How did Oracle Bone Inscriptions come into being?

In the development of lettering in China, Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang and Zhou Dynasties is a classic. Oracle Bone Inscriptions's full name is tortoise shell and animal bone script, which is called Oracle Bone Inscriptions for short. It is also called Tortoise Shell, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Divination, Wen Qi, Yin Qi and so on. The materials used are tortoise shells and animal bones. Tortoise shell has abdominal shell and dorsal shell, and abdominal shell is mostly used for divination. Animal bones include sheep, deer, pigs and tigers. The animal bones used for divination are mainly the shoulder blades of cattle.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions for divination must be processed first, and then a hole is drilled on the back of the Oracle bone. Drilling is to drill a circular groove on the back of Oracle bone according to a certain procedure, and drilling is to drill an oval cavity on one side of the drilled groove.

Once the Oracle bones are baked and exploded, cracks appear on the front, which is called trillion lines. The vertical direction is Cho Chien, and the intersection with Cho Chien is Zhao Zhi. The word "no" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is the pictograph of Zhao Wen. The fortune teller judges the success or failure of divination by puncturing the divination pattern composed of Cho Chien and Zhaozhi.

After divining good or bad luck, the fortune teller carved the divination contents with specific symbols on the front of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and beside the symbols. This is the Oracle. This is a complicated and rigorous procedure.

The organic combination of Oracle Bone Inscriptions's sculpture and materials not only fully prepared for the later calligraphy style, but also became an important symbol of the development of ancient seals in China.

oracle bone script