北京胡同起源再探——论胡同与水井无关

20世纪80年代,有人认为二眼井、四眼井等以井为胡同名的称谓始自元朝,并以北京有很多带“井”字的街巷、蒙语“水井”的发音与胡同读音接近等为证据,“假设”胡同与水井有关,即胡同源自元代蒙语水井。经笔者考证,以井为名系我国几千年的文化传统,早在建元前已经存在;北京带“井”字的街巷并不多;北京的水井主要分布在菜园圃和大街上;蒙语井的发音明显与汉语胡同读音无涉,胡同与水井无关。

Preliminary Discussion on the Origin of Beijing Lane: "Lane has Nothing to Do with Well"

In the late Culture Revolution,being short of historical data,some consider that the names in terms with wells such as two-hole well,four-hole well,etc.,begin in the Yuan Dynasty.They also "suppose" that "lane" comes from the "well" in Mongol,and that lanes are related to wells with the following evidences,such as the lanes in Beijing with the word "well" in their names,the over 1000 wells being in existence in the Qing Dynasty,the pronunciation of the word "well" in English approaching the pronunciation of the word "lane".From the textual research of the writer,the names in terms with "well" are due to Chinese cultural tradition in thousands of years.In the early Yuan Dynasty,it has existed.There are just a few lanes in Beijing concerning the word "well".The wells in Beijing are mainly dispersed over vegetable gardens or streets.The pronunciation of the word "well" in Mongol has obviously nothing to do with the pronunciation of the word "well" in Chinese.Lane has nothing to do with well.