华文明之核心观念的最重要源头,"帝"是测天系统之核心元素——测天表木即天杆的摹形。作为沟通天人的神圣之物,"天杆"顺理成章地成为宇宙最高主宰"帝"的象征。"辛"则是"帝"的简写,与"帝"一样,成为古代大酋长神圣通天权的顶级标志符号。上古时期的一些重要地名、人名用字,如"干""单""毕""亳""重""童""章""徐"等,都与"天杆"直接相关。
The original meaning of Di(帝, emperor) has been an enduring topic for discussion. Both Chinese and international scholars have done significant research regarding this topic. Their research has uncovered many perspectives,however, a consensus has not been reached up to now. The study concerning the original meaning of Di(帝) is not simply a topic in palaeography, but it involves the aspects of cultural studies from the examination of Chinese characters and the explanation of symbols, to the interpretation of literature. Di(帝) is the imitative form of the sacred pole(天杆), in which ancient Chinese people set up a pole on the ground in the sunlight for calendar reading and time telling, deciphered from its shadow. As such, the sacred pole, which was taken as a communication channel between the people and their deity,understandably became the symbol of Di(帝), the ruler of the world. Xin(辛) is an abbreviation of Di(帝), and like Di(帝), it became the primary symbol for ancient tribal chiefs to communicate with their deity. In ancient times, some significant places and people names, such as Gan(干), Shang(单), Bi(毕), Bo(亳), Chong(重), Tong(童), Zhang(章), Xu(徐), etc., were all related directly to the sacred pole(天杆).
出处
《南开学报（哲学社会科学版）》
CSSCI
北大核心
2020年第4期143-152,共10页
Nankai Journal:Philosophy,Literature and Social Science Edition
关键词
帝
辛
天杆
Di(帝)
Xin(辛)
Sacred Pole(天杆)
