臺灣神靈儀式表施咒降靈之「KUAN」的詞源探究

An Etymological Study of ''Kuan'' in Taiwanese Spiritual Rituals

臺灣神靈儀式中有一表施咒降靈的動作動詞，音讀為「kuan」。該語詞經常用於一種民間通靈術被寫作「觀落陰」，乃指被施法者以一種靈魂出竅的方式下黃泉尋找過世的親人。《廈英大辭典》（1873）於「kuan」詞條下收錄有「kuan乩、kuan童、kuan佛、kuan輦」等相關語詞，這些動詞「kuan」乃涉及施咒降靈的動作語義，不符合觀看義。本文運用歷史語言學的音義比較方法來進行嚴謹的詞源探究，一方面從歷史音韻演變規律來討論除了山攝合口一等字「觀」，該語詞也能合理聯繫為山攝合口二等字「關」；另一方面爬梳古漢語歷史文獻，彙整「觀、關」的語義演變脈絡，據以論證表「立乎此而交彼」的「關」在語義發展上更能切合表施咒降靈的「kuan」；此外，也延伸探究閩南語「kuan」由通聯義所衍生的「交關、𠢕關儂、乞伊關去」等特殊語彙。

This study examines the Taiwanese Southern Min verb ''kuan'' (also spelled guan), used in spiritual rituals as an incantation for calling spirits. The phonological and semantic comparative methods of historical linguistics are employed to conduct a rigorous etymological investigation. On the one hand, through the lens of historical phonological changes, the study argues that beyond guan (觀, 'to observe'), the word can also plausibly be linked to another guan (關, 'to connect / interact'). On the other hand, it surveys classical Chinese historical texts to trace the semantic development of guan (觀) and guan (關), and posits that the meaning of guan (關) - ''to stand here and engage there'' - aligns more closely with the sense of action involved in the incantation for calling spirits. In addition, this paper extends the discussion to related words in TSM such as ''kau-kuan (交關), gâu-kuan-lâng (𠢕關儂), and khi-i-kuan-khì(乞伊關去)'', which reflect an underlying semantic derivation from the meaning of interaction and connection.