中国文化的编码与解码自觉——序《中国灯谜年鉴》

从文化符号的编码和解码角度研究谜语（灯谜）活动,将其视为图像之谜和文字之谜以后出现的三级编码.谜语创作和解谜,体现着符号编码和解码的自觉意识,对于重新解释文字记述小传统具有一定的示范意义.谜语的出现,要上溯到一级至二级编码.从解画谜到解字谜,再到解谜语,谜面和谜底之间的隐喻思维贯穿着大小传统的全过程.汉字作为象形字,本身包含着形音义的编码关系.从训诂学家的《尔雅》《说文解字》,到民间流传不衰的测字术,无不植根于这类符号解谜的活动.宇宙之间最大的谜是“天命”,从观风水到辨别玉石,从佩戴玉礼器到甲骨占卜和算卦看相,华夏早期知识人完全沉浸在解码天命或神意的现实需求中.藉此打通的视野,可从不同角度审视文化文本的多元编码.

The Encoding and Decoding Self-Conscionsness of Chinese Culture——The Preface to the Almanac of Chinese Lantern Riddles

The study on lantern riddle activity from the perspective of the encoding and de- coding of cultural symbol can be regarded as the third coding after the image and character riddles. Self--consciousness of symbolic encoding and decoding is reflected in creating and sol- ving the riddles,which is of certain exemplary significance for reinterpreting the little tradition of character narration. The appearance of riddles can be traced back to the first and the second encoding. Metaphorical thinking between riddles and the answers to them permeates the whole process from solving the picture puzzles to character puzzles and the riddles. As a pictograph, Chinese characters themselves contain encoding relation of their shapes,sounds,and meanings. Critical interpretations Of ancient texts such as Er Ya,and the Motivations of the Characters, and the folk unfading diving by means of characters are all rooted in such activities of symbol- ic riddle--solving. The＂destiny＂is the biggest riddle of the universe. The early men of knowl- edge of China were totally immersed in decoding destiny and or reality demand of the divine such as practicing geomancy,distinguishing jades,wearing jade wares,diving by means of oracle bones,and telling fortune by using the eight trigrams and practicing physiognomy. Based on these,diverse coding of cultural texts can be studied from a different perspective.