《爾雅》 "煽， 熾也； 熾， 盛也" 解 / An Explanation for the Erya Gloss on the Words Shan, Chi and Sheng

訓詁學上的 "遞訓"， 是指同義詞之間遞相訓解， 其形式是 "甲，乙也；乙，丙也"，《爾雅》"煽， 熾也； 熾， 盛也" 便為其例。 今考三字在先秦典籍中的用法， 發現 "煽" 只有負面意義的文例， "熾"、 "盛" 則正負俱見， 但以正面用法為主。 "煽" 的負面特徵甚強， 而 "熾" 並不十分明顯。 "盛" 雖曾見於負面語境， 但沒有負面的語義特徵。 它與“煽”的意義關係較疏， 而與 "熾" 的關係較密。 "煽， 熾也； 熾，盛也" 這個遞訓形式呈現如此的意義關係。 Dixun 遞言川 ("consecutive definition") refers to a traditional lexicographic device such that a series of synonyms are defined one after another, in the form of "A means B; B means C". The three words shan 煽, chi 熾 and sheng 盛, for instance, are defined as such in the Erya 爾雅. We examine the usage of the three words in Pre-Qin classics, and discover that shan only carries a negative sense, whereas chi and sheng are mostly used positively, although the latter two may occasionally be found with a negative connotation. We may conclude that the negative character of shan is very strong, that of chi is subtle, and that of sheng absent, despite the latter has appeared in negative context. Sheng has a closer relation with chi, but less so with shan. The dixun illustrates this semantic