它画的是什么它畫的是什麼What it draws
一横拉开,横的中间垂下一竖,直落到底;横的上面还有三道短画并排悬着,谁也不挨着横。字里立着一件东西,有什么正从它上头散开。一橫拉開,橫的中間垂下一豎,直落到底;橫的上面還有三道短畫並排懸著,誰也不挨著橫。字裡立著一件東西,有什麼正從它上頭散開。A bar drawn across, a stem dropping from the middle of it to the foot of the character, and three short marks hanging in a row above the bar, none of them touching it. Something stands upright here, and something is spreading off the top of it.
字形解说字形解說The character explained
下半的一横一竖是稳的,三道短画指什么,历来两说。一说那是声音:《说文》讲“乎,语之余也。从兮,象声上越扬之形也”,把三道短画看作扬上去的声气。一说下半画的是立起来的一根杆或一块木牌,三道短画是挂在杆头招人的东西——立标召集人手,所以这个字在卜辞里正好用来写“呼”,王“乎”某人去田、去伐、去取。两说都说得通,单看字形分不出哪一说对,所以这里标作有争议。要提醒的是:卜辞用它作“呼”,这一点没有争议;争的只是当初画的是什么。
下半的一橫一豎是穩的,三道短畫指什麼,歷來兩說。一說那是聲音:《說文》講「乎,語之餘也。从兮,象聲上越揚之形也」,把三道短畫看作揚上去的聲氣。一說下半畫的是立起來的一根桿或一塊木牌,三道短畫是掛在桿頭招人的東西——立標召集人手,所以這個字在卜辭裡正好用來寫「呼」,王「乎」某人去田、去伐、去取。兩說都說得通,單看字形分不出哪一說對,所以這裡標作有爭議。要提醒的是:卜辭用它作「呼」,這一點沒有爭議;爭的只是當初畫的是什麼。
The bar and the stem below are steady; what the three marks above them are is an old argument. One reading makes them sound: 說文 says “乎 is what is left over of speech; it follows 兮, and draws the shape of a voice carrying upward”, and takes the marks for breath going up. The other reading makes the lower part a pole or a wooden board set up in the ground, with something hung at its head to call people in — raise the signal and the men gather — which fits the way the bones use the word, where the king 乎 a named man to hunt, to attack, to fetch. Both readings work, and the shape alone does not settle it, so the badge here says disputed. What is not disputed is the use: on the bones this character writes 呼, to summon. The argument is only about what was first drawn.