学界关于“古今字”观念的产生时代问题意见不统一。汉民族在有了“古今”观念且在秦代有了以“字”指代单个文字的概念之后才会产生“古今字”观念。先秦至汉的“古今语”观念,西汉时的“古今文”观念与“古今字”观念相关却并不相当。按此思路考察,杨润陆(1981)所持观点是适当的,古人的“古今字”观念大约产生在西汉武帝末孔子壁中书出之时,代表人物即孔安国。清段玉裁认为先秦时《尔雅》中已有“古今字”观念有些过早,其他学者以为西汉末或东汉时才有“古今字”观念,则有些过晚。
Scholars hold different views on the formation age of the concept of Gujinzi. It should be formed when Han na- tionality had the concept of the past and present and the Zi was used to refer to the single Chinese character in the Qin Dy- nasty. The concept of Gujinzi is different from the Gujinyu in the period from pre - Qin to the Han Dynasty and the concept of Gujinwen in the Western Han Dynasty. In this sense, Yang Runlu's views( 1981 ) are appropriate, and he claimed the concept of Gujinzi was formed about at this time when Kong' s wall bamboo books was discovered at the late of the Emperor Wu of I-fan' s reign and the scholar Kong Anguo was the representative figure. In addition, Duan Yucai, in the Qing Dynas- ty, believed the idea that the concept of Gujinzi had been already formed in Er Ya in the pre - Qin Dynasty was a little ear- ly. And other scholars think it is a little late that the concept of Gujinzi was formed at the end of Western Han Dynasty or in the Eastern Han Dynasty.