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I．指事　Indicatives

许慎对此类汉字的定义是

“视而可识，察而见意”。

指事的字面含义为“言其事”。

字所指为一抽象概念，一特征或一没有特定客观形态之运动。许慎列出两个例字，“上”和“下”，予以说明。此二字彼此关联，长横表界限，“上”和“下”之意一目了然。

此处须注意，某些没有释义的简单汉字也归入指事，如基本的数字四到十。某一符号，通常较为简单，用以标记数字，而没有其他特殊含义。后来较晚时期有一理论认为“同音则近义”，其解释不甚可信，此处不论。除上述情况外，每个汉字皆给出传统的释义。本节共收录25个纯指事字。

Hsu Shên’s definition of this category is

Words “recognizable at frst glance and the idea understandable upon observation”.

The term literally means “to point to the fact”.

What is indicated is an abstraction, a feature or movement without any definite objective form. The two words given as examples by Hsu Shên, meaning “above” and “below”, clearly show this idea. Since both are relative to each other, a horizontal line of demarcation is drawn, and the idea of “above” or “below” is understood.

It must be noted here that simple signs that have no explanations are included in this category, such as the cardinal numbers from four to ten. A certain sign, usually a very simple one, was used to indicate a certain number, with no other significance. Artificial explanations based upon a theory of “words harmonic in sound may be analogous in meaning” which arose at a much later date are here discarded; otherwise the traditional explanation is given here for every word. We note here only 25 pure indicatives.

作为符号标于字下方，通常在右边，表示重复该字。

Marked below a word, usually on the right side, it denotes the repetition of the word.

这三个古体更为复杂。右边的部首“弋”是后增的（参见II. 94），以便在简单抽象的笔画之上添显分量和意义。该部首虽只表第一个字“弌”的读音，但后面两个字在造字时仍如法炮制。现代书体中，此三字仍在使用，但主要是在金融领域。

The three antique forms are more complicated. The sign on the right is a later addition(see II. 94) which serves to add weight and importance to the all too simple abstract line. Although it indicates the sound of the first word only, its use in the formation of the second and third words followed naturally. These three forms are found today in the modern written script, and used most commonly in the commercial field.

在古体中，下面的长横表地平线，上面的短横表其上之物，故有“在……上”之意。有时下长横写成曲线，上短横也写成一竖或一点，如图所示。

In the Archaic script, the longer line below is the horizon, and the shorter line above indicates anything above it, hence the idea of “above”. The bottom line was sometimes written as a curve; the top line was sometimes written vertically or as a dot, as illustrated here.

其释义及各种书体与“上”相反。

The explanation for this word and its variations is the reverse of the one for the word above.

三横表天、地及中间的人。德行能通达三者的即王。在古体中亦横向书写。

The three lines represent Heaven, Earth, and Man in between. The one whose virtue pierces through these three planes is the king. The word was also written sideways in antique script.

三竖笔代表日、月、星之光芒自“上”照耀下来。有时也少写一横。

The three downward strokes represent the rays of the sun, the moon and the stars radiating from “above”. It was also written using one less stroke.

三笔代表工程制图所用三角尺的三边。当时人们很可能已开始使用T形（矩）尺。

The three lines represent the sides of the triangle used in technical drawing. It is highly probable that the T-square was also used then.

两横表土地和土壤，一竖表植物破土而出。上面一横有时写作一点或两斜横。

The ground and the soil are indicated by two lines with a plant springing forth in a vertical line. The top line was also written as a dot or as two sloping lines.

象一植物，入土生根。

A plant striking roots in the soil is shown.

倒“入”字，短横表阻碍或插入之物。

This is an inversion of the previous word. The short line indicates the obstruction or the thing entered into.

“a”为大篆体。四横亦可写作向下的斜线。

The pictograph in “a” shows how the word was written in the Major Script. The lines were also drawn sloping downwards.

宇宙中起支配作用的五种运动（常误解为五种要素）——金、木、火、水和土。这些运动在阴、阳两个基本原则的共同作用下产生，由两条交叉的线表示。故而表示五。这是汉代许慎的传统释义，然而笔者认为这些笔画最早仅仅表示四个方位及中心点，故为五。传统之释义稍显牵强。

There are five cosmic movements governing the universe (wrongly understood as the five elements) — metal, wood, fire, water, and earth. They are created by the conjunction of the two basic principles, Yin and Yang, represented here by two lines crossing. From this came the idea of five. This was the orthodox explanation given by Hsu shên in the Han Dynasty. However, in the opinion of the present writer, the lines originally indicated simply the four directions plus the central point, hence five. The traditional explanation seems a bit contrived.