What is the word Oracle?

Oracle Bone Inscriptions-China discovered the earliest ancient Chinese characters with a relatively complete system.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions mainly refers to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins, also known as Yin Ruins Characters, Wang Badan and Yin Qi, written on tortoise shells and animal bones in Shang Dynasty. 65438+ was discovered in Yin Ruins in Xiaotun, Anyang, Henan Province at the end of 2009, and inherited Wen Tao's word-making method. It was carved (or written) by the royal family on tortoise shells and animal bones in China in the late Shang Dynasty (14 ~1century) for divination. It is a relatively complete ancient writing system discovered by China. Oracle Bone Inscriptions was identified by antique dealers and epigraphers in 1898. After that, a large-scale excavation was carried out in Yin Ruins (Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan Province), and a large number of tortoise shells and animal bones were unearthed. Coupled with sporadic collection in other places, more than 100,000 articles have been collected so far, of which a single article is the longest100 words, which shows the embryonic form of practical writing.

There are more than 5,000 different characters and figures in a total of * * * 65,438+million Oracle bones, of which about 65,438+0,000 characters have been recognized.

There are about 27% pictophonetic characters in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which shows that Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a fairly mature writing system. Oracle Bone Inscriptions is an ancient script in China, and it is an animal Oracle Bone Inscriptions with a few symbols. It is regarded as an early form of modern Chinese characters, sometimes regarded as a script of Chinese characters, and also the oldest mature script in China. Oracle Bone Inscriptions is also called Wen Qi, tortoise shell or tortoise shell animal bone. Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a very important ancient writing material. Most Oracle Bone Inscriptions were found in Yin Ruins. Yin Ruins are famous sites of Yin Shang Dynasty, including Xiaotun Village, Huayuanzhuang and Houjiazhuang in the northwest of Anyang City, Henan Province. It was once the capital of the central dynasty in the late Yin Shang Dynasty, so it was called Yin Ruins. These Oracle Bone Inscriptions are basically the divination records of Shang rulers. Shang rulers are superstitious about whether there will be disasters, whether it will rain, whether there will be a good harvest of crops, whether there will be a victory in the war, what to sacrifice to ghosts and gods, and divination based on fertility, disease, dreaming and other things to understand the will of ghosts and gods and the quality of things. The materials used for divination are mainly tortoise's bellybutton, carapace and cattle's scapula. Small pits are usually dug or drilled on the back of Oracle bones for divination. This kind of pit is called "drilling" by experts in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Heating these pits during divination leads to cracks on the surface of Oracle bones. This kind of crack is called "omen" The word "Bu" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is like a symbol. People engaged in divination judge good or bad according to the various shapes of divination. According to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Shang Dynasty, Chinese characters at that time had developed into a complete Chinese writing system. In the discovered Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Yin Ruins, the number of words has reached about 4000. There are a lot of signifiers, pictographs, knowing characters, and many pictographs. These words are very different in appearance from the words we use now. But from the point of word formation, they are basically the same.

At present, there are about 6.5438+0.5 million pieces of Oracle bones with more than 4,500 words. These Oracle Bone Inscriptions records are extremely rich in content, involving many aspects of social life in Shang Dynasty, including not only politics, military affairs, culture and social customs, but also astronomy, calendars, medicine and other science and technology. Judging from about 1500 characters identified in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the methods of "pictographic, comprehending, pictophonetic, referring to things, transferring notes and borrowing words" have been developed, which shows the unique charm of China characters. Documents based on tortoise shells and animal bones in Shang Dynasty and early Western Zhou Dynasty in China (about 16 BC-0/0 BC). This is the earliest known form of Chinese literature. The characters carved on Oracle bones were previously called Wen Qi, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Turtle Edition, Yin Ruins, etc. Now they are usually called Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Due to superstition, Shang and Zhou emperors used tortoise shells (common in tortoise shells) or animal bones (common in cattle scapula) for divination, and then carved divination related matters (such as divination time, diviner, divination content, divination result, verification, etc. ) in the Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and preserved by the royal historian as archival materials (see Oracle Bone Inscriptions archives). In addition to Oracle inscriptions, there are some unforgettable inscriptions in Oracle Bone Inscriptions's offerings. Oracle Bone Inscriptions's contribution covers astronomy, calendar, meteorology, geography, country, lineage, family, figures, officials, conquest, prison, agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting, transportation, religion, sacrifice, disease, birth and disaster. It is extremely precious first-hand information to study the social history, culture and language of ancient China, especially the Shang Dynasty.

Judging from the number and structure of fonts, Oracle Bone Inscriptions has developed into a more rigorous and systematic writing. The "six-character" principle of Chinese characters is reflected in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. But the traces of the original picture and the original words are still obvious. Its main features are:

(1) As far as the structure of characters is concerned, some hieroglyphs only emphasize the characteristics of physical objects, and the number of strokes and the front and back are not uniform.

(2) Some Oracle Bone Inscriptions's cognitive characters only require the radical to conform to a clear meaning, but not to be fixed. Therefore, there are many variants in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and some words can be written in dozens or even dozens.

(3) The size of Oracle Bone Inscriptions graphics is often determined by the complexity of physical objects, and some words can occupy the position of several words, either long or short.

(4) Because the characters are carved on hard animal bones with knives, the strokes are thin, mostly in Fang Bi.

Because Oracle Bone Inscriptions was carved with a knife, and the knife was sharp and blunt, and the bones were thin and thick, hard and soft, the strokes carved out were different in thickness, even as thin as hair, and the joints of the strokes were peeling off, thick and heavy. Structurally, the length and size are not necessarily the same, or the dispersion is uneven; Or the dense layers are stacked, which is very neat and solemn, so it can show the infinite interest of simplicity and variety.

Although the structure of Oracle Bone Inscriptions is complex and varied, it has a symmetrical and stable pattern. Therefore, some people think that China's calligraphy, strictly speaking, began in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, because Oracle Bone Inscriptions has prepared three elements of calligraphy, namely, using a pen, binding words and composing a composition.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions is named after being carved on the bones of tortoise shells, which is a kind of book trace circulated in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. The content is an Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which records the 270-year migration from Pan Geng to Zhou Wang, and is the earliest book trace. Yin merchants have three characteristics, namely, believing in history, drinking alcohol and worshiping ghosts and gods; Because of this, these tortoise shells, which decided many things such as fishing, conquest and agriculture, can be rediscovered in later generations and become important materials for studying China characters.

In Shang dynasty, the pen and ink were excellent, and the calligraphy was thin and sharp because of engraving, which had the interest of a blade. Influenced by the rise and fall of writing style, it can be divided into five periods, which are introduced below.

It took about forty years from Zu Geng to Zujia. Both of them are holy kings. Calligraphy in this period was just vigorous and powerful, generally inherited the style of the previous generation, stuck to the rules and rarely made new ones, but it was not as vigorous and bold as the previous generation.

It has been fourteen years since Suan Xin came to Kangding. This period can be said to be the autumn of the decline of literary style in Yin Dynasty. Although there are still many neat books, the paragraphs are scattered and irregular, not so regular, a little childish and confused, and the number of typos is not uncommon.

It took about seventeen years to get from Wuyishan to Dingding. Wu Wending is determined to restore the boldness of the Wuding era, and his calligraphy style has become vigorous and powerful, showing a youthful atmosphere. There is a very strong style in the slender brush strokes.

It's about 89 years since I first came to Di Xin. Calligraphy style tends to be rigorous, slightly close to the second phase; Lengthened in length, cautious, not decadent, and lacking in heroic spirit. Fine print on Oracle Bone Inscriptions is also influenced by knife carving.

In divination, "yes" or "no" is often engraved on both sides of the central longitudinal line of tortoise shell, written from the central line to the left and right, so the two sides are symmetrical and harmonious, with symmetrical beauty. And after engraving, all the big and small characters are filled with pen and ink, or both sides are filled with Zhu Mo, which is more artistic and can be called a miracle in the history of books.

Most of Oracle Bone Inscriptions's contents are the records of divination by the royal family in Shang Dynasty. Shang people were superstitious about ghosts and gods, and they had to ask questions about big and small issues. Some divination is about sunny and rainy days, some about agricultural harvest, some about diseases and seeking children, hunting, fighting, sacrifice and other big things to ask! Therefore, Oracle Bone Inscriptions's content can provide a glimpse of people's life and the historical development of Shang Dynasty.

The shoulder blades of Wu Wenniu, the king of Yin, were used for divination. Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Anyang Yin Ruins is the earliest systematic writing in China, and it is also a relatively mature writing. On the other hand, the horizontal dense structure of ancient Chinese characters has really begun to take shape in calligraphy, such as the use of pens, structure and composition, which breeds the beauty of calligraphy art and is worth appreciating and tasting. As far as Oracle bone inscriptions are concerned, Guo Moruo expressed great appreciation for his calligraphy in the preface to the Nazi Encyclopedia of Yin Qi published in 1937: "Oracle Bone Inscriptions is engraved on Oracle bones, and its exquisite inscriptions and beautiful words have fascinated our descendants for thousands of years. The style of writing varies from person to person and from world to world. Generally speaking, Wu Ding's world is full of bold words, Di Yi's world is beautiful, and Wen Xian is beautiful. The density of lines, the structure of words, the care of circles, and the order ... It is enough to know that the existing contract is a proxy book, and the contract book is Yin Zhong Wang. "

"Zhong Wang Yan Liu" refers to the four ancient calligraphers. Zhong Wang Yan Liu of Yin Dynasty was a historian and diviner of Oracle inscriptions. It is they who left a wealth of historical materials and precious ancient calligraphy works for future generations. If we take a cursory look at Oracle Bone Inscriptions's calligraphy forms, we will find that the early fonts are very large, such as many Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Wuding period included in Luo Zhenyu's Book of Yin Ruins Qi Jing Dialect, which are very atmospheric and eye-catching; By the time of Di Yi and Di Xin in the last years of Shang Dynasty, the characters became small and trivial. As for Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty, it is even more subtle.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions's style types: First, vigorous and vigorous; Second, it is beautiful and light; The third is neat and tidy; The fourth type is graceful and delicate; Fifth, the well-developed Gu Zhuo type. In short, although Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a carved character, his brushwork is meaningful, his style is mixed, or his skeleton is open, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. Or fine silk Xiu Xiu, in the form of hairpin flowers, between the lines, there are many exquisite calligraphy.

The nicks on the ancient Oracle bones were identified as Shang Dynasty characters, which was one of the third archaeological discoveries in China at the end of last century and the beginning of this century (the remains of the Dunhuang Grottoes and Zhoukoudian Apes). However, its discovery process is very accidental and full of drama.

In the autumn of the 25th year of Guangxu reign in the late Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1899), he served as the king of imperial academy's wine supply in the Qing court in Beijing (1845- 1900) and got malaria. He sent someone to buy a dose of Chinese medicine at Darentang Chinese Medicine Shop at the food market outside Xuanwu Gate. A medicine that Wang happened to see was called keel. Keels are the bones of ancient vertebrates. How can there be carved symbols hundreds of thousands of years ago on this bone? This aroused his curiosity. Wang, who is famous for studying ancient stone carvings, carefully studied it and found that it is not an ordinary notch, but resembles ancient Chinese characters, but its shape is neither a brush (big seal) nor a seal (small seal). In order to find more keels for in-depth study, he sent someone to Darentang to buy all the carved keels in the drugstore at a high price of two taels of silver each. Later, it was searched by antique dealer Fan and others, and accumulated more than 500 pieces of/kloc-0. Oracle Bone Inscriptions unearthed in Anyang

After careful study and analysis of these keels, he thinks that they are not the bones of "dragons", but tortoise shells and animal bones thousands of years ago. He gradually recognized the words "rain", "sun", "moon", "mountain" and "water" from the scratches on Oracle bones, and then found out the names of several kings in Shang Dynasty. This proves that this is an ancient writing carved on animal bones. Since then, these Oracle Bone Inscriptions engraved with ancient Chinese characters have caused a sensation in all walks of life, and scholars and antique dealers are vying for it.

Some people once questioned Wang's theory of finding the keel with characters in Chinese medicine, and thought that Wang had no record of this in relevant writings. The keel eaten by Wang had been processed into fine particles in the pharmacy, and there was no trace of words engraved. And there was no Darentang drugstore around Caishikou at that time. In this regard, Zhou Shaoliang, a scholar who later studied Oracle bone inscriptions, said that the keel was sold piece by piece in Chinese medicine shops at that time until he went to Chinese medicine shops to buy it in the 1930s. As for Darentang pharmacy, it was not in the food market at that time, but there was a famous Xihe Niantang Chinese medicine shop in the food market. At that time, people were superstitious about Xihe Niantang and wanted to go to Xihe Niantang drugstore to buy Chinese medicine, which may also be the result of misinformation at that time.

Before Oracle bone inscriptions were confirmed, farmers in Xiaotun Village, Anyang City, Henan Province kept digging and dug up ancient Oracle bones in their fields. It is said that the first person who sold Oracle bones in Chinese medicine shops was a barber named Li Cheng. Once he got an abscess and had no money to seek medical treatment and buy medicine, so he ground these Oracle Bone Inscriptions into powder and applied it to the abscess. Unexpectedly, the pus was sucked dry by bone powder, and it was found that bone powder also had the effect of hemostasis. From then on, he collected them, described them as dragon bones and sold them to Chinese medicine shops.

After many scholars and experts' research, the so-called keel is actually a tool for divination in Shang Dynasty. Before divination, people saw the tortoise shell and the shoulder blades of cattle neatly, and then drilled round deep nests and shallow grooves on the back of the Oracle bone. When divining, they first pray to ghosts and gods, and then burn the sides of deep nests or grooves to a certain extent with burning branches, and cracks appear in the corresponding parts of Oracle bones. Therefore, fortune tellers judge the success or failure of things according to the length, thickness, straightness and concealment of cracks. After divination, the contents and results of divination are engraved near the divination with a knife, which is Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Oracle bones engraved with Oracle Bone Inscriptions were properly collected in the cellar as files and handed down to future generations. The story discovered by Oracle Bone Inscriptions, later called "a Oracle Bone Inscriptions that shocked the world", has written a legendary chapter in the archaeological history of China and the world.

From the discovery and identification of a piece of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Shang Dynasty to the affirmation of a dynasty more than 3000 years ago and 600 years ago. What an amazing discovery! In this way, some scholars in the 1920s believed that China's credible history began in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the trend of "suspecting the past" was completely denied.

A large number of Oracle bones unearthed in Yin Ruins reflect the prosperity of divination in Shang Dynasty. From state affairs to private life, such as sacrifice, climate, harvest, conquest, hunting, sick people, childbirth, going out, etc. The royal family and nobles all asked God for advice until they decided to stop. As a result, divination became a major event in the political life of the country, and the court set up special institutions and divination officials. Oracle Bone Inscriptions with inscriptions is preserved as a national archive and piled in caves. Therefore, Oracle Bone Inscriptions became the first-hand material to study the history of Shang Dynasty, reflecting all aspects of social life from BC 1300 to BC 1000.