丧、噩考
——兼论丧礼的形成及其意义
冯 时
中国社会科学院考古研究所，北京 100710

Abstract：The two Chinese characters sang and e were originally fundamentally different from each other.
The character sang is related to cry at funerals, while e means noise and contention. The two characters have
long been misunderstood as of the same origin, which is further employed to discuss the history of the E
State. This article corrects the previous understandings and pronunciations of the two characters. Location of
sangyuan is analyzed according to the related bronze inscriptions. Moreover, the author argues that sang is
relevant to mulberry, which is endowed with a special connotation in Chinese culture. The origin and meaning
of funeral rituals are also discussed.
Keywords：sang, e, the E State, mulberry, funeral ritual
摘要：汉字的丧和噩本为两个完全不同的文字，丧的本义为哭丧，噩的本义为哗讼。长期以来，人们或以二字
同源，并据此讨论鄂国历史的变迁，造成误解。本文通过古文字研究，在正读丧、噩二字的基础上，根据青铜器
铭文考证西周丧原地望，钩沉古人以丧字从桑从数口构形的人文思考，揭示桑木在中国传统文化中主家迎新的独
特内涵，进而探讨丧礼的起源及其意义。
关键词：丧；噩；鄂；桑；丧礼