Abstract: “当腾腾” (pronounced as dangtengteng) is an official document idiom in the Qin bamboo slips discovered in Liye and Shuidihu.Many scholars,like Li Xueqin and Hu Pingsheng,feel confused about its meaning and sound.By examining the interchangeability of Chinese characters as well as the taboo of the Qin Dynasty,we can get a conclusion that “腾” equals “朕” (meaning king),which can be understood as “封” (meaning seal),thus “当腾腾” means to be sealed.Evidence can be seen in the ancient book《说文 》(meaning on characters),however,no scholars have mentioned this.

Key words: the Qin bamboo slips, interchangeability of Chinese characters, taboo, seal