Interpreting the Warring States Graphs Zi 才 and Chui in Light of the Yancang Chu Slips (由嚴倉楚簡看戰國文字資料 中“才”、“”兩字的釋讀)

Abstract

Scholars have previously suggested that the characters 才 and in a variety of published Warring States texts may be interpreted as fractions: 才 has been read as zi 錙, meaning “one fourth”; has been read as chui 錘, meaning “one third.” The Yancang Chu slips, excavated in 2010 but not yet published, contain a number of similar uses of these graphs that more fully substantiate these readings as fractions. How the graphs originally came to be used as fractions awaits further research. 已公佈戰國文字資料中散見用作數詞的“才”字和“”字，有學者認爲“才”應當讀爲“錙”，表示四分之一；“”應當讀爲“錘”，表示三分之一。2010年出土、尚未公布的嚴倉楚簡中，多見相同用法的“才”和“”，爲此説提供了比較豐富的例證。錙、錘何以有這種用法，尚有待進一步探討。