匈奴、单于、撐犂、祁连、阏氏、居次等译音词误读千载而不知
作者:***
扈怎么读来源:《敦煌研究》2023年第05期
        内容摘要:匈奴、单于、撐犂、祁连、阏氏、居次等词,是古匈奴语译音词。译音词的读音当与古匈奴语原音相对应。后世,汉字读音有变,但这些民族语译音词则应保持其原译字的读音不变。这是“译音词”的一大特性。若译音词不读其原译音,便失去译音词的职质及作用,不堪称之为译音词了。匈奴——古读“honɡ-nu”(洪奴),今误读作“xionɡ-nu”(兄奴);单于——古读“dan-wu”(丹乌),今误读作“chān-yü”(缠于);撐犂——古读“tanɡ-li”(唐犂),今误读作“chenɡ-li”(称犂);祁连——古读“tan-li”(谈犂),即“撐犂”(tānɡ-lī)、“登里”、“邓林”、“腾格里”之别译。今误读作“qi-lian”(齐莲);阏氏——古读“曷氐”(at-di急读,则为a-di=阿抵),今误读作“yan-zhi”(烟支);居次——古读“ɡu-zi”(姑子),别译为“股紫”,今误读作“jü-cì”(拘赐)。类似上述误读之译音词颇多,如:居延、姑衍、呼衍、渾邪、浑耶、昆邪、呼延、壶衍、握衍,虞衍、朐衍、屈射、五船,车师、姑师、恶师,龟兹、屈兹、苦叉、库策、库撤、苦先、库徹、库车,月氏、月支、禺氏、樾支,皋兰、贺兰、合黎、瓠、胡卢、壶卢、哈喇、哈儿,高句骊、高句丽、高丽、加罗、新罗,靺鞨、勿吉、窩集,吉贝、古贝、劫贝,曲尤(典尤)、苦峪,塔里屯、滩纳泰、达尔图
、达里图,都尔伯勒津、得尔布津、杜尔柏津、都尔伯珍、朵里伯珍、朶里伯真、塔爾巴津、跌烈半金等等。以今音读之,彼此隔膜,似不相干。其中某些译音词,古代学者已有注音,但今人不知所用注字之古音,而用今音读之,乃成误读而不知其误。
        关键词:匈奴;古匈奴语;译音词
        中图分类号:K870.6 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1000-4106(2023)05-0040-09
        A Study on Transliterated Words That Have Been Mispronounced
        for a Thousand Years
        LI Zhengyu
        (Dunhuang Academy, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu)
        Abstract:Many words from ancient documents such as xiongnu匈奴, chanyu单于, chenli撐犂, qilian祁连, yanzhi阏氏 and juci居次are all transliterations of ancient Xiongnu words. The pronunciations of transliterated words should thus correspond to their original pronunciations in the ancient Xiongnu langu
age. In later times, the pronunciations of the Chinese characters used to write these words evolved, but the original pronunciations of the words remained unchanged. This is a fundamental characteristic of transliterated words; if a transliterated term is not read with its original pronunciation, it will lose the function of a transliterated word and should no longer be considered as such.
        In ancient times, the original Xiongnu pronunciation of xiongnu匈奴 was pronounced “hong-nu”(洪奴), and is now pronounced as “xiong-nu”(兄奴); similarly, chanyu 单于 was pronounced “dan-wu”(丹乌) in ancient times, and now as “chān-yü”(缠于); chenɡli 撐犂 was pronounced “tanɡ-li”(唐犂) in ancient times, and now as “chenɡ-li”(称犂); qilian祁连 was pronounced “tan-li”(谈犂), which was an alternate transliteration of “tānɡ-lī”(alternately transliterated as 撐犂, 登里, 邓林, or 腾格里), in ancient times, and as “qi-lian”(齐莲) today; yanzhi 阏氏 was pronounced “at-di”(曷氐), or “a-di”(阿抵) if pronounced quickly, and as “yan-zhi”(烟支) today; juci 居次 was pronounced “ɡu-zi”(姑子), and was also translated differently as “ɡu-zi”(股紫), but is now pronounced “jü-cì”(拘赐).
        There are many examples of mispronounced transliterated words, including: juyan居延, guyan姑
衍, huyan呼衍, hunxie渾邪, hunye渾耶, and many more. If read with their contemporary pronunciations, the two characters that form these words appear to be completely unrelated to one another. Among such transliterated words, some terms have been provided with phonetic notations by ancient scholars, but modern readers are unfamiliar with the ancient pronunciations of the characters used for phonetic notation and instead read them in their modern pronunciations. Many transliterated terms are mispronounced for this reason.
        Keywords: ancient Xiongnu language; ancient pronunciation; transliterated words; correction
        (Translated by WANG Pingxian)
        匈奴、单于、撐犂、祁连、阏氏、居次等词,是古匈奴语译音词。译音词的读音,当与古民族语原音相对应。清吴玉搢指出:“盖夷狄之名,初无定字,译者各以其声之相近者传之。”[1]古民族语的原音今已不可得知,但从其始译时代的原译音可得其仿佛。所谓“得其仿佛”,是由于汉语及汉字多难恰切表达他种民族词语的原音,只能大体模拟其近似之音或省译其音,期与原音从同或相近,较匈奴语原音会有某些差异,但可得其“近是”或“近似”。
        后世,汉字读音有变。但这些民族语译音词则应保持其原译字的读音不变。这是“译音词”的一大特性。若译音词不读其原音,便丧失了“译音词”的职质及作用。匈奴、单于、撐犂、祁连、阏氏、居次等“古译音词”今人不读其原音而用今音读之,于是,这类“古译音词”被异化变质,沦落成既不表音也就丧失其表义功能,没有资格称之为词了。
        为使这类误读千载的“译音词”回归其本位,谨以所举六例加以辨析,祈正于明达诸君。
        1. 匈奴
        “匈奴”一词始见于《逸周书》:“匈奴狡犬,狡犬者巨身。”又曰:“正北空同、大夏、莎车、姑他、旦略、貎胡、戎翟、匈奴、楼烦、月氏、孅犁、其龙、东胡,请令以槖驼、白玉、野马、騊駼、駅騠、良弓为献。”[2]《逸周书》为战國时人托古之作,据此可知“匈奴”一名当为战国时期所译匈奴语译音词。今人皆读作xiōnɡ-nú,但战国、秦汉时期尚无现代汉语的X(希)声母。X声母是后世从上古ɡ、k、h、z、c、s演变出来的。这就是说,战国及秦、汉时期原本没有“xionɡ-nu”这样的语音,更何谈出现xionɡ-nu(匈奴)这种译音词。
        为行文方便,先说“匈奴”之“奴”字。此字古今皆读为nu,举例如下:
        《春秋左传正义·文公六年》:“宣子使臾骈送其孥。”陆德明《释文》:“孥(nu),音奴(nu)。”此谓“孥、奴”同音nu。《急就章》卷二:“原辅辐(pu),宣弃奴(nu)。殷满息,充申屠(tu)。夏修侠,公孙都(du)。慈仁他,郭破胡(hu)。”[3]此以辐/奴、屠、都、胡押韵,可知“奴”音nu。《易林》卷一《泰之剥》:“渊涸龙忧,箕子为奴(nu)。干叔陨命,殷破其家(ɡu)。”[4]此以奴(nu)、家(ɡu)押韵,可知“奴”音nu。东汉辛延年《羽林郎》:“昔有霍家奴(nu),姓冯名子都(du)。依倚将军势,调笑酒家胡(hu)。胡姬年十五,春日独当垆(lu)。长裾连理带,广袖合欢襦(nu)。头上蓝田玉,耳后大秦珠(du)。两鬟何窈窕,一世良所无(mu)。[5]”此以奴、都、胡、垆、襦、珠、无等字押韵,可知“奴”音nu。
        现在讨论“匈奴”的“匈”字读音:
        周、秦、汉时期“匈”音honɡ。江永考证“工、功、红、凶、兇、匈,恭,降”诸字上古属平聲东韵,即后世之“东冬钟江(onɡ、enɡ、inɡ、anɡ)”四韵合一的 ong韵,其中“凶、兇、匈,恭,降”等字同音honɡ[6]。例如:
        《老子》第十六章:“不知常(denɡ){1},妄作凶(honɡ。汉帛书《老子甲本》“凶”作“匈”[7]),知常容(henɡ){2},容乃公(ɡonɡ)。”此以常、凶(匈)、容、公押韵,则“凶(匈)”音honɡ。西汉史游:
《急就篇》第三:“系臂琅玕虎魄龙(lonɡ),璧碧珠玑玫瑰瓮(wonɡ)。玉玦环佩靡从容(henɡ),射鬾辟邪除凶(honɡ){3}。”此以龙、罋、容、凶为韵,则“凶(匈)”音honɡ。西汉焦赣:《易林》卷一《屯之渐》:“二人俱东(donɡ),道路争讼(sonɡ)。意乖不同(tonɡ),使我汹汹(honɡ)。”[8][9]〇《易林》卷二《比之颐》:“腾蛇乘龙(lonɡ),岁饥蓬蓬(penɡ)。年岁饥凶(honɡ),民食草蓬(penɡ)。”上例,以东、讼、同、凶、龙、蓬为韵。一再表明周、秦、汉时期“匈、凶、汹、兇”诸字读为honɡ(洪)。