第 1 课

not, no;

“不” is a single-component character, categorized as a pictogram.

Etymology and Evolution

• Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文):
  The character resembles the shape of plant roots or a calyx (some interpret it as a sprout taking root). The upper part represents the ovary, and the lower part depicts hanging sepals. Some earlier scholars suggested it depicted a bird flying without landing, but modern paleography generally supports the “plant origin” theory.

• Bronze Script (金文):
  It inherits the oracle bone form, with thicker and more emphasized lines highlighting the root or calyx shape.
  
  

• Small Seal Script (《说文解字》):
  Xu Shen, based on the seal form, interpreted it as “a bird flying upward and not coming down,” which does not align with modern oracle bone research. The character was written as “不,” with a more linear structure.

• Clerical and Regular Script (隶书与楷书):
  The strokes became straight and angular, evolving into the modern form “不,” with a horizontal, left-falling, vertical, and dot stroke, losing its pictorial resemblance.

Original and Extended Meanings

• Original meaning: Generally believed to refer to plant roots or a calyx (ancient pronunciation close to “柎” fū), but this meaning faded early.

• Borrowed meaning:
  Early on, it was borrowed as a negative particle, becoming its core function:

  1. Indicates negation, e.g., “不去” (not going), “不完美” (imperfect).

  2. Used for negative judgment, equivalent to “非,” e.g., “不才” (incompetent), “不轨” (unlawful).

  3. Serves as a modal particle, e.g., in 《诗经》“不显不承” (i.e., “丕显丕承”).

“不”是独体字，属于象形字。 

字源及演变

• 甲骨文：
  字形像植物根部或花萼之形（一说像胚芽萌发时向下扎根的形态），上部为子房，下部为下垂的萼片。也有学者认为像鸟类飞翔不落之形，但现代古文字学多采“植物根源”说。

• 金文：
  继承甲骨文，线条更粗实，根部或萼片的形态更加突出。

• 小篆（《说文解字》）：
  许慎根据篆形释为“鸟飞上翔不下来也”，解作飞翔的鸟，此说与现代甲骨文考证不符。字形写作“不”，结构已线条化。

• 隶书与楷书：
  笔画平直化，演变为现代字形“不”，上部为横、撇、竖，下部为点（丶），整体脱离象形。

本义与引申义

• 本义：一般认为本义为植物根部或花萼（古音近“柎”），但此义早佚。

• 假借义：
  很早就被借为表示否定的虚词，成为最核心的用法：

  1. 表示否定，如“不去”“不完美”。

  2. 用于否定判断，相当于“非”，如“不才”“不轨”。

  3. 用作语气助词，如《诗经》“不显不承”（即“丕显丕承”）。