『詩經』 “彼其之子”에 대한 小考

Abstract

Interpretations of “彼其之子” in The Book of Odes(詩經) have varied throughout the ages. Among “彼其之子”, the interpretation of the character ‘Qi(其)’ is at the center of controversy. There are three main views on ‘Qi(其)’. The first is the view that sees ‘Qi(其)’ as an auxiliary word and understands ‘ZhiZi(之子)’ as ‘this person(此子)’. However, this interpretation has a problem in that ‘that(彼)’ and ‘this(此)’ collide in meaning. The second is the view that ‘Qi(其)’ is a paired syllable demonstrative pronoun associated with ‘Bi(彼)’. However, judging from the grammatical habits of The Book of Odes, this view is also not appropriate, since ‘ZhiZi(之子)’ in “彼其之子” is interpreted as ‘a descendant of ~’. The third is the view of ‘Qi(其)’ as “family name or clan (姓氏)”. This view is persuasive enough based on archaeological data and literature. However, from this point of view, ‘Qi clan(其氏)’ is understood as a descendant of ‘Qi(㠱·其) clan’ in Shang(商) dynasty, but the ‘Qi clan (其氏)’, as a separate existence from ‘Qi(㠱·其) clan’ in Shang(商) dynasty, is understood as ‘Qi(㠱·其) clan’ in branch of Jiang(姜) family, arose in Western Zhou(西周) period and had a close relationship with the royal family of Zhou(周) and neighboring states of Ji(姬) family. This coincides with the appearance of “彼其之子” as an aristocratic ruling class in The Book of Odes.