The Explanation of “爯”

Ancient scholars had different interpretations about the configuration of “爯” and its original meaning. In the “Shuo Wen”, “爯” was said to be constructed by “爪”, “爯” and “省”, meaning “simultaneously”. However, Li Xiaoding said he could not confirm it by definingit as “simultaneously”. This paper first analyzes the inscription on bones and shells, also on bronze, the characteristics of “稱” used in the previous literature, and the ancient customs; then it concludes that the original meaning of “稱” came from the configuration of “raised fish”, meaning to weigh something, “偁” and “稱” derived from “爯” with the same pronunciation and connotation.