“芮薪”考辨

西北地区所见的汉代简牍资料中有"芮薪"一词,诸家对这个词的解释都不是十分精当。本文主要利用语言学知识和考古材料,对西北汉简中的一些植物进行考察,对"芮薪"一词的词义和具体所指得出了与诸家不同的观点。我们认为"芮薪"应该是材质比较柔软的草类燃料的统称,西北汉简中的"芦苇"、"慈其"在用作燃料的时候都应该可以称为"芮薪","蒲"和"需蓻"也有可能是"芮薪"所指的燃料。

A Discussion of Ruixin

The term ruixin(芮薪) mentioned on the Han bamboo and wooden slips unearthed in northwestern China has not been explained satisfactorily.This paper attempts to linguistically redefine its meaning and denotation by investigating into the plants recorded on Han slips.Based on archaeological data,we assert that ruixin is the collective name for fuel made of soft grass.Both luwei(芦苇) and ciqi(慈其) used as fuel can be called ruixin.In addition,fuel named as ruixin may also be referred to pu(蒲) and xuzi(需蓻).