汉字简化，得不偿失——对汉字演变的历史误解 the Historical Misunderstanding of the Evolution of Chinese Characters People 's Network Reading Forum

汉字简化，得不偿失——
对汉字演变的历史误解

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”。历史上聪明毓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  the Historical Misunderstanding of the Evolution of Chinese Characters People 's Network Reading Forum Over the past few decades the popular view that: the simplification of Chinese characters is the progress of Chinese language, is conducive to the popularization and development of culture, which is not taking into account the basic laws of the development of words, with emotion and politics instead of scientific judgment. The Soviet film "Lenin in 1918" in a line: "I would like to use the mind to think, do not use bones to think!" We try to use my mind to think about this problem. By the little change, from simple to complex - Chinese characters to mature road Today's people generally believe that: the development of the text are from simple to simple, simplified Chinese characters, but conform to the historical trend of it, this does not meet the historical facts of the development of Chinese characters. If we believe that the Yin Ruins and Shang Dynasty practical text similar to or even the same, take it with the Eastern Han Xu Shen compiled "Shuowen Jiezi" to compare, you will find: the original word, divided into a few words, strokes Also with more. For example, from the original on behalf of the lightning "Shen" word evolved out of the "rain" head of the "electricity", used to express the lightning "electricity"; plus standing side, used to express flexion and extension of the "extension"; "Show" next to the word, used to express the gods of the "God" ①. Old words are few, and the language of the words and a lot, so, some words to have a number of roles, a word into a number of words to write symbols, to express different meanings. Part-time although there are trouble-free side, but to read a lot of difficulties. So, to make another word, and strive to word, meaning, word full-time ②. With the passage of time, the number of words from the less variable; shape from simple to complex; word meaning differentiation, specific, single, fixed, it is Chinese characters to mature road. To be sure to say that the Chinese characters in that thousand years is less by the simple and complex; from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the simplified Chinese characters over the past two thousand years, the total number of Chinese characters is still increasing, the formal writing of the body is not significant The change. Therefore, in the history of China, there is no so-called "simplified trend of Chinese characters", just as China did not experience the first slavery, after the process of the same feudal system. These are superstition of historical materialism out of thin air. Restoring Homophony - Retrogression in the Development of Writing To the meaning of sound, to sound shape, see its word and know the sound, read the sound and its meaning, which is a major feature of Chinese characters. Ancient annotation text, often only need to specify a word in a certain pronunciation, meaning at a glance. In ancient times, the number of words, and no dictionary, writing can not find the exact word, with the same word to replace the pronunciation, which is a headache "homophone". The pronunciation of the word is changed, the pronunciation of different words undergoes a different change. Hundreds of years ago the same pronunciation, after a few hundred years may be very different, and it is difficult to see it is the original which word substitutes. We read ancient works of art today, the text is one of the great obstacles: a lot of words, in different articles, different paragraphs of the meaning of different, because they are other words substitutes. Later, the number of words, with the dictionary, the word pronunciation and meaning gradually fixed down, on behalf of the less and less. Even the polyphonic words, their pronunciation and word meaning is relatively stable. Nevertheless, the word polyphony, has always been difficult to get part of Chinese characters, proficient in the text of people are interested in avoiding it. The descendants of the re-use of homophone to borrow, is grammatical mistakes, and Zhang Taiyan called it "borrow sound", in fact, we said today, "Do not word." Simplify the Chinese character just a lot of meaning is irrelevant, but only a few words similar to the pronunciation, with a stroke less words to replace, artificially caused "do not use" the use. "Hair" and "development" of "hair"; "later" and "after" and "queen" ; "Dry" and "dry" and "dry" and "dry" and so on. Such examples are numerous. This is the development of the text of the regression! Reduce the radicals - castrated the advantages of Chinese characters If we must say that the advantages of Chinese characters, it gives the body, meaning and pronunciation of the rich information, must be negligible. Xu Shen is divided into two categories: "text" and "word": "text" is radical, radicals and simple words (radical, radicals are originally independent words); "word" is composed of "text" word. "Text" through the pictographic, refers to things, knowing, etc., the meaning of the word prompt; by phonetic, etc., prompt word pronunciation ③. For example, the "car" word, looking like a shaft through the two wheels, the middle is manned cargo part; "Miao" word that is long grass in the field; "on" and "under" are clearly Express their meaning. As the saying goes: there are side children to read the edge of children, no side to read the middle child, a good description of the radical, radicals on the pronunciation of the prompt function. Simplifying Chinese characters to a large extent by radicals, radicals of these important functions diminished. First of all, to simplify the Chinese characters to a lot of Chinese characters or part of the words to remove. Such as "mind" of the "head" word, originally by the phonetic "beans" and ideographic "page" composition. Everything to "beans" for the notes of the word read "beans"; all to "page" for the meaning of the word are related to the head and face. In this way, to see the two root, you can guess the pronunciation of the word and refers to. And the simplified "head" word, literally, we can not see its pronunciation, but also do not see what it means. Second, to simplify the Chinese characters and even a lot of radicals, the capital changed the way, so that they completely lost the meaning of the meaning of the function. For example, the simplified "car, it will not be reminiscent of the prototype of the car; simplified words also do not see the relationship with the tongue. Therefore, the simplified Chinese characters are a lot of Chinese characters for learning, understanding and reading of the important part of the change or even canceled, to the Chinese characters move a major surgery, the advantages of Chinese characters castrated. Tofu into meat prices Many Chinese characters by the radical, radicals of these roots, will use these roots, learn from the more efficient and convenient. Simplify the Chinese characters to change or remove these, and learn there is no law to follow, have to rely on rote. At the same time, simplified Chinese characters will be a number of detailed division of the word into a multi-tone, more than words, so that the words of Chinese words plummeted. On the surface, the total amount of learning is reduced. But because of the increase in the number of polyphonic, more words to learn the word to spend the effort to increase. In principle, the more words, the word more single, fixed, ordinary people learn and use the more easily; and the number of words less, meaning wide, more functional, flexible, it is only suitable for those who are good at giving rise to the use of flexible people. I think that the simplification of Chinese characters, in fact, increased the difficulty of learning. Similarly, because the simplified Chinese characters lost a lot of pictograms, knowing and phonetic aspects of important information, increased the difficulty of reading and understanding. The multiturnic aspects of the Chinese vernacular words can, though, make up for these defects to a certain extent, but they can not be completely offset by them. In use, the problem is more prominent. Because the multi-tone and more words greatly increased, seriously hampering the user's precise control of the text. Coupled with the modern Chinese vernacular in the mainland these decades of rapid changes in contemporary literature works of language, text quality are seriously affected. Remove the content of the defects, language, language restrictions will probably become the biggest obstacle to these works handed down. Simplified Chinese characters can not hide the advantages of: the number of words less, easy to write. This is 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 very heavy. Good friend's mother has a mantra: "tofu into meat price", used to describe the simplified Chinese characters, really very sure. Cut off the development of culture The culture of the Chinese nation has experienced two major changes in the text: two thousand years ago, Qin Shihuang forced the implementation of the text of the Qin Dynasty, in one fell swoop destroyed most of the intellectuals used six words 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 out of political motives. History has been praised Qin Shihuang "book with" the credit, in today's mainland intellectuals eyes, it is immortal immortality. However, the Qin Dynasty only passed the three, is the history of the most diligent dynasty, the text of the reform failed to prevent it from premature death. "The book with the text" to our culture but dig a deep trench, brought irreparable loss. Pre-Qin books not only burned a lot, a few survived, and can not read. The prosperity of the Han dynasty is the only thing in history: the scholars of the Han dynasty have discovered, tampered with, forged, translated, collated and annotated ancient books, so that Confucian writings were handed down and became the classics of generations. But the Spring and Autumn Warring States, known as the "hundred", during which drowned, scattered Yi, so far only ten eight nine. This is a major disaster in the culture of the motherland. The simplification of Chinese characters and the Japanese language of the vernacular language (we did not have no vernacular, "Golden Lotus", "Dream of Red Mansions" is written in vernacular), as two sharp knife, once again cut off the cultural development. Today, the mainland people, not to understand the simplified Chinese characters, people who can read the Chinese books, rare. Where the Republic of China before the article, became a must, antiques. Culture to inherit, develop; politics to learn from, reform. But inherited, to develop; reference, to reform. Otherwise, all start from scratch, feeling the stones across the river, do not planted somersault strange? Zhou Youwen, Wu, Zhou Gong, and Confucius said: "In view of the second generation"; Han Xiao He, Cao Sen, and the history known as: "Han Cheng Qin system." The experience of successful people in the history of wisdom is learning, learning from the achievements and lessons of the previous generation. We have experienced a hundred years of chaos, discipline system, destroyed exhausted; cultural customs, gone. Because the language of the word, it is difficult to learn the West, and can not bear, think of it, it is extremely sad. ① see the "ancient Chinese history of the legendary era" Xu Xu Sheng wrote ② see "ancient Chinese outline" Zhou Bing are written ③ see "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" (Han) Xu Shen wrote (Editor: information)

（责任编辑：信息）