成唯識論述記 2.453

2.453

述曰：二、顯三用殊，「名」詮法自性；「句」詮法差別；「文」體是「字」，為名、句之所依，不能詮自性及差別故。「文」者，彰義，與二為依，彰表二故。又名為顯，與二為依能顯義故，而體非顯。「字」者，無改轉義是其字體，「文」是功能，功能即體故，言「文即是字」等。或，字為初首，即多剎那聲集成一字，集多字為所依，次能成名詮諸法體。集多名已後成句身詮法差別，即《雜集》云：「自性差別及此二言，總攝一切。」彼「二言」者，即是字也，字即語故，說之為言；名、句二種，所依止之言也。《瑜伽》言：「名」於自性施設；「句」於差別施設；「名」、「句」所依止性，說之為「字」。又《顯揚》言：「句」必有名，「名」不必有句，「名」必有字，「字」不必有名，如《樞要》說。

The Commentary states: Second, revealing the distinct functions of the three. A 'name' expresses the intrinsic nature (svabhāva) of a dharma; a 'sentence' expresses the differentiations (viśeṣa) of a dharma; the substance of a 'grapheme' (vyañjana) is the 'syllable' (akṣara), which serves as the support for names and sentences, because it cannot express either intrinsic nature or differentiations. 'Vyañjana' means to illuminate or manifest: it serves as the support for the two because it clarifies and conveys both. It is also called 'manifestation' (prakāśa), because by serving as the support for the two it can manifest the meaning, though its substance is not the manifestation itself. As for 'syllable' (akṣara), it means 'immutable' in its substance; 'vyañjana' is its function, and since function is identical with substance, it says 'vyañjana is the syllable', and so on. Alternatively, syllables come first: sounds of multiple moments assemble into a single syllable; assembling multiple syllables as their support, they subsequently constitute a name to express the entities of dharmas; having assembled multiple names, they subsequently constitute the collection of sentences to express the differentiations of dharmas. This matches the Saṃgītiparyāya (or Abhidharmasamuccaya-vyākhyā) which says: 'Intrinsic nature, differentiation, and the expressions for these two subsume everything.' Those 'expressions for the two' are precisely syllables; because syllables are vocal expression, they are called 'expressions', meaning the expressions upon which the two kinds—names and sentences—depend. The Yogācārabhūmi says: 'Names' are designated with respect to intrinsic nature; 'sentences' are designated with respect to differentiations; the nature of that upon which names and sentences depend is called 'syllables'. Furthermore, the Prakaraṇāryavācā states: 'Sentences' necessarily have names, but 'names' do not necessarily have sentences; 'names' necessarily have syllables, but 'syllables' do not necessarily have names, as explained in the Shunyao.