Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 205

1850.

The Shwok Wan, or Etymologicon.

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the earth, carefully observing the figures upon birds and beasts and the things peculiar to the earth,—here, in his own person, selecting what was remarkable; there, what was so in others. In this manner he was able to invent the eight diagrams for a system of changes, and to evolve a scale of magisterial rules.

2. Passing down to the time of the Divine Husbandman, we first find that cords were tied into knots in order to record the acts of the government; and thus its affairs were grouped together. These, being exceedingly numerous, gave rise to forgeries and deceits.

3. It was at this time, that Ts'ángkieh, a minister of the Yellow Emperor, by observing the footsteps of various birds and beasts, ascer- tained that by lines objects could be distinguished one from another. Thus he invented writing for the purpose of forming contracts; and hence every kind of work was carried on in due form, and every or- der and engagement properly defined. The clue that led to this in- vention he obtained by an inspection of the diagram, Inundation, signifying (by interpretation) "proclaimed in the imperial courts," i. e. by means of written characters instruction is proclaimed, and the principles of knowledge are made known in the king's courts; and thus, while conferring emoluments upon their inferiors, the princes will be careful to preserve their own virtues.

4. When Ts'ángkieh invented his system of writing, he did it by drawing the images of various species, and hence he called them wan, figures. Afterwards, by writing form and sound, he augmented their number, and these new ones he called tsz', or characters, meaning by this term that they became numerous from being recombined and nourished. But when characters came to be etched upon bamboos and the bark of trees, this was called skú, or writing, i. e. giving a likeness of the objects described.

5. During the ages that elapsed under the five Emperors and the three families of kings, the form of the written characters underwent numerous alterations. For example, in the inaugural inscriptions, found upon the tablets erected on the Great Mountain by the seventy- two sovereigns who went thither to record their names, none are precisely alike.

6. According to the Ritual of the Chau dynasty, the sons of the Imperial family, when they reached their eighth year, were placed for education under the care of a tutor, and the instructiou commenc- ed with these six classes of written characters.

(a.) Indicatives, such as sháng, hiá, E F above, below: literally, point thing, chi sz', i. e. such characters as these two, sháng