沙音

Old Korean

Alternative forms

• 三 (*sam-) (alternative phonogramic form, used in a c. 1170 gloss of Vol. 35 of the Avatamsaka Sutra)
• 沙 (*saM-) (abbreviation)
• 氵 (*saM-) (graphic abbreviation)
• 爲 (*SAM-) (logogram)

Pronunciation

The verb is attested in two different phonogramic forms, 沙音 and 三, both of which are uncontroversially reconstructed as *sam-.

Verb

沙音 (*sam-)

1. to act for the sake of; for
   • 1120, King Yejong of Goryeo, “悼二將歌 (Doijang-ga)”, in 平山申氏系譜 (Pyeongsan Sin-ssi Gyebo):

     魂是去賜矣中三烏賜敎職

     the office that was granted for the sake of his soul having departed

   • 12th century, Interpretive gugyeol glosses to Vol. 6 of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Zhou version:

     諸^𠃍菩薩^尸[爲]^氵

     For the sake of all the bodhisattvas

     (N.B. Bracketed terms were ignored when read.)

   • c. 1250, Interpretive gugyeol glosses to the Humane King Sutra:

     人中^良叱師子^隱衆^衣[爲]^沙音說^古亦示隱

     The masters and disciples among the people preach for the sake of the sentient beings

     (N.B. Gugyeol glyphs are given in non-abbreviated forms. Bracketed terms were ignored when read.)

2. to take as; to render as
   • c. 1250, Interpretive gugyeol glosses to the Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra:

     涅槃^乙首[爲]^沙良

     taking nirvana as my goal

     (N.B. Gugyeol glyphs are given in non-abbreviated forms. Bracketed terms were ignored when read.)

   • c. 1250, Interpretive gugyeol glosses to the Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra:

     四種法^乙依支[爲]^沙隱

     who has taken the Four Essential Dharmas as his support

     (N.B. Gugyeol glyphs are given in non-abbreviated forms. Bracketed terms were ignored when read.)

Usage notes

When expressing the sense of "to take A as B", Old Korean appears to have natively used the expression "A乙 B沙音", with A taking the accusative particle 乙 (*-ol) and B combining directly with the verb *sam- without an intervening particle.

Gugyeol texts are all close translations of a Chinese original, and the Literary Chinese text often used 以 (yǐ, “to use”) in the construction "以 (yǐ)A為／为B" for the sense of "to take A as B". These constructions were translated into Old Korean as "A乙 以厼 B沙音", with A continuing to take the accusative particle but now becoming the object of the verb 以 (*PSU-) instead, with the literal meaning "to take as B while using A".

In Middle Korean, however, "to take A as B" is generally expressed as "A로 (-lwo) Bᄅᆞᆯ (-lol) 삼다 (samta)", with B taking the accusative particle ᄅᆞᆯ (Yale: -lol) and A now taking the instrumental particle 로 (Yale: -lwo). An Ye-ri theorizes that this was the result of syntactic influence from the Chinese "以 (yǐ)A為／为B" construction, as Chinese 以 (yǐ) was usually perceived as being equivalent to the Korean instrumental particle 로 (Yale: -lwo). Thus speakers may have initially imitated the Chinese syntax by using the instrumental particle for A rather than the accusative, after which B was reanalyzed as being the direct object of 삼〯다〮 (Yale: sǎm-tá).

Descendants

• Middle Korean: 삼〯다〮 (sǎm-tá, “to render as; to take as”)
  • Korean: 삼다 (samda, “to render as; to take as”)

References

• 김성주 (Kim Seong-ju) (2005) “爲에 懸吐되는 口訣字와 기능 [The gugyeol glyphs glossed to "爲" and their functions]”, in Gugyeol Yeon'gu, volume 15, pages 27–53
• 안예리 (An Ye-ri) (2009) “'삼다' 구문의 통시적 변화 [samda gumunui tongsijeok byeonhwa, Diachronic change in the samta construction]”, in Han'gugeohak, volume 43, pages 179–206
• 황선엽 (Hwang Seon-yeop) (2015) “ko:<悼二將歌>의 해독”, in Gugyeol Yeon'gu, volume 35, pages 111–154