<論説>「書同文」考

Abstract

始皇帝による天下統一(紀元前二二一年) 以降に実施したとされる諸政策の一つとして、後世[文字の統一]と称されるものがある。しかし、その実態について、今日でも多くの異論が提示されている。本論ではこれを解明するために、[文字の統一]政策の象徴とされる琅邪台刻石「書同文字」の語源「書同文」「書同名」の理解から説き起こし、それが[任意の概念とその表現との関係を一意に定める]と解釈する。そしてそれを踏まえ、統一秦期の[文字の統一]政策について検討を行う。まず[文字の統一]に必須の要素を整理し、次に秦の書記言語に関する政策の分析を行った。その結果、「書同文」「書同名」的志向が秦の文字政策に存在すること、加えて他の[文字の統一]に必須の要素を含んでいることを確認し、統一秦期の文字政策は[文字の統一]と称するに相応しく、また、視覚を通じた秦の天下支配そのものであると結論づけた。

Among the several policies instituted by the Qin dynasty (defined for purposes of this article as the period from the unification of the China by Qin Shi Huang in B.C. 221 to the downfall of the Qin state) was one that later came to be known as the policy of the "standardization of written characters." The reality of the policy of "standardization of written characters" is generally understood as an attempt "to make the style of the Qin State the standard form for written characters." However, there have been many objections to this interpretation and no definite conclusion has been reached on the point. This article aims to resolve this issue. First, I have analyzed the phrases shu tong wen 書同文 and shu tong ming 書同名 (both of which are taken from works of the Warring States period, prior to the Qin dynasty) that are sources of the phrase shu tong wen zi 書同文字 that symbolized the Qin dynasty policy of "standardization of written characters." As a result, I have made clear that these phrases both mean a "determination that there should be unity in the conception of individual discretion in scribal written language and in the representation of it." Moreover, I point out that the idea of standardizing the written language had already existed among the thinkers of Warring States Period. Next, based on this conclusion, I preceded to examine the policy of the "standardization of written characters" of the Qin Dynasty. I first analyzed the prerequisites for "standardization of characters." I concluded that three essential elements were required: (1) standardization of social usage, (2) standardization of the relationship between linguistic units and their written representation, (3) standardization of the system as a language. Next, I analyzed the policy regarding the written language chiefly on the basis of data from written materials excavated from the period of the Qin dynasty. As a result, I confirmed that Qin Dynasty policy on the standardization of characters corresponded to policy that would implement conditions (2) and (3) above, and that the unification of China had brought about condition (1). Given the above, it is clear that the policy of Qin dynasty can correctly be called a policy of the "standardization of written characters." What then are the points of similarity and difference between the Warring-States-period phrases shu tong wen (writing matches the text) and shu tong ming (writing matches the name) and the Qin dynasty policy of standardizing written characters? First, they are similar in that both aimed at standardization of the written scribal language. The difference was that in contrast to the earlier terms which indicated the "de-facto standard, " a recognition of reality, the latter was the stipulation of a "de-jure standard" that was to be enforced by political authority. On the basis of this difference, the Qin dynasty policy of the standardization of written characters was the visualization of the rule of Qin dynasty itself, and the control of the routes by which information flowed by standardization of the written language was an important element supporting the rule of the Qin empire.