筆者在拙文中使用了兩個概念，一是「異譯」，意為為何同一部經典由不同譯者翻譯的不同版本;二是「翻版」，意為後來的「譯者」基本照本全抄前人翻譯的經典，僅僅對個別詞彙表達做了修改，用現代語言來講就是複制。
東漢支婁迦讖譯《道行般若經》有幾部「異譯」，如吳支謙譯《大明度經》、前秦竺佛念譯《摩訶般若鈔經》、後秦鳩摩羅什等譯，而《大明度經》及《摩訶般若鈔經》基本上都是《道行般若經》的「翻版」。
但是，從漢語史研究的角度來說，他們的「翻版」恰恰為我們研究瞭解漢語語言變遷提供了寶貴的資料。如果我們著眼於支謙、竺佛念等譯者是如何對支婁迦讖譯進行的修改，那我們就能夠追溯東漢到晉代語言的變遷。正如後代譯者們「翻版」《道行般若經》一樣，被後代譯者們「翻版」的經典應該還有。如果最早的漢譯與之後的"翻版"都還存在，那麼他們就是研究中古漢語演變的極好材料。
《九色鹿經》正是這樣一部經典。《九色鹿經》有三種不同版本，此外《經律異相》(516年成書，作者寶唱)中也收進了這一部經典，毫無疑問它也是《九色鹿經》的「翻版」。前三部版本以及最後一部寶唱本，無論在內容上，還是在語言上都有相當明憲的差異。
拙文通過語言的分析，揭示《九色鹿經》諸版本之間的關係，闡明文中所舉的一些詞彙的變遷。

In this .paper, 1 use the following two concepts: (1) i-i異譯“different translation", meaning a different translation of the same text by a different translator; (2) fan-pan 翻版 “modifiedversion", meaning a version which a later "traoslator" or an editor produced, by basically copy ing a pre-existing translation with a limited replacement of words.
There are seven Chinese translations of the Astasãhasrikã Prajnãpãramitã. Amongst them, the Tao-hsing pan-jo ching道行般若經(translated in 179 C.E.) by Lokaksema is the oldest, followed by Chih Ch'ien (tl. ca. 220--257 C.E.), ChuFo-nien (translated in 382 C.E.), KumãrajTva (translated in 408 C.E.) and so on. In reality, the translations by Chih Ch' ien and Chu Fo-nien are basically “modifiedversions" of the Tao-hsing pan-jo ching. From the viewpoint of the historicaI study of Chinese, these "modified versions" are valuable as they provide us with important inforrnation for understanding the various changes which have occurred within that language. If we focus on how these translators modified Lokaksema's translation, then we are able to trace the changes and developments ofthe Chinese language from the Eastern Han to the Chin Dynasties.
As the Tao-hsing pan-jo ching was modified by later translators, there must be translations which are merely “modifiedversions" of previous translations. If both an original translation and its modified version still exist, then they will be excellent material by which to study the evolution of Middle Chinese.
The Chiu-se-Iu ching九色鹿經is one such example. This text may have been first translated no earlier than the middle of the third century﹒The Chinese Buddhist Canons contain three different versions of this and the famous Buddhist Anthology, Ching-Iü-i-hsiang經律異相, compiled by Pao-ch'ang in 516 C.E., contains another modified one as well. As the language and the contents of these four differ from one another, the interrelationship among them and the changes of their vocabularies will be discussed in this article.