談甲骨卜辭“作”字句型與詞義

On the Sentence Patterns and Meanings of “Zuò” in Oracle-Bone Inscriptions

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

本文從學界關於卜辭動詞“作”之詞義討論談起，歸納出詞義與賓語、句法結構息息相關，進而就“作”字雙賓、“作＋ＶＰ”，以及“有／亡＋作＋Ｎ”句型等三面向整理學者説法，並嘗試評述其中的得失。

文中接著以句型確定卜辭“作”爲非賓格動詞（unaccusativeverb），與西周以降的文獻用法具連貫性，接著依序整理單賓、雙賓結構句型，指出影響“作”詞義爲其内部論元（當事賓語），總結義項有三：（一）修作、興建：賓語爲具體事物名詞；（二）産生、興起：賓語爲災咎類抽象名詞；（三）舉行、進行：賓語爲活動類抽象名詞或“ＶＰ”結構。至於“有／亡＋作＋Ｎ”，“作Ｎ”爲定中結構，義項亦爲“産生、興起”，文中並歸結能進入“有／亡＋Ｖ＋Ｎ”的“Ｖ”，通常爲非賓格動詞。文末，分析“巳賓作”之“賓作”爲“當事主語＋動詞”結構，並爲動詞“巳”的賓語，“巳賓作”義爲變更／廢止賓祭舉行這件事。

Starting from the discussions about the meaning of the verb “zuò” in oracle-bone inscriptions, this article indicates that the meaning of this verb is intimately bound up with its object and syntax. This article then collates the scholarly literature on “zuò” in terms of three sentence patterns, namely double-object construction, “zuò + VP,” and “yǒu/wú + zuò + N,” and tries to offer corresponding commentaries on each of them.

From the analysis of these sentence patterns, this article confirms that “zuò” served as an unaccusative verb in oraclebone inscriptions, consistent with its usage in the literature from the Western Zhou dynasty onwards. This article also collates the usage of “zuò” in single- and double-object constructions, showing that the meaning of “zuò” hinges upon the argument (i.e., the object involved). This article finds that “zuò” has three meanings: (1) to build or construct: its object is a concrete noun of things; (2) to occur or emerge: its object is an abstract noun of disasters or negligence; and (3) to hold or carry out: its object is an abstract noun of events or the “VP” structure. With regard to “yǒu/wú + zuò + N,” “zuò + N” is a structure of “attributive verb + head,” and the meaning of “zuò” is also “to occur or emerge.” This article further argues that the verb used in “yǒu/wú + V + N” tends to be unaccusative. At the end of this article lies the analysis of the phrase “sì bīn zuò,” revealing that “bīn zuò,” a structure of “the subject involved + verb,” is the object of the verb “sì.” Accordingly, “sì bīn zuò” means to modify/abolish the conduct of the ritual to receive distinguished guests or significant worship.