MINIMAL OLD CHINESE and LATER HAN CHINESE A Companion to Grammata Serica Recensa ฀ ABC Chinese Dictionary Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese ABC CHINESE DICTIONARY SERIES Victor H. Mair, General Editor The ABC Chinese Dictionary Series aims to provide a complete set of convenient and reliable reference tools for all those who need to deal with Chinese words and characters. A unique feature of the series is the adoption of a strict alphabetical order, the fastest and most user-friendly way to look up words in a Chinese dictionary. Most volumes contain graphically oriented indices to assist in finding characters whose pronunciation is not known. The ABC dictionaries and compilations rely on the best expertise available worldwide and are based on the application of new strategies for the study of Sinitic languages and the Chinese writing system, including the first clear distinction between the etymology of words, on the one hand, and the evolution ofshapes, sounds, and meanings of characters, on the other. While aiming for conciseness and accuracy, series volumes also strive to apply the highest standards of lexicography in all respects, including compatibility with computer technology for information processing. Some of the dictionaries in this series are concerned with different varieties of modern Chinese, whereas others pres­ ent the latest scholarly findings concerning earlier stages of development. All are aimed at facilitating the research and reading of scholars and students alike. Published Tides in the Series ABC Chinese-English Dictionary (desk reference and pocket editions) Edited by John DeFrancis ABC Dictionary ofChinese Proverbs Edited by John S. Rohsenow ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary Edited by John DeFrancis An Alphabetical Index to the Hanyu Da Cidian Edited by Victor H. Mair Handbook of'Phags-pa Chinese W. South Coblin ABC Etymological Dictionary ofOld Chinese Axel Schuessler Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese: A Companion to Grammata Serica Recensa Axel Schuessler Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese A Companion to Grammata Serica Recensa Axel Schuessler University of Hawai'i Press Honolulu © 2009 University ofHawai'i Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 14 13 12 11 10 09 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schuessler. Axel. Minimal old Chinese and later Han Chinese : a companion to Grammata serica recensa / Axel Schuessler. p. cm. - (ABC Chinese dictionary series) ISBN 978-0-8248-3264-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Chinese language-Ancient Chinese. 600-1200-Phonology. 1. Karlgren. Bernhard. 1889-1978. Grammata serica recensa. II. Title. III. Title: Companion to Grammata serica recensa. PLl20l.S352009 940.54'4910943-dc22 2008061455 University of Hawai'i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources. Camera-ready copy prepared by the author. Printed by Edwards Brothers. Inc. CONTENTS PREFACE .... .. .. ................... .. .............................................................. ...................... ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ... .. ........................... ... ... .... ................................ ................ xiii GSC ENTRIES ............... .. ... ........................ .............................. ............................... xv TRANSCRIPTIONS ................................ ... ............ .. ... .... ........... .... .... .. ..................... xix SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS .......................................... .. .. ... .... ..................... xxi INTRODUCTION ................ ... .. .................................................................................. 1 I APPROACHES TO THE HISTORY OF CHINESE ......................................... ......... 1 1.1 Alphabetic records ..... ............... .............. ... ............................ .. ..... ... ............. I 1.2 The comparative method and internal reconstruction ......................................... 2 1.3 The philological approach ... ......... ............. ... ............................................ .. .. 3 1.4 Segments of a Chinese syllable ........... .. .... ...... ................................................ 3 1.5 Ancient stages and dialects ... .. .... ................. ...... ... ... .... ........................... ....... 4 2 MIDDLE CHINESE AND THE QIEY(JN .......... .. ... .......... ................... .................. 5 2.1 The rime dictionary Qieyun ... ... ... .. ................................................ ................. 5 2.2 MC notational systems .................................................................................. 6 2.3 Middle Chinese tones ... ................................................................................. 6 2.4 The QYS (MC) medials and 'Divisions' ~ ... ....... ... .......................................... 7 2.5 Problems with the Qieyun and Middle Chinese .................. .. ...... ........... ............ 9 3 OLD CHINESE: PHONETIC SERIES ....... .................. .......................... ............... 10 3.1 Composite graphs ............ .. .............................. ................ .......................... 10 3.2 The Xiesheng principle ... ..... .. ............. ... ..... .. .... ... ........... ... ................. ........ II 3.3 Incongruous series ........ .................................................... ............... ........... 12 4 OLD CHINESE THROUGH INTERNAL RECONSTRUCTION ... .... .. ........... ........ 12 4.1 The distribution of QY initials .................. ..... ... .......... .................................. 12 4.2 MC initial y- ......................... ..................................................................... 13 4.3 MC palatal initials ....... .. ... ................ .. ....... ..... ............................................ 13 4.4 MC medial wand u .................................. ................................................... 13 4.5 OC consonant clusters and *r ....................................................... ................. 14 4.6 OC syllable types A and B: QYS Div. III and medial yod ......................... ......... 16 5 OLD CHINESE THROUGH THE XIESHENG SYSTEM ... ... ..... .......................... .. 17 5.1 I nitial consonants ........................................................... ................ ..... ... .... 17 5.2 Ch6ngniiJ doublets ................................. ..................................................... 20 5.3 OC sources of MC tones ...................................... ..... .......... ............... .... ....... 22 5.4 Summary of OC rimes ..... .. .............................................. ......... ................... 25 5.5 Summary of OC initials ................................................................. .............. 26 6 MINIMAL OLD CHINESE: PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA .................... ............... 27 7 LATER HAN CHINESE ............................ ............................ .................. .......... 29 7.1 Phonemes ... ........... .. ... .................... ... .... .. ............. ........ .. ........................... 29 7.2 No consonant clusters ............. .................. .. ........................... .. .... ................ 29 v CONTENTS 7.3 Palatalization of certain velar consonants ...................... ................................. 29 7.4 Tones and vowellength ............................. .................................................. 29 7.5 LHan Final -s .. .... ................ ....... .................. ... ............ ............. ......... ... .... .. 30 7.6 Vowel bending or warping ........................................................................... 30 8 HAN PERIOD SOURCES ON PHONOLOGy ........................ ... .. ........... ............... 31 8.1 The Shuowen jiezi .......... .......................................... .... .. .. ....... ..... ................ 31 8.2 Sound glosses ... .... ................... ........ ..................................................... ...... 32 9 INTERPRETATIONS OF IRREGULAR PHONETIC COMPOUNDS ....................... 34 9.1 Premises ... ... .................................. ............... ........... .... ....... .............. .. ....... 34 9.2 Illustrations for premises and assumptions ....................... .............................. 35 10 CONCLUSION .. .............. ................. ............................. ............... .. ................ 39 REFERENCES ........... .......... ........... ... ... .. ........ ... ............................... ........................ 40 oeM rime *-a YU bit ~ff~ ...... ....... .............. .. ............ .... ......... .......... 45 2 OCM rime *-ak Du6 bit ~~ ....................................................... ........ 64 3 OCM rime *-alJ Yang bit ~$ ....... .. ..................................................... 75 4 OCM rime *-;) Zhfbit Z ff~ ......... .. ............ .. .. .... .... ... ............. ... .. ....... 91 5 OeM rime *-;)k Zhi bit ~~ ......... .. .................................................... 107 6 OeM rime *-;)lJ Zheng bu ~~ .......................................................... 114 7 OeM rime *-e ZhfbiJ ~~ ...... ... .... ...... ..................... ... .. .... ............. 119 8 OCM rime *-ek Xfbit ~ff~ ... .... .. .... ... ...... .......... ... ........... ... .... .. ... .. .... 129 9 OeM rime *-elJ Geng bit :fJ!:ff~ ...........................................................