『說文解字』構件 ‘目’의 構意 연구

Abstract

Chinese characters are ideograms, formed based on their meanings. The concept of 'construction of meaning' (構意) in Chinese characters refers to the semantic information encapsulated in their forms, representing the subjective intent of the character's creator. In other words, the 'construction of meaning' is the semantic information that undergoes cognitive processing to be encapsulated in a visual form. Therefore, by studying the 'construction of meaning' of the components (構件) in Chinese characters, we can examine the process through which Chinese characters develop their unique semantic systems. This paper selects the 'Shuowen Jiezi', which interprets the 'construction of meaning' of the character forms in Shuowen based on the principle of 'unity of form and meaning', as its research material. To analyze the 'construction of meaning' of the component '目', this study categorized the character forms that include '目' into six types based on their semantic categories of actual meaning. As a result, it was found that the fundamental 'construction of meaning' of the component '目' is 'human eye', and the derived meaning, influenced by this fundamental concept, is 'window of the mind.