——对汉字演变的历史误解
编者注:这位汉语学专家在人民网读书论坛上发表的这篇文章,写得太好了.言简意阂,点着了要害.为此,特原文转录.他的观点,就是我的观点.我就偷个懒,不再另写什么了.
人民网读书论坛 符号
几十年来流行的观点认为：汉字的简化的是中国文字的进步，有利于文化的普及与发展，这是没有顾及到文字发展的基本规律，用情感和政治代替了科学的判断。苏联电影《列宁在一九一八》中有一段台词：“以后想问题要用脑子想，不要用骨头想！”我们就试着用脑子想一想这个问题。
由少变多，由简而繁——汉字走向成熟的道路
今天的人普遍认为：文字的发展都是从繁到简的，简化汉字不过是顺应了这个历史大潮流而已，这不符合中国文字发展的历史事实。假如我们相信殷墟甲文与商朝的实用文字类似甚至相同，拿它同东汉许慎编的《说文解字》来比较，就会发现：原来的一个字，分化成了几个字，笔画也随着加多了。比如，从原来代表闪电的“申”字演化出了加“雨”头的“電”，用来表示雷电的“電”；加上立人旁，用来表示屈伸的“伸”；加上“示”字旁，用来表示神仙的“神”①。
上古字少，而语言中的词又很多，所以，有些字要身兼数职，一个字成为多个词的书写符号，表达不同的意思。兼职固然有省事的一面，但给阅读带来了很多困难。于是，要另行造字，力求一字一声、一意，字字专职②。随着时间的推移，字数由少变多；形体由单纯变复杂；字意分化、具体、单一、固定，正是汉字走向成熟的道路。可以肯定地说，汉字在那一千多年中是由少变多，由简而繁的；从东汉到汉字简化这两千来年间，汉字的总数还在不断增加，正式书写的形体没有重大的变化。所以，在中国的历史上，并不存在所谓“汉字简化的趋势”，就如同中国没有经历过先奴隶制、后封建制的过程一样。这些都是迷信历史唯物主义的人凭空幻想出来的。
恢复同音假借——文字发展中的退步
以意定音，以音定形，见其字而知其音，读其音而明其意，这是汉字的一大特点。古人注释文字，往往只需指明某字在某处的读音，意思就一目了然了。
上古时，字数少，又没有字典，写作时找不到确当的字，用读音相同的字来代替，这就是令人头痛的“同音假借”。字的发音是变化的，不同字的发音经历着不同的变化。几百年前读音相同的字，几百年后就可能相差很大，而使人难以看出它原来是哪个字的代用品。我们今天读上古的文学作品，文字是其中很大的障碍：很多的字，在不同的文章、不同的段落中的意思不同，因为他们是其他字的代用品。后来字数多了，有了字典，字的读音和意思渐渐地固定下来，借代就越来越少了。即便是多音字，他们的读音和字意也是相对稳定的。尽管如此，一字多音，从来就是汉字中难弄的部分，精于文字的人都有意避免它。后代的人再用同音字来借代，就是文法上的错误了，章太炎把它叫做“借声”，其实就是我们今天说的“别字”。
简化汉字恰恰把很多意思毫不相干，而仅仅读音类似的几个字，用一个笔画较少的字来顶替，人为地造成“别字”的使用。比如，“只有”的“只”和“一隻”的“隻”；“頭髮”的“髮”与“发展”的“发”；“後來”的“後”与“皇后”的“后”；“干戈”的“干”与“才幹”的“幹”等等。这样的例子，不胜枚举。这是文字发展中的退步！
消减偏旁部首——阉割了汉字的优点
假如我们一定要说汉字的优点，它的形体给出的，意义和读音上的丰富信息，必然是不可忽略的。许慎把汉字分成“文”与“字”两类：“文”是偏旁、部首和单纯字（偏旁、部首原来都是独立的字）；“字”是由“文”组成的复合字。“文”通过象形、指事、会意等方式，提示字的意思；通过形声等方式，提示字的读音③。比如，“車”字，看着就象一根轴贯串着两个轮子，中间是载人载货的部分；“苗”字指明是草长在田上；“上”与“下”都明白地表达出各自的意思。俗话说：有边儿读边儿，没边儿读中间儿，很好地说明了偏旁、部首对读音的提示功能。
简化汉字在很大程度上把偏旁、部首的这些重要功能消减了。首先，简化汉字把很多汉字表音或表意的部分去掉。比如“頭腦”的“頭”字，本来由表音的“豆”和表意的“頁”组成。一切以“豆”为音符的字读都读“豆”；一切以“頁”为意符的字都与头面有关系。这样，看到这两个字根，就能猜出字的读音和所指。而简化的“头”字，从字面上，我们既看不明它的读音，更看不出它意思所指。其次，简化汉字甚至把很多偏旁、部首都改了样，使他们完全失去了提示字意的功能。比如，简化的“车，就不会令人联想起车子的原形；简化的言字边也看不出与口舌的关系。
所以，简化汉字是把汉字中很多对于学习、认识和阅读致关重要的部分改掉甚至取消了，给汉字动了大手术，把汉字的优点阉割了。
豆腐搞成肉价钱
很多汉字由偏旁、部首这些字根组成，会用这些字根，学起就比较快捷、方便。简化汉字把这些改变或去掉了，学起来没有规律可以遵循，得靠死记硬背。同时，简化汉字将若干分工细致的字重新归纳成一个多音、多意字，使汉字的字数骤减。从表面上看，减少了学习的总量。但由于多音、多意字的增加，学习单字所要花费的功夫增加了。原则上讲，字越多，字意越单一、固定，普通人学习和使用起来就越容易；而字数少，取意广，功能多、变通，则只适合那些善于举一反三、灵活应用的人。我觉得，汉字的简化，实际上加大了学习的难度。
同样，因为简化汉字丧失了大量象形、会意和形声等方面的重要信息，增加了阅读和理解的难度。汉语白话文中词的多音节化，虽然可以在一定程度上弥补这些缺陷，但远远不能把他们完全抵消。
在使用上，问题就更加突出。因为多音和多意字大大增多，严重地妨害了使用者对文字精确的驾驭。加上现代汉语白话文在大陆这几十年日新月异地变化，当代文学作品的语言、文字质量都严重地受到了影响。除去内容上的缺陷，语言、文字的限制恐怕将成为这些作品传世的最大障碍。
简化汉字有着不能掩抑的优点：字数少、书写简便。这也是当年作这项事业的人们最有力的理由。但为了这点便利，造成学习、理解、阅读和使用上多方面的困难，代价是很重的。
好朋友的妈妈有句口头禅：“豆腐搞成肉价钱”，用来形容简化汉字，真的很确当。
割断了文化的发展
中华民族的文化经历过两次大的文字改革：两千多年前，秦始皇强制推行秦地的文字，一举废掉了大多数知识分子习用的六国文字③；两千年以下，我们造出几千个新字，一举废掉了延用两千年的汉字，两次都出于政治的动机。
历史上有人赞扬秦始皇“书同文”的功劳，在今天大陆知识分子眼里，更是万世不朽的丰功伟业。然而，秦朝仅仅传了三世，是历史上最短命的朝代，文字的改革也未能阻止它的夭亡。“书同文”给我们的文化却掘下了一条深深的堑沟，带来了不能弥补的损失。先秦的书籍不仅被大量烧毁，少数幸存下来的，也无法阅读。汉朝的传注学之兴旺，是历史上绝无仅有的：两汉学者们发掘、篡改、伪造、翻译、整理和注解古书，使儒家著作流传下来，成了万代的经典。但春秋战国，史称“百家”，其间淹没、散轶的，何止十之八九。这是祖国文化的一大灾难。
汉字的简化和白话文的日语化（我们本来不是没有白话文，《金瓶梅》、《红楼梦》全是用白话写成的），如同两把快刀，再一次割断了文化的发展。今天大陆人中，认识未简化的汉字，能读中文书的人，凤毛麟角。凡民国以前的文章，一概成了古董、绝学。文化要继承、发展；政治要借鉴、改革。但是，继承了，才能发展；借鉴了，才能改革。否则，一切从头做起，摸着石头过河，不栽跟头才奇怪呢？周有文、武、周公，而孔子说：“鉴于二代”；汉有萧何、曹参，而史称：“汉承秦制”。历史上聪明睿智的人们成功的经验正在于学习、借鉴前代的成就和教训。我们经历了百十年的混乱，纲纪制度，破坏殆尽；文化风俗，荡然无存。因为语言文字的缘故，既难于学西，又不能承中，想起来，令人痛心万分。
①见《中国古史的传说时代》徐旭生撰
②见《古汉语纲要》周秉均撰
③见《说文解字》（汉）许慎撰
（责任编辑：信息)
(E) simplified Chinese characters, more harm than good
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- A Historical Misunderstanding of the Evolution of Chinese Characters
Editor's Note: The Chinese language experts in the People's Network Reading Forum published this article, written very well. I steal a lazy, no longer write anything else.
People 's Network Reading Forum symbols
Popular view for decades: the simplification of Chinese characters is the progress of Chinese characters, is conducive to the popularization and development of culture, which is not taken into account the basic law of the development of the text, with emotion and politics instead of scientific judgments. The Soviet film "Lenin in 1918" in a line: "After thinking about the problem with the brain to think, do not use bones to!" We try to think about this problem with the brain.
From less to more, from simple and complex - the road to maturity of Chinese characters
Today, people generally believe that: the development of the text are from complex to simple, simplified Chinese characters, but conform to this historical trend, it does not meet the historical facts of the development of Chinese characters. If we believe that the Yin Ruins and the Shang dynasty of a practical text similar or even the same, with it the Eastern Han Xu Shen compiled "Shuowen Jiezi" to compare, you will find: the original word, divided into several words, stroke Also with the addition of the. For example, from the original representative of the lightning "Shen" evolved out of the word "rain" head of the "power", used to indicate the lightning "electricity"; with Liren, used to express flexion and extension; "Show" next to the word, used to express the immortal "God" ①.
The ancient word less, and the words in the language and many, so, some words to be several roles, a word as multiple words of writing symbols, expression of different meanings. Part-time, of course, save the side, but to bring a lot of reading difficulties. As a result, to create another word, and strive to one word, one meaning, the word full-time ②. With the passage of time, the number of words from less to more; shape from simple to complex; word meaning differentiation, specific, single, fixed, it is the road to maturity of Chinese characters. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the simplified Chinese characters to the two thousand years, the total number of Chinese characters is still increasing, the formal writing of the body is not significant (Figure 1), there is no significant increase in the number of Chinese characters, The change. Therefore, in the Chinese history, there is no so-called "simplified Chinese characters trend", just as China has not experienced the first slavery, the process of post-feudal system. These are superstitious historical materialism people out of thin air fantasy out.
Recovering Homophony under the guise of the Word
With the meaning of sound, to sound shaping, see the word and know the sound, read the sound and its meaning, which is a major feature of Chinese characters.
The ancients commentary text, often only need to specify the pronunciation of a word somewhere, meaning at a glance.
In ancient times, the number of words less, and no dictionary, when writing can not find the word, with the pronunciation of the same word to replace, this is a headache "homophone under the guise of". The pronunciation of a word varies, and the pronunciation of a different word undergoes a different change. The pronunciation of the same word hundreds of years ago, after a few hundred years may vary greatly, and make it difficult to see what it is the original word of the substitutes. We read ancient literature today, the text is one of the great obstacles: a lot of words, in different articles, different paragraphs in the meaning of different, because they are other words substitutes. Later, more words, with a dictionary, the pronunciation and meaning of the word gradually fixed, borrowed on behalf of less and less. Even the polyphonic, their pronunciation and word meaning is relatively stable. However, the word polyphonic, Chinese characters has always been difficult to get part of the text of the people are interested in avoiding it. Descendants of people to use homonyms to borrow, is grammatical mistakes, Zhang Taiyan called it "by sound", in fact, today we say "do not word."
Simplified Chinese characters just a lot of meaning has nothing to do, but only the pronunciation of similar words, with a stroke of less words to replace, artificially caused the "other words" use. For example, "only" and "only" and "only"; "hair" and "hair" and "development" of "hair"; "later" and "Queen" ; "Dry" and "dry" and "dry" and so on. Such examples, too numerous to mention. This is the text of the development of regression!
Elimination of radicals - the advantage of castration of Chinese characters
If we must say that the advantages of Chinese characters, its form given, meaning and pronunciation of the rich information, must not be ignored. Xu Shen made Chinese characters divided into two types: "Wen" and "Zi": "Wen" is radical, radical and simple (radicals, radicals are all independent words); "word" word. "Text" through the pictographic, means things, knowing, etc., suggesting the meaning of the word; by phonetic means such as the pronunciation of the word prompt ③. For example, the word "car" looks like an axis with two wheels, the middle is part of the cargo carrying people; "Miao" word indicates that the grass grows in the field; "on" and "down" are clearly To express their meaning. As the saying goes: there are children to read the edge of children, no children read the middle child, a good description of the radical, radical tips on the pronunciation of the function.
Simplified Chinese characters in a large extent to radicals, radicals of these important features reduced. First of all, simplified Chinese characters to a lot of Chinese phonetic or ideographic parts removed. For example, "head" of the "head", originally from phonetic "beans" and ideographic "page". All to "beans" for the notes of the word read all read "beans"; all to "page" for the meaning of the characters are related with the head and face. In this way, see the two root, you can guess the pronunciation and the word refers to. The simplified "head", literally, we can not see both its pronunciation, but do not see what it means. Secondly, simplified Chinese characters and even a lot of radicals, radicals have changed the sample, so that they completely lost the prompt word meaning function. For example, the simplified "car, it will not be reminiscent of the prototype of the car; simplified words edge also do not see the relationship with the tongue.
Therefore, the simplified Chinese characters is a lot of Chinese characters for learning, understanding and reading the crucial part of the change or even canceled, to move the Chinese major surgery, the advantages of Chinese characters castrated.
Tofu into meat prices
Many Chinese characters from radicals, radicals of these roots, will use these roots, to learn from the more efficient and convenient. Simplified Chinese characters to these changes or removed, and learn there is no law to follow, rely on rote. At the same time, simplified Chinese characters will be a number of detailed division of the word division into a multi-tone, Italian word, so that the number of Chinese characters plummeted. On the surface, reducing the total amount of learning. However, due to polyphonic, Italian word increases, learning to spend the effort to increase the word. In principle, the more word, word meaning more single, fixed, ordinary people to learn and use them easier; and fewer words, meaning wide, multi-functional, flexible, only for those who are good at analogy, flexible application. I think, simplified Chinese characters, in fact, increased the difficulty of learning.
Similarly, because the simplified Chinese characters lost a lot of pictographs, knowing and phonetic and other important information, increased reading and understanding of the difficulty. The polysyllabic words in the colloquial Chinese, although they can make up for these shortcomings to a certain extent, but far from being able to completely offset them.
In use, the problem is more prominent. Because the polyphonic and Italian word greatly increased, severely hampered the user's precise control of the text. With the modern Chinese vernacular in the mainland this decades change with each passing day, contemporary literary works of language, text quality are seriously affected. Remove the content on the defects, language, text restrictions will probably become the biggest obstacle to handed down these works.
Simplified Chinese characters can not be masked with the advantages: fewer words, easy to write. This is also the year for the cause of the people the most powerful reason. But for this convenience, resulting in learning, understanding, reading and use of many difficulties, the price is heavy.
Good friend's mother has a mantra: "tofu into meat prices," used to describe the simplified Chinese characters, really very sure.
Cut off the cultural development
The Chinese nation's culture has undergone two major reforms: more than two thousand years ago, Qin Shi Huang forced the implementation of the text of the Qin Dynasty, in one fell swoop destroyed most of the intellectuals used the six languages ③; two thousand years, we made a few Thousands of new words, in one fell swoop destroyed the use of two thousand years of Chinese characters, twice for political motives.
History was praised Qin Shihuang "book with the text" of the credit, in the eyes of today's intellectuals in mainland China, it is immortal immortal abundance. However, the Qin Dynasty passed only three, is the history of the shortest-lived dynasty, the reform of the text also failed to prevent its premature death. "The book with the text" to our culture but dig a deep trench, brought irreparable damage. Pre-Qin books not only a large number of burned, a few survived, can not read. The scholars of the Han Dynasty excavated, tampered with, falsified, translated, sorted out and annotated the ancient books, so that the Confucian writings handed down, has become a classic of generations. But the Spring and Autumn, known as "100", during which drowned, scattered Yi, far more than ten. This is a major disaster of the motherland's culture.
The simplification of Chinese characters and the vernacular Japanese (we are not not vernacular, "Jin Ping Mei", "Dream of Red Mansions" are written in vernacular), as two sharp knife, once again cut off the cultural development. Today, the mainland, the understanding of the simplified Chinese characters, who can read Chinese books, rare. Where the Republic of the previous article, Yigai became antiques, secrets. Culture should inherit and develop; politics should learn from and reform. However, inheritance, to develop; learn, to reform. Otherwise, all start from scratch, feeling the stones across the river, do not planted somersault strange? Confucius said: "In view of the second generation"; Han Xiao He, Cao Senate, and the history known as: "Han Qin system." The wisdom of the history of the successful experience of people is to learn from the previous generation of achievements and lessons. We have experienced a hundred years of chaos, discipline system, destruction of exhausted; cultural practices, gone. Because the language of the reason, both difficult to learn the West, but also can not bear, to think of it, it is extremely painful.
① see "the legendary era of Chinese ancient history," Xu Xusheng
② see "Ancient Chinese Compendium" Zhou Bing are written
③ see "Shuowen Jiezi" (Chinese) Xu Shen essays
(Editor: information)
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