大般涅槃經集解 21.13

21.13

案僧宗曰：三十八音從十四音出，但就三十八中前二十五音是次第從舌本聲，次至舌端、次齒、次脣。從第二十六至第三十，此是超越不定。下有八字，皆表長短超聲之相。半字為字本者，義生此也。夫致教之體，要先半而後滿，此是前後次第根本耳。迦呿此五字，是舌本音也。遮車此五字，舌中音也。吒他此五字，舌端音也。多他此五字，是舌齒音也。波頗此五字，是脣音也。耶羅和此五字，是超聲也。下八字，皆是縮張含吐之異也。曇纖曰：此二十五字，皆前十二字中出，下去諸字皆不從出也。

Sengzong comments: The thirty-eight sounds emerge from the fourteen sounds. However, within these thirty-eight, the first twenty-five sounds proceed in order: sounds from the root of the tongue, next to the tip of the tongue, next the teeth, and next the lips. From the twenty-sixth to the thirtieth, these are transitional and not fixed. Below there are eight characters, all indicating the characteristics of long, short, and transitional sounds. As for the half-letters being the foundation of letters, the meaning arises here. In the essential body of presenting teaching, one must first have the half and afterward the complete; this is merely the root of the sequence before and after. The five characters ka, kha, [ga, gha, ṅa] are sounds of the root of the tongue. The five characters ca, cha, [ja, jha, ña] are sounds of the middle of the tongue. The five characters ṭa, ṭha, [ḍa, ḍha, ṇa] are sounds of the tip of the tongue. The five characters ta, tha, [da, dha, na] are sounds of the tongue and teeth. The five characters pa, pha, [ba, bha, ma] are labial sounds. The five characters ya, ra, [la, va, śa] are transitional sounds. The lower eight characters are all the differences of contraction, expansion, retention, and emission. Tanxian says: These twenty-five characters all emerge from the previous twelve characters; none of the remaining characters below emerge from them.