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| A Discussion on the Form Distinctiveness of Tang Taboo Characters |
| Dou Huaiyong |
| Research Institute of Ancient Books, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China |
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Abstract The formulation and implementation of the ancient Chinese taboo character system represents the efforts to subtly safeguard the emperors’ names by flexibly using the properties of form, sound and meaning of Chinese characters under the combined effect of factors in different eras. Since the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the accumulation and superimposition of various factors such as the popularity of paper, the prevalence of written texts and the proliferation of characters in popular forms, led to a shift in the focus of the Tang taboo character system towards the “form” of Chinese characters, giving rise to a new taboo character system with the transformation of the form at its core, thus making the Tang taboo characters distinctive. This distinction is manifest horizontally and vertically. Horizontally, the Tang taboo characters have developed systematic overall differentiation in practical application; vertically, they are typical of the Tang Dynasty focusing on the transformation of the form.Through the spoken and written words, the ancient Chinese taboo character system aims at upholding the names of emperors and avoiding their use. From the overall atmosphere to the actual implementation of the system, the Tang taboo character system promoted and maintained by the institutional arrangers achieved a relatively binding effect on the members of the society at the level of institutional utility, and established the fact that the system emphasized the morphological form of the taboo characters at the level of institutional characteristics. Moreover, it facilitated the in-depth implementation of the taboo character system and shaped the overall image of the Tang taboo character system that focused on the morphological distinction of the characters. Therefore, from the perspective of institutional implementation, the significance of the form distinctiveness of the Tang taboo characters lies in two aspects. One is the basic principle and value that underpin the practical effects of the Tang taboo character system, and the other is the core form that manifests the laws and external features of the Tang taboo character system itself.The reasons for the form distinctiveness of the Tang taboo characters are complex and include at least three aspects. First, the written text, with paper and handwriting as its basic features, was the soil that gave birth to the form distinctiveness of the Tang taboo characters. Paper not only combined the advantages of the large size of silk and the low cost of bamboo slips, but also happened to overcome the innate shortcomings of the two. The writing instrument, represented by the writing brush, was given more than ample scope to develop on paper. Writers from any social class with any cultural background could achieve their writing and communication purposes in a convenient way, naturally resulting in the distinctive forms of taboo characters. Second, the unprecedented proliferation of characters in popular forms in the middle ancient times (from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty) was an important source of emulation for the distinctive Tang taboo characters. The convenience of handwriting, the easy availability of paper, and the effective combination of production method and production vehicle increased the number of Chinese characters produced and the area of dissemination, as well as the number of characters in popular forms. The path of production and proliferation of characters in popular forms in the middle ancient times also provided references and lessons for the effective implementation of the taboo character system, so that the distinctive nature of the Tang taboo characters contained the genes of the characters in popular forms in the middle ancient times. Third, the creation and popularity of taboo character system featuring the change of the form was the driving force behind the retention of the distinctiveness of Tang taboo characters. Influenced by the conventions of characters in popular forms, the newly invented form-changing method of taboo characters in the Tang Dynasty achieved its purpose simply by shifting the components of a Chinese character, making it more easily accepted by all levels of the society. Newly formed characters were gradually added with the attributes of characters in popular forms in circulation and went through multiple transmission as daily written characters in popular forms, reinforcing the distinctiveness of the Tang taboo characters.
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Received: 09 May 2022
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2023, Vol. 53 
