Divination, the people of Yin used to carve the name of the diviner, the things asked by the diviner, the selection of the day and the results of the divinationTortoiseshelloranimal boneOccasionally, there are also a few records related to divination, which are commonly referred to as divination.
The oracle inscriptions or "oracle inscriptions" refer to the written records carved on animal bones and crusts such as cattle scapula and tortoise shells by Chinese witches in the late Shang Dynasty, and also refer to the records compiled by modern scholars in the late Shang DynastyOracleWord assembledCompilation。Oracle Bone Inscriptions andModern Chinese CharactersIt is far from easy to read and understand.Archaeologists and scholars of ancient Chinese characters have interpreted this and sorted out the unearthed oracle bone relics with inscriptions on oracle bonesbe published in book form。A complete oracle script consists of four parts: precursory script (narrative script, narrative script), destiny script (chastity script), accounting script, and verification script,Engrave a deedTime varies.The preceding words record the divination time and ask questionsDeityThe names of diviners play a narrative role, so they are also called narratives and narratives.The words of destiny record specific divination matters and ask questions of the gods, which is also called the words of chastity.The divination results are recorded in the divination words. This is the answer given by the wizard according to the analysis of bone nail cracks by the gods.The verification speech records the results of the divination after the event, and evaluates whether the divination content has been verified.[1]The process of divination starts with the selection of materials, and the size and quality of animal bones and tortoise shells are selected according to the status of the inquirer and the importance of the divination matters.Then saw the selected materialGrinding, until the surface is white and smooth.Next, drill a groove and a round hole with the size of jujube on the back of the bone nail.The sorcerer burned the cave with fire, causing cracks on the front of the thin bone armor.The wizard discerns the will of the gods according to the trend of the rift, and writes divination on the bone armor with a knife.After the examination, the final deed will be carved, and then stored in the underground pit as archives.Three thousand and two hundred years later,Xiaotun VillageThe farmer of.Local farmers ground it into powder and applied it to the wound. Surprised that it could stop bleeding and heal, they sold it to a Chinese medicine shop.In the autumn of 1899,Sacrificial Wine of the Imperial CollegeWang YirongBecause of malaria, send servants to buy medicine.Among the medicines he bought back, there were a few moments of "keel" with symbols. He found that it was actually an ancient writing, so he sent his servants to the drugstores throughout the city to search and buy it.In 1908, Chinese scholarLuo ZhenyuTo Anyang City, Henan ProvinceYindu DistrictAccording to the investigation in Xiaotun Village, about 20000 pieces of oracle bones were found.On June 12, 1936, a oracle bone pit was found in the north palace area of Xiaotun Village, with 17096 pieces of oracle bones stored.In 1973, 5041 pieces of inscribed oracle bones were unearthed in the south of Xiaotun Village.In the autumn of 1991, 579 oracle bones with characters were found.As of 2010, the oracle bone articles were still in Xiaotun VillageYin ruinsThere are many unearthed articles, recording the late Shang DynastyPan GengIt was a divination event that the capital was moved from Yin (about 1300 BC) to King Zhou of Emperor Xin (about 273 BC).For ChinaYellow RiverThe earliest written record of the middle and lower reaches of civilization.
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Oracle inscriptions
Yin ruinsDiscoveredOracleOracle bone inscriptions are divination characters inscribed on tortoise shells and animal bones, so Oracle bone inscriptions are also calledoracular inscriptions on tortoise shells and bones。 Turtle shells and animal bones used for divination are generally renovated.They go through three steps when they are used for divination: 1. selecting materials;2 Sawing and scraping.soonbovine scapulaeSawing and grinding of the bone mortar part;3 Chisel, drill and burn.The chisel is to dig a date pit shaped groove on the back of the oracle bone;Drill is to use a knife or drill to drill a round hole on one side of the groove;Burning refers to burning with fire at the place of drilling and chiseling, so that the front of the oracle bone thinned by drilling and chiseling will burst.Distinguish good from bad according to divination omen, and carve the result of divination on the oracle bone.
The oracle inscriptions have a certain format.A complete oracle script can be divided into the former script, the destiny script, the accounting script, the verification script, and so on.Qianci, also called Xuci, records the time of divination and the names of people.The word of destiny refers to the matter to be divined.The divination is the divination result shown in the omen.Examined words are the earliest extant writings in China.
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The inscriptions on the ancient oracle bones are confirmed to be the characters of the Shang Dynasty, which are the three major archaeological discoveries in China at the end of the last century and the beginning of this century（Dunhuang Grottoes、Zhoukou StoreApe man remains).However, its discovery was quite accidental and dramatic.
Oracle inscriptions
In the autumn of the 25th year of Guangxu in the late Qing Dynasty (AD 1899), in BeijingQing DynastyTingrenSacrificial Wine of the Imperial College(equivalent to the chief executive of the central educational institution)Wang Yirong(1845-1900) Come onmalaria, send someone to Xuanwu GateCaishikouDa RentangTCM PharmacyWhen Wang Yirong bought back a dose of traditional Chinese medicine, he accidentally saw some symbols carved on the medicine called dragon bone.The keel is ancientvertebrateHow can there be carved symbols on the bones hundreds of thousands of years ago?This could not help but arouse his curiosity.For ancient timesinscriptions on ancient bronzes and stone tabletsWang Yirong, who has studied it for a long time, carefully looked at it and thought that it was not an ordinary scratch, but it was very similar to ancient characters, but its shape was not a Zhou (big seal), not a seal（Xiaozhuan)。In order to find more keels for in-depth research, he sent people toDa RentangAt the high price of two taels of silver per piece, he bought all the keels engraved with symbols in the drugstore. Later, he collected more than 1500 pieces through antique dealer Fan Weiqing and others.
After careful study and analysis of these keels, he believed that they were not dragon bones, but tortoise shells and animal bones thousands of years ago.He gradually identified the words "rain", "sun", "moon", "mountain" and "water" from the inscriptions on the oracle bones, and later found out the names of several kings of the Shang Dynasty.Therefore, it is confirmed that this is the ancient characters carved on animal bones. Since then, these oracle bones with ancient characters have caused a sensation in all walks of life, and scholars and antique merchants are competing for them.Someone once questioned Wang Yirong's theory that dragon bones with characters were found in traditional Chinese medicine. They believed that Wang Yirong had no record of this in his relevant writings, and that the dragon bones Wang Yirong ate had been processed into fine grains in the drugstore, and no carved words could be seen.At that time, there was no Darentang Drugstore around the mouth of the market.In this regard, later researchOracleScholars ofZhou ShaoliangHe said that keels were sold in Chinese medicine stores in pieces and pieces at that time. Until the 1930s, he bought keels in Chinese medicine stores.As for Darentang Pharmacy, it was really not there at that timeCaishikouHowever, there was a famous Xihe Niantang Chinese medicine store at the mouth of the food market, and people at that time were very superstitious about the WestHenian HallYou have to go west to buy Chinese medicineHenian Hall DrugstoreThis may also be the result of error transmission at that time.
As for the writing of books, the first one to confirm Oracle bone inscriptionsWang YirongI haven't had time to do in-depth research and write books,Eight-Nation AllianceThen approachBeijing City, he was appointed as the Minister of Youth League Training in Beijing.
Oracle inscriptions
In July 1900, the invading army came to the city,CixiWang Yirong was completely disappointed when the empress dowager led the royal family to flee.He said to his family, "My righteousness is not to live!" Then he wrote a songtestamentHe fell into a well and died at the age of 56.Later people said that this person who first discovered oracle bone inscriptionsWang YirongAs the "father of oracle bone inscriptions", in the autumn of 1989, the 90th anniversary of the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions, in his hometown of Yantai, ShandongFushan DistrictCompletedWang Yirong Memorial HallTo commemorate his achievements.
Wang Yirong's collection after his martyrdomOracle bone, most of them return to friendsLiu E(i.e《The Travels of Lao Can》Author Liu Tieyun).Liu further collected more than 5000 pieces of oracle bones, of which more than 1000 pieces were selected and printed in 1903"Iron Cloud Hides Turtles"The first publication of oracle bone inscriptions.In 1904, scholarsSun YirangAccording to《Iron Cloud Hidden Turtle》And wrote the first monograph on oracle bone inscriptions《Deeds Examples》This is the first book on divination in China.
The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions caused a sensation in the academic world.In order to monopolize the financial resources, antique merchants kept secret about the origin of oracle bones, and later lied that they were from HenanTangyin、Wei HuiEtc.Until 1908, scholarsLuo ZhenyuOnly then did I first know that oracle bones were unearthed in HenanAnyang CountyOfXiaotun VillageSo he sent his relativesAnyangBuy and go to Anyang in personon-the-spot investigation。A total of nearly 20000 pieces of oracle bones were collected, and more than 2000 pieces were selected and compiled in 1913《Yin Xu Book Deed》(former edition) was published and then printed《The essence of Yin Xu's deeds》, "Yin Xu Shu Qi Hou Bian" and other bibliographic books have laid the foundation for the study of oracle bone inscriptions.After Luo Zhenyu, many famous scholars, such asWang GuoweiGuo MoruoDong Zuobin、Tang Lan、Chen Mengjia、Rong Geng、Yu Shengwu、Hu HouxuanAnd so on have conducted fruitful research and interpretation, and formed a specialized knowledge——Onychology。Among them, Guo Moruo's《Study on Oracle Bone Characters》And《Brainwork》It represents the highest level of research on oracle bone in China.
Before Oracle was confirmed,HenanprovinceAnyangcityXiaotun VillageEighty five percent of farmers kept digging out ancient oracle bones in the farmland when they were farming.It is said that oracle bones are used as medicinal materialsTraditional Chinese Medicine ShopThe first person to sell was a barber named Li Cheng.One time he got hurtAbscessI can't afford to go to the doctor to buy medicine, so I grind these oracle bones into powder and apply them to the abscess. Unexpectedly, the pus water flows outBone mealI sucked it dry, and found that bone powder still has hemostatic effect.From then on, he collected them, called them keels, and sold them to a Chinese medicine shop.
After many scholars and experts' research, the so-called keel was actually a tool for divination in the Shang Dynasty.People put tortoise shells and cattle before diviningScapulaSawingOrderly, and then drill round deep pits andShallow troughDuring divination, first tell the things to be asked clearly to the ghosts and gods, and then use the burning wood branch to burn the deep nest or groove side to a certain extent, and the corresponding part of the oracle bone will show cracks.therefore,DivinerJudge the good or bad, success or failure of the matter according to the length, thickness, curvature, and appearance of the crack.After divination, useknifeCarve the contents and results of divination near the divination omen, which is called divination.Oracle bones engraved with oracle inscriptions were properly stored in the cellar as archives, so they were handed down to later generations.The story of the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions, later known as the miracle of "a piece of oracle bone scares the world", has written a legendary chapter in the archaeological history of China and the world.
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Oracle inscriptions
Since the location of the oracle bones was found out, from the autumn of 1928 to the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War in the summer of 1937,Academia SinicaHistorical language
Archaeological Group of Yan Research InstitutearchaeologistDong Zuobin、Li Ji、a leading archeologistUnder the leadership of othersXiaotun VillageFifteen archaeological excavations have been carried out in the area for 10 years. Not only a total of more than 24900 pieces of oracle bones have been found, but also palaces, ancestral temple sites and royal mausoleums in the late Shang Dynasty have been found, and a large number of precious bronze, jade and pottery have been unearthedmaterial cultureIs available onYin ruinsIt is the evidence of the capital of the Shang Dynasty.Yin Ruins became world famousHistorical Cultural Site, shocked the academic circles at home and abroad again.New China was foundedLater, archaeologists carried out many investigations and excavations, and generally found out the scope and layout of Yin Ruins.Yin Ruins is located in the northwest suburb of Anyang City. Centered on Xiaotun Village, it is about 6 kilometers from east to west and 5 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 30square kilometreabout.Huan RiverXiaotun Village on the south bankKing YinLiving palace area, excavatedPalace siteDozens of them, the largest of which covers an area of 5000 square meters.The northern part of the Huan River is the tomb area of the King of Yin, where more than a dozen tombs and more than 1000 tombs have been excavatedSmall tombAnd a large number of sacrificial pits.Two oracle bone inscriptions archives andCast copper, jade making, bone making, pottery burning, etchandicraft industryWorkshop site.Excavation of Yin RuinsThe long duration, large scale and abundant harvest are rare in Chinese archaeological history.In order to commemorate the great archaeological discovery of Yin Ruins, in the autumn of 1987, Anyang City built aYin Ruins Museum, recovered and reproduced for 3000 yearsAnte YinThe style and features of the palace and some buildings.In the spring of 1976, near the Palace District,Xiaotun Village100 meters north by west, excavatedChinese historyThe first female generalGood womenTomb of.Oracle records that women are goodthe kings of the Shang dynastyWudingQueen of.One summer, a war broke out on the northern border, and the two sides were in a stalemate. Fu Hao volunteered to lead the troops. Wu Ding hesitated. After divining, he decided to send Fu Hao to take up the war, and the result was a big victory.Since then, Wu Ding has asked her to be the commander in chief. Since then, she has gone from place to place and defeated more than 20 people around herfeudal princes who pay allegiance to a common sovereign(a small independent country).There is one pieceoracular inscriptions on tortoise shells and bonesIt is said that women are fightingQiang prescriptionAt that time, he commanded a huge team of 130000 people, which is the largest number of foreign troops of the Shang Dynasty known so far.Tomb of Fu Hao YesExcavation of Yin RuinsThe only completely savedYin DynastyThe royal tombs are the only royal tombs of the Shang Dynasty that can confirm with oracle bone inscriptions and historical documents, so as to determine the identity and age of the tomb owner.For the 70 year archaeology of Yin Ruins, three important textual researches and discoveries of oracle bone inscriptions should be put forward in particular:
The first time was on June 12, 1936Xiaotun VillageAn oracle bone pit was excavated in the northern palace area, and 17096 pieces of oracle bones with characters were preserved, recording many activities during the period of King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty. It seems that this is the oracle bone inscription archive of the King Wuding. The discovery of these pieces of oracle bones is a textual researchWudingThe social politics, culture and life of the period are extremely valuable.During excavation, a body curled up and lying on its side was also found buried in the pit. Most of its body was pressed on the oracle bone, which experts believe may be the keeper of the archive.
The second time, in 1973, 7150 pieces of oracle bones were excavated in the south of Xiaotun Village, including 5041 pieces of inscribed oracle bones.Along with these oracle bones, pottery products were also unearthed. This coexistence of oracle bones and pottery provides valuable information for the staging of oracle bone inscriptions and Yin Ruins culture.
The third time was in the autumn of 1991, a 2 square meter oracle bone pit was excavated in the east of Huayuanzhuang, but its stacking thickness was 0.8 meters. 1583 pieces of oracle bones were unearthed, of which 579 pieces were inscribed with inscriptions. The records were rich, and the inquirers were all members of the royal family and senior nobles in the Wuding period.It shows that divination activities in this period were not limited to the supreme ruler, the emperor, and royal nobles could use divination to predict good or bad luck.
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scholarWang GuoweiCompare the ancient kings and princes of the Shang Dynasty seen in the oracle inscriptions《Redords of the Grand History of China》The records have made detailed textual research and confirmed that《Yin Benji》OfCredibility。Yin Ruins is the 10th King of the Shang DynastyPan GengIn 1318 BC, the capital city was changed from Yan (today's Shandong ProvinceQufuMove to Yin（Xiaotun VillageOne belt), from then on to 8 generations and 12 kings, the capital was built here for 273 years.These research results advance China's credible history by a thousand years.Oracle Bone of Yin RuinsA large number of excavations in the Shang Dynasty reflect the popularity of divination.The royal family and nobility started from national affairs toPrivate lifeSuch as sacrifice, climate, harvest, expedition, field hunting, patients, childbirth, going out, etc., they all ask the gods to know whether it is good or bad and decide to stop.As a result, divination became a major event in the country's political life, and the court set up special institutions and divination officials.Oracle bones with inscriptions are preserved as national archives and stored in pits.Therefore, the oracle inscriptions on the oracle bones become the research object of Shang Dynasty historyFirst hand materials, which reflects thecivil lifeAll aspects of.
From the first discovery of oracle bone inscriptions in 1899, according to scholarsHu HouxuanAccording to statistics, more than 154600 pieces of oracle bones were unearthed, including more than 97600 pieces collected on the mainland,TaiwanThere are more than 30200 pieces in the province, 89 pieces in Hong Kong, and a total of 127900 pieces in China. In addition, JapanCanadaThe United Kingdom, the United States and other countries have collected more than 26700 pieces.So far, there are about 4500 words engraved on these oracle bones, and about 2000 words have been read.
Chinese characters sprouted earlierNeolithic AgeYangshao CultureOn the pottery ofEngraved symbol, becomeChinese charactersAfter two or three thousand years of gestation and development, the Chinese characters in the Shang Dynasty reached the basic levelMaturity stage。Oracle bone inscriptions have a certain system and relatively strict rules. They are exquisitely carved and rich in contentAncient writingResearch plays an important role.In the past, the main basis for the study of ancient characters wasBronzes of the Shang and Zhou DynastiesInscription on,RudongChineseXu ShenOf《Analytical Dictionary of Characters》。Oracle bone inscriptions are 1500 years earlier than Shuowenjiezi, and they are derived from direct excavationunearthed relic, which is more credible. It is helpful to study the origin and development of Chinese characters, correct the negligence of Shuowenjiezi, and solve the problem ofBronze inscriptionThe outstanding issues in are of great value.
Literary significance
The earliest source of Chinese prose can be traced back to divination.Yan people used tortoise shells and animal bones for divination. After divination, they carved the divination date, the diviner, and the things they occupied, some of which also included the future luck and misfortune fulfillment, next to the oracle bones.The contents of these oracle inscriptions are quite rich, including sacrifice, agricultural production, hunting, wind and rain, war, disease and many other aspects, which truly and simply reflectShang DynastyAll aspects of social life.oracular inscriptions on tortoise shells and bonesThe record of events is relatively simple and unsystematic, but it has not been processed by later generations, maintaining the original appearance of the record of events of the Shang Dynasty.These divination words are only a few words short and more than a hundred words long, such as:
Gui already divined, the shell Shu Zhen, ten days dead field (blame)?Wang Yue said that (there) (reason), and (there) come (difficulty).Gas (up to now) to the 5thDing YouLet (you) come (hard) from the west.I told him, "The earth is just in the east of my village, and the two towns are (in disaster). The side (at the mouth of the work) is also brooming the west of my village." (Guo MoruoBu Ci Tong Bian512).
This divination is complete in time, place, people and things. It is more detailed and has some narrative elements.These oracle words can be regarded asPre Qin Narrative ProseThe bud of
Inscriptions of the Yin and Shang Dynasties are inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, also called oracle bone inscriptionscharacters carved on oracle bones, tortoiseshell characters, Yin Ruins characters.Inscriptions of Yin and Shang Dynasties were first unearthed in HenanAnyangXiaotun VillageThe Yin Ruins were discovered in the 25th year of Guangxu's reign (1899).These characters are inscriptions of divination and records related to divination when the Shang Dynasty used tortoise shells and animal bones for divinationPan Geng moved to YinThe relics from the 273 years to the death of Zhou Dynasty are for studying the Shang and Zhou DynastiesSocial historyImportant information.There are about 4500 characters of oracle bone inscriptions found, and about 1700 characters can be recognized.Among the recognizable Chinese characters, oracle bone inscriptions are the oldest writing system.
Thisoracular inscriptions on tortoise shells and bones, which can be regarded as agricultural poetry in primitive form.First remember the result of divination: we have got the sign of rain, and then write a further divination to ask God where the rain came from.The oracle inscriptions show that people in ancient times were eager to expect rain.Rainwater isagricultural productionFrom this point of view, divination actually reflects the low productivityremote date, farming production is totally dependent on the state of heaven, and people's eagerness to pray for rain.
