清末切音字及其設計理據──以王照、勞乃宣的簡字方案為例

Phoneticized Characters in Late Qing China and Their Design Principles: A Case Study of Wang Zhao and Lao Nai Xuan’s Simplified Character Proposals

滿清最後二十年（1891-1911），有志之士有感於漢字之繁雜難學、言文分離，紛紛嘗試設計更為簡便易學的拼音化文字，掀起了「切音字運動」的浪潮。切音字之創製，並非單純只是文字形體之簡化，其背後更涉及到音位分析、符號選擇、古今音變、語音規範、文言一致、民族意識、文化認同……諸多因素。清末切音字方案約有二十餘種，其中最具影響力者，非王照《官話合聲字母》與勞乃宣《合聲簡字譜》莫屬。本文以王照、勞乃宣的切音字方案為研究對象，根據現代音系學的理論與方法，關注切音字的符號形體與語音概念之間的關連，藉以闡發切音字創製者之設計理據與獨特創意，並深入檢討清末切音字運動在漢字教育史上的意義與地位。

In the final decades of the Qing dynasty (1891-1911), a wave of phonetic script reform emerged as part of broader efforts toward linguistic modernization. Reform-minded intellectuals proposed simplified, phoneticized scripts collectively known as qieyinzi (cut-sound characters), to bridge the widening gap between spoken and written Chinese and to promote literacy. These efforts involved not just graphic simplification, but also phonemic analysis, phonological regularization, and reflections on cultural and national identity. Among over twenty such schemes, Wang Zhao’s Mandarin Combined Sounds Alphabet and Lao Nai Xuan’s Combined Sounds Simplified Characters Chart were especially influential. This paper examines their proposals through the lens of modern phonological theory, focusing on the interplay between script form and phonological structure. By analyzing their design principles, this study repositions the qieyinzi movement as a critical-if transitional-moment in the history of Chinese script reform.