Loanwords are products of intercultural exchange among different ethnic groups. They serve as mirrors reflecting linguistic integration and offer valuable insights into the evolution of Chinese vocabulary. Ancient phonetic loanwords refer to foreign words transliterated into Chinese prior to the introduction of Buddhist scriptures. As early as the Western Han period, texts such as Discourses on Salt and Iron (Yantie Lun) and Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital (Xijing Zaji) already mention the substance “liúlí” (琉璃), recognized in Buddhism as one of the seven precious treasures of the human world. These records reveal a wealth of word forms and usage examples. The motivation behind its naming warrants exploration. Qing scholar Duan Yucai associated the term with the character “liú” (𤥗) found in the Shuowen Jiezi. Whether this connection is valid remains a subject of inquiry. This paper examines 59 distinct word forms of “liúlí” (琉璃) used in Chinese Buddhist scriptures and secular Chinese texts. It investigates the selection of Chinese characters for phonetic transliteration, aiming to shed light on Chinese speakers’ perceptions of transliterated words, the role of script in the Sinicization of foreign terms, and the impact of loanwords on the structure of the Chinese lexicon.

目 錄
1.引言
2.珋與琉璃關連的疑惑
3.雙典「琉璃」歷時身影
    3.1 兩漢新創詞形
    3.2 魏晉南北朝新創詞形
    3.3 隋唐新創詞形
    3.4 宋遼金新創詞形
    3.5 元明清新創詞形
    3.6 歷時說明
4.「琉璃」詞形用字討論
    4.1 詞形匯整
    4.2 譯音用字
    4.3 類型討論
5.結語

• 周碧香(國立臺中教育大學語文教育學系教授) | Pi-Hsiang CHOU