| Yuelu Qinjian(hereinafter,the Strips)refers to Qin strips stored at the Yuelu Academy of Hunan University as a language rescue project.It is regarded as another major discovery following Shuihudi Qinjian(unearthed in Yunmeng,Hubei Province in 1975)and Liye Qinjian(in Xiangxi,Hunan Province in 2002),which is of great importance to the study of the Qin Dynasty and its language use.Most research in this regard focuses on the emendation of annotations,the examination and correction of characters,phrases,and sentences,as well as script collection.However,few studies discuss the grammar in the Strips.Adverbs,an important category of Chinese function words used for grammar,constitute an indispensible part of Chinese grammar study.This paper analyzed in an exhaustive,systematic and descriptive manner the adverbs shown in the first five volumes of the Strips.By discussing the grammatical features and functions,this paper aims to broaden the linguistic research on the Strips and to contribute a new literature reference to the study on Chinese adverbs and grammar during the pre-Qin period.The first chapter introduces the research subject,significance and methodology and reviews the previous studies on ancient Chinese adverbs.In the second and third chapters,the 94 adverbs in the Strips are classified according to semantics and grammatical function into 7 groups,namely,adverbs of time,degree,frequency,scope,negation,manner,and modality.Based on systematic analysis of each adverbial group and comparative study of typical adverbs,the chapters summary the grammatical features and functions of each group.To be specific,in the second chapter,the discussion centers on the classification,quantitative statistics and description of the adverbs of time,degree,frequency and scope.Temporal adverbs fall into four subgroups that respectively indicate 1)sequence such as 先,尝,前,已,豫,后,将,且,豫先;2)continuity such as尚,雅;3)beginning and end such as 初,始,新;and 4)transition such as 亟,即,乃,辄,时.In terms of quantity,the words已and即are predominant.The adverbs of degree including 甚,最,笃,极,胜 are all absolute adverbs with relatively low frequency of use.When it comes to the adverbs of frequency,there are two subgroups that indicate the number of times(that is 亟,数,烦,辄,更,复,重)and similarity(including 亦 and 又).Among them,the three words复,亦and又demonstrate higher use of frequency.Moreover,the adverbs of scope consist of the largest number of words-23 in total–namely,the ones showing generalized range(偕,共,并,同,咸,皆,尽,杂,兼,觱,俱,通,凡,大凡,壹,扁)and the ones representing limited scope(唯,独,柀,异,别,各,各自),with the word 皆 used the most frequently.The discussion in the third chapter points to the classification,quantitative statistics and description of the adverbs of negation,manner and tone.Of the 7groups,the adverbs of negation feature the highest frequency of use.It is divided into three subgroups that indicate 1)statement such as 不,弗,毋,莫;2)judgment such as 非;and 3)prohibition or dissuasion such as 毋,勿,勿庸,whereas the word “不” is seen the most frequently.Meanwhile,the 19 adverbs of manner fall into two subgroups,namely,the one that indicates way of act including 互,相,相与,更 and the other that implies state such as 敬,谨,明,强,端,故,擅,亲,身,径,善,具,私,盗,窃.The mostly used word goes to the adverb相.The adverbs of tone are classified into five subgroups that imply separately 1)affirmation like必,诚,实,固,务;2)speculation such as 幸,可;3)rhetorical question such as 而;4)expectation such as 唯;and 5)respect such as 敢.Among them,必 is predominant in terms of quantity.While the first two chapters provide a general picture of the ancient adverbs,the fourth chapter looks into specific adverbs in the Strips.Three comparative studies are carried out of 不 and 弗,毋 and 勿,as well as 毋 and 无 from the grammatical,semantic and pragmatic perspectives.Despite the fact that 不 and 弗both imply negation,the former modifies both verb and non-verb predicates which are usually followed by object(s)and connects with more words such as other adverbs as well as prepositional objective phrases.On the contrary,弗 mainly modifies transitive verbs without object(s)in common cases.Weaker at connecting with other words,It often appears in simpler negative structures.In terms of 毋 and 无,毋 can imply negative statement and prohibition and dissuasion,modify verb and non-verb predicates which are often followed by object(s),and connect with more words.However,勿 is merely used for prohibition and dissuasion,modifies transitive verbs which are not followed by object(s)and rarely combines with other words.After the discussion of individual adverbs,the second half of the fourth chapter focuses on the features and rules of adverbial collocation.In common cases,two or three adverbs are used together in the Strips in the sequence from tone,scope,time,negation,frequency to manner.However,the rule is by no means of absolute invariance: in special cases,certain flexibility can be seen in the location and sequence of the adverbs,which mainly depend on scope,semantic emphasis and semantic orientation. |
