論殷墟甲骨文的否定詞「妹」

On the Negative 'Mei' (妹) in Yin-xu Oracle Bones

殷墟甲骨文的「妹」字，自羅振玉提出「地名」和「昧爽」二解以來，廣為學者所接受。本文通過對甲骨卜辭的全面考察，認為「昧爽」之說完全不能成立，只有少數的「妹」字有可能是地名，而絕大多數的「妹」字在卜辭中應該解為否定詞，其音義與文獻的「蔑」相近。

Since Luo Zhen-yu (羅振玉) suggested that the character ''mei'' (妹) on Yin-xu oracle bones was either a place name or that it meant ''dawn'' (daybreak), scholars have accepted these interpretations. Based on a complete investigation of oracle bones inscriptions, this paper argues that the interpretation ''dawn'' is completely untenable, and that the interpretation ''Place name'' for the character ''mei'' is only possible in a minority of cases. In the vast majority of cases, the character ''mei'' on oracle bones is a negative particle whose pronunciation and meaning are closely related to that of the documented character ''mie'' (蔑).