神话 · 声匠改编 · 3:50
仓颉造字
没有文字的年代,人们在绳子上打结记事,常常记错。黄帝的史官仓颉从猎人辨认鸟兽脚印中得到启发,照着万物的样子造出了字。那一天,天上下起了小米,夜里鬼也哭了。
Other languages · 2 languages
About this story
仓颉造字是关于汉字起源最有名的传说。《荀子·解蔽》说“好书者众矣,而仓颉独传者,壹也”;西汉《淮南子·本经训》记下“昔者仓颉作书,而天雨粟,鬼夜哭”;东汉许慎《说文解字·叙》说黄帝的史官仓颉看见鸟兽的足迹,懂得不同的纹路可以互相区别,于是开始创造文字。这一版把结绳记事出错、看猎人辨认脚印、照着万物画字和“天雨粟,鬼夜哭”串成了一个故事。
What it teaches
文字让知识能够保存、能够传到远方和后代。仓颉从猎人辨认脚印中得到启发,说明留心观察身边的小事,就能想出解决大问题的办法。
Suits
5–12 岁
Tips for telling it
- 讲到“日”“月”“山”“水”时,可以在纸上画出这几个象形字给孩子看,再对照今天的写法。
- 小鬼哭的段落讲得滑稽一些,不必吓人。
- 讲完可以问孩子:没有文字的时候,人们怎么记事?你能自己发明一个记号吗?
Questions people ask
- 仓颉造字出自哪里?
- 先秦的《荀子·解蔽》《韩非子·五蠹》都提到仓颉作书;“天雨粟,鬼夜哭”出自西汉《淮南子·本经训》;东汉许慎《说文解字·叙》说他是黄帝的史官,受鸟兽足迹启发而造字。
- “天雨粟,鬼夜哭”是什么意思?
- 意思是仓颉造出文字时,天上落下粟米,鬼在夜里哭泣,形容造字是惊天动地的大事。东汉高诱注解说:天知道人们有了文字会舍本逐末、将要挨饿,所以降下粟米;鬼怕被文字记录揭发,所以夜哭。
- 汉字真的是仓颉一个人造的吗?
- 不是。汉字是先民在漫长岁月里共同创造、逐渐积累起来的,仓颉可能是整理文字的代表人物。《荀子·解蔽》就说,爱好文字的人很多,只有仓颉的名字流传下来,是因为他用心专一。
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