釋出土簡帛《老子》「以正之邦」的「之」

學者多把簡帛《老子》「以正之邦」的「之」讀為「治」，或讀如本字而訓作「為」、「用」，少數人讀為「持」。本文從字音和用字習慣出發，補證「以正之邦」應讀為「以正持邦」，「持邦」就是守邦、保邦。

Many scholars read the word zhi 之 of Yi zheng zhi bang以正之邦 in the bamboo and silk Laozi manuscripts as zhi 治, which means “to govern”, others read it as the original character and explain it as zhi 為 or yong 用, which means “to run (a country),” while very few people opine that it should be read as chi 持. Taking the pronunciation and choice of word into consideration, this article substantiates that the word zhi 之 should be read as chi 持, which means “to sustain, to maintain.”